Started the day off at Bouchon Bakery. Had a lovely Orange Pistachio Brioche. Perhaps a little too much sugar for breakfast for me. Would have been perfect with a cappuccino - hey, why didn't I think of that then???
While we enjoyed our Bouchon Bakery breakfast we walked around in Napa Style, the gift shop started by former Food Network star / chef Michael Chiarello. While walking over, we actually saw Chiarello at the back of his new (and only current) restaurant, Bottega, taking a delivery. Definitely did not expect to see a celebrity chef taking deliveries at 10:30 in the morning!
We soon headed back down Washington St. (the main road in downtown Yountville with all the awesome restaurants) to Bell Wine Cellars. We drink Bell's Bordeaux-style blends often in Knoxville, so we were excited to visit. (Their 2005 and 2006 Claret and 2006 Canterbury Vineyard Syrah are fantastic $25-$30 wines.) Happened to run into a couple of other (former) Knoxvillians in the tasting room (world is always smaller than you think) and then got started on the tour, which turned out to be only us, as the other folks cancelled.
This tour was much more informative and personal than Newton. Our guide was excellent. Got to learn about why the grapes are planted the way (and where) they are, how they are crushed, the differences in the clones, while also leaning about the winemaker, etc. We then got to taste several of Bell's offerings alongside cheese pairings, which was a nice addition. Ended up grabbing a half bottle of the 2006 Clone 6 Cabernet Sauvignon. Always wanted to try it, but the price stopped me short. Nice to be able to acquire it in a half bottle.
Followed Bell up with a stop at a Pacific Blues Cafe to catch the end of the Germany-Spain game. Again, I think it was bad luck for me to stop and start watching at the end....Germany lost....boooooo.....
In an effort to recover from the loss, we began our search for the La Esperanza taco truck. It has outstanding reviews all over Yelp. After about 15 minutes of de-tours and wrong roads, we found them in a closed auto auction lot. Incredible fish tacos (the best I've had) and awesome carnitas. Also, it was great to have a Mexican coke with their spicy salsa. Search out their blue truck!
Followed the tacos up with a visit to Francis Ford Coppola's Rubicon Estate winery. Amazing property off Highway 29. The view from the highway doesn't do it justice. I'd like to go back another time to take the tour. On the wine...well, I was a little disappointed. I've eyed the Rubicon cabs for a while. Not quite what I hoped for, especially not for the price. Oh well...glad I tried it.
Dinner tonight had us back at Michael Chiarello's Bottega. Unfortunately, reservations were about 1/2 hour behind (the restaurant was packed), but I made that shorter by enjoying a glass of Don Julio 1942, my favorite tequila.
Botegga was fantastic. We shared the following dishes, all of which were excellent.
-Monterey calamari, crisped with Arborio rice flour, aioli nero
-Wood-grilled octopus, olive oil braised potatoes, pickled red onion, salsa verde
-Crispy potato gnocchi, English pea and Tallegio fonduta, spring vegetables, prosciutto crisp
-Grilled "angry" gulf prawns, heirloom tomato steaks, crispy garlic, basil, orange and Calabrian chili dressing, lemon aioli
-2007 Chiarello Family Vineyards Roux Old Vine Petite Sirah
The grilled gulf prawns were the best (especially the juices in the head). I was also impressed with the Chiarello petite sirah. It was one of my favorite wines on the trip. (I subsequently ordered a bottle to be shipped home.) Great prices, too, especially on the wine, for Yountville.
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