A Week In Napa – Part 2
Mumm Napa
Here we go…part 2 of my week in Napa. The “Wine” part. The part where we’ll talk about wines and vineyards and tasting rooms. I like this part! Let me start by saying that it is quite difficult to choose which vineyards and tasting rooms to visit in this area. 95% of Napa Valley’s 400+ wineries are family owned and operated. Where to start? I admit I pretty much “winged” it on this trip but on future travels to Napa I will go prepared with a list of which wineries I’ll visit. There are more world acclaimed wineries here than anywhere else in the U.S. Just taking a drive up the Silverado Highway presents one with sign after sign of well known wineries and tasting rooms. I barely drove north on the Silverado when I began to see recognizable vineyards. Stags Leap, Clos du Val, Black Stallion, and Baldacci. The towns of Napa, Oakville, and Rutherford blend together in vast surroundings of vineyards, tasting rooms look like stone castles on hilltops or rustic and magnificent barns all cradled in the foothills. It’s a sight to see.
My first stop was at Mumm for a bit of “bubbly”. Sparkling wine! I was in for a treat. Here is a bit of their story. “Our roots can be traced back to GH Mumm, the leading international champagne brand in France. Established in California in the late 1970s, Mumm Napa follows traditional wine making techniques of its French heritage to create the finest, hand-crafted sparkling wines. Our dedication to quality has been rewarded with accolades and awards over the decades.”
It was a pleasant, mild day and a seat on the stone paved patio set the stage for this tasting. My daughter and son-in-law were along on this excursion. As you can see from the above photo we tasted several sparkling wines, from the traditional champagne color to rose to a ruby colored sparkling Pinot Noir. Our host was a mature, white-haired gentleman, keen to please and friendly. He explained the different options for tasting, set up our glasses and chatted about the beautiful day, where we were from and so on. Next he did the routine ID check and upon inspecting mine, which we could easily question the necessity of, he said in a rather bizarre tone, “ooohhh”. We all eagerly awaited the first pour and didn’t pay it much attention at that time. After we’d tasted several pours my daughter posed a question,”by the way, did anyone notice the way he reacted to Mom’s ID?” “Weird!”. At that time we all said we did notice and yet none of us knew exactly what the old guy meant by it. We laughed and tasted on. Brut Reserve, Brut Prestige, Rose, Cuvee M and Pinot Noir. All lovely and sparkling.
Brut Reserve-ripe with fruit flavors and a creamy texture—an ideal dinner companion.
Brut Prestige-Versatile with a lingering, crisp finish.
Brut Rose-Versatile and food friendly, this wine is direct with a soft fruity flavor
Cuvee M-A slightly sweet sparkling. The complex bouquet works seamlessly for champagne cocktails and as a pair for both sweet and spicy.
Sparkling Pinot Noir-This dry, red sparkling wine is made from 100% Pinot Noir, with a strong bouquet, it pairs beautifully with dinner.
We took home a few bottles of the Rose as it’s one of my daughters favorites. We thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful views from the tasting patio and the delicious sparkling wines at Mumm. I will return for the pleasure of sipping so many sparkling wines all at one time. I mean, I don’t know what’s not to like?
I don’t want to bore you today with more about this portion of my trip, so up next I’ll post about my “Wine & Food Pairing Tour” at Cakebread Cellars. If you love food and wine you’ll want to read all about it, as it is one of the premier tours in Napa.
