2008-03-07
Tasting Room of the Week:
ARTESA WINERY
& VINEYARDS
A Paradise for Wine and Art
by Nan Reiley
In 1991, a mere 440 years after the Codorniu family first started making wine in Spain, its family interests expanded to the creation of a sparkling wine facility in Carneros, a wine region that straddles Napa and Sonoma counties at their southern edges. An investment there of more than thirty million dollars has resulted in a stunningly gorgeous Wine Country destination and some of the finest wines made anywhere.
By the mid-1990s, Carneros wine producers realized that the cool, breezy climate (adjacent to the inner reaches of the San Francisco Bay) was perfect for growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay not just as grapes for sparkling wine, but as world-class wines. Today, the Artesa Winery (“Artesa” means “craftsman” in Spanish, with the additional connotation of finely handcrafted products) makes Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and sparkling wine from its estate vineyards that surround the winery, and has branched out into Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and some exotic varieties such as Tempranillo, Albarino and Pinot Blanc from vineyards in the warmer climes of Napa and Alexander Valleys.
Winemaker Dave Dobson is a self-professed fanatic about the importance of the vineyard in making wine. “The vineyard is where sun, rain and soil meld into something sublime, and [it is here that] the winemaker can have a huge impact on quality,” he asserts. And quality is what Artesa is all about. Frankly, you just can’t have such a magnificent building on display unless your product has the excellence to live up to the image. Artesa wines do that very well.
Visiting Artesa is always a special treat (even more fun if you can take out-of-town guests to see it!) because it offers great wine, architecture, artwork, views and tours.
The style is ultra-modern without any cold, hard edges. Gleaming blonde oak floors, high ceilings, smooth pillars and black leather couches arranged in conversation groupings form the entrance to the winery’s tasting room. Three separate tasting bars in a spacious open area surround an atrium with tables and chairs and open onto a wide deck where you can drink in the sweeping views of rocky hillsides undulating with endless rows of grapevines. Here and there you’ll see an open meadow where even the cows are picturesque.
Sip some wine and admire the multi-media artwork of Artist-in-Residence Gordon Huether, who specializes in large-scale installations (you’ll see them at the entrance to the winery) as well as wall-mounted works in canvas, metal and glass which abound in the tasting room.
And speaking of sipping wine, Artesa makes an excellent Chardonnay. The 2006 Estate Chardonnay ($26) is creamy yet crisp, full-bodied with notes of caramel and pecan underlying the ripe Chardonnay fruit flavor. Artesa’s 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve from Napa Valley ($40) is a huge, aromatic wine with bright, rich black fruit flavors and a smooth, intense finish. There are also other wines available only in the tasting room or to wine club members – one more good reason to pay a visit.
The tasting room is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (The final tasting is at 4:30 p.m. daily). Tours of the winemaking facilities are available at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. (Groups of eight or more should call for reservations.) The welcoming staff will offer you a choice of tastings to suit your wine likings, all modestly priced. The view is both priceless and free.
Artesa is located at 1345 Henry Road, Napa. For more information, call (707) 224-1668. Go to the super website to get directions to the winery – it’s not exactly in downtown Napa – www.artesawinery.com
Related Information
|
