Napa Valley Adventures!! Castello de Amoroso

This past summer we spent a glorious few days in one of the most beautiful and inspiring (at least to me) places on the planet. We were blessed with fabulous weather for a summer sojourn. I had been worried that it would have been miserably stifling, but no! light breezes, easy temperatures allowed for outdoor tastings and rambles in the vineyards. Our first stop was at Castello de Amoroso, Darryl Sattui’s big gamble which paid off in a big way back in 2007. 15 some years later, the tour and tasting in the European style castle continues to delight!! It was a wonderful start to our escape. There were 6 of us, with varying degrees of interest and expertise in oenophilia (not a naughty word, just means the love of wine, sorry to disappoint).  We were taken thru the immense structure replete with cavernous avenues lined with wine barrels, wine bottles, hand painted frescoes and even a torture chamber. luckily, we did not need the torture chamber as our group was very congenial. During the tasting we were offered a “future” tasting, which refers to wine that is not yet ready for bottling and it is in a very raw state. A cultivated palate can discern the “future” of the wine and it is interesting to see where a young wine starts in journey.

After touring the castle, we were taken to a private tasting area and we reviewed a rather large listing of wines that the winery was offering for tastings. Having a large selection was great for our group as some like only sweet, some were figuring out that they enjoy a good Zinfandel and my husband and I, having the most experience like to have a variety to try new varietals while circling back to fan favorites. As Castello de Amoroso has a nice selection of sweet/dessert wines, we also enjoyed so wonderful chocolates as well. La Fantasia, a low alcohol % sweet wine is a perennial favorite of mine and now also my sister-in-law Debbie.

All 6 of us ended up making purchases, mostly of the sweet wines, but several bottles of Zin (Mike!!) were purchased. We also ordered a big bold cab, which is what makes my palate sing.

My next post will be about Darryl Sattui’s first winery, V. Sattui, which he lovingly named after his grandfather Vittorio Sattui, a vintner from another time.  It is an interesting establishment as the Napa Valley wine train crosses right in front. There is also a large picnic area to enjoy a lunch or snack as this winery also offers a wide selection of cheeses and deli. Grab a bottle as we did and while away a wonderful few hours.

So, one can see how the Napa Valley ended up playing into Night Tastings as I always was and always will be enthralled with this region.