Cakebread and Rubicon: July, 2008

Cakebread Cellars tops the list of favorite wines for Hennessey House, and it was also recommended by Julie's co-worker Ardel as his favorite winery in Napa, so we phoned a day in advance to make the required appointment for a 2:30 PM tour. We arrived to find an almost full parking lot and the gift shop humming with activity. People without reservations were being turned away. Julie and I split the $10 tasting, receiving a very nice stemmed glass. At home, I try to find the best rated wines at the grocery store between $5 to $8, so sampling these $50 and up bottles was a treat. My palate doesn't seem to be that discerning, but this certainly seemed like good wine. Since their best wines were the reds, it wasn't surprising that Julie was less impressed. As we enterred the barrel room where wines are aged to do our tasting, we were joined by two athletic looking guys in navy blue suits, who contrasted the country club casual attire of the rest of us. We thought they might be football players on a break, but they said they were from Washington, D.C. We found out later on the news that President Bush was coming into town the next day, and these were undoubtedly secret service advance men who had the afternoon free. For whatever reason, we didn't take any photos here, so all the pictures are from our next stop, Rubicon.

Formerly known as Niebaum-Coppola, it is the historical center of Napa Valley, founded in 1880 as Inglenook by an old sailor named Gustave Niebaum who became wealthy as a fur trader in Alaska. Within ten years, his wine gained international fame. Francis Ford Coppola bought the Inglenook Estate as a summer home but then became enamored with its history. He decided to restore the winery to its former glory. It is quite a Hollywood production, with vallet parking and a red carpet past beautiful vineyards leading to the gorgeous mansion. Inside, you'll find some great Hollywood memorabilia, including old fashioned zoetropes, a Tucker automobile used in his movie of the same name and lots more. The tour and tasting is $25 per person, and they don't allow you to share, so Julie and I opted to look around on our own and then buy a drink at the little beverage area. Julie's wine was $7 and my espresso was $2.50, and sitting in the shade on the grounds was quite pleasant. If you're going to Napa, visit Rubicon, especially if you're a fan of Coppola movies like "The Godfather" and "Tucker."