On Friday, July 9, our last day in Napa, we headed up to the ACV vineyard, which is situated about 15 minutes off Highway 29. It's a windy, but lovely drive off the highway, with small rolling hills and vineyards. Ronene Anderson, ops director, welcomed us and introduced us to the assistant winemaker Ennio (sp?), who showed us to a few wines to enjoy while we waited for the rest of the group to arrive. While exploring the caves, we encountered Todd Anderson, Ronene's husband and owner/founder of Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards.
After tasting a few different vintages and varietals directly from barrels with Todd, Ennio informed us that lunch was ready. We headed out to the wine cave patio along with the four other folks to what would become an absolutely unforgettable experience...
Lucky for us, the four other people were Todd's friends, so he pulled out some wines we may not have otherwise gotten to taste. While I would have been stoked to simply enjoy Anderson's flagship Eloge and Right Bank blends, in addition to a their Cabs, Todd also brought out a few "cult wines." Huh? Cult wines? This sounded interesting.
I'd never heard of "cult wines" before visiting ACVV. Apparently, cult wines are wines typically characterized by very limited production and a really high price tag (if not at retail, then in the secondary market). Plus, one usually has to pay some absurd amount of money to get on the mailing list or at least wait a ridiculous amount of time (like five years) to even get considered to become a patron. If you want to check this out, look up Screaming Eagle or Harlan Estate.
For a variety of reasons, a few years ago Todd decided to get into the cult wine biz and began producing his private label, Ghost Horse. Interestingly enough, he refuses to this day to submit his wines to be reviewed by the wine media (Wine Enthusiast, etc.), so Ghost Horse has taken on a more genuine meaning of "cult" status, as you seemingly have to be "in-the-know" to have even heard of it.
Now, before I continue, I must interrupt the wine-talk and say the food and the conversation we had at the table over the seven, yes, seven, hours we sat there might just have been the best of the trip. The meal consisted of various home-cooked grilled meats, chiles, green onions, and tortillas, plus fresh guacamole and salsa, etc. The conversation, well, let's say that beyond Todd's very enjoyable, informative perspective on wine and the wine industry, it was politically charged. Me, the (not-so-wealthy) "Tennessee liberal long-haired hippie," along with Brandy, were the minority amongst the (apparently wealthy) California cult wine conservatives, which was quite an interesting (and perhaps backwards) mix. Regardless of our political differences, the energy of the group, the food, and the wine (plus the cigars, moonshine, and Maker's Mark) produced a one-of-a-kind afternoon.
Now, back to the wine. My god, THE WINE! It was undoubtedly the best on the trip. Maybe my mind was clouded (no, not drunk!) from the simple, beautiful food, the views, and the vanilla-laced cigar smoke, but Todd's (unreleased) 2006 Ghost Horse Fantome Cabernet Sauvignon was the best wine I've ever tasted. (Well, as Todd will tell you, the best I've ever had at that moment.) I could not refuse getting a bottle - not after this experience. I had to take some of it with me to enjoy and remember with a few years from now. So, I went completely overboard and bought a bottle, but not one of the fancy standard-issue etched glass bottles (which are cool, too). I asked for one right out of the cardboard box with Todd's handwritten name and year of the wine on the bottle, just like we drank at the table. I think it's one of the coolest things I've ever bought.
And if you take the time to research Todd Anderson and his Ghost Horse label, you'll see a ton of bitching and complaining about his persona and pricing, typical of the anonymous nature of blogs. I am proud to say while Todd and I probably are not the types to ever hang out with one another, Todd's efforts to make us feel "at home" and openness to share his thoughts on wine with us were far beyond anything we'd experienced elsewhere. Without a doubt, I had one of my best food & wine experiences with Todd, and I don't regret my purchase. Eat that, bloggers. (Wait, I'm a blogger...)
Unreleased 2006 Ghost Horse Fantome Cabernet Sauvignon, hand-labeled and signed by Todd Anderson
Oh, and to top that, Todd invited us to dinner at this house, but, regrettably, we had to turn him down. After all of that, we still had our final dinner reservation at Thomas Keller's casual "locals" restaurant, Ad Hoc!
What a great last meal. Ad Hoc features a 4-course prix fixe menu, priced at $49.00. AD Hoc probably deserves a bigger and better review than this, but, simply put, it might just be the best deal in the valley.
Here's the menu for Friday, July 9th:
Every bite was delicious. 5/5 stars!
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