Chicago Business

Issue date: 5/3/07 Section: GSB Life

There are few places in our country that evoke such fascination, mystery, and imagination as Napa Valley. Sweeping hillsides, miles of bountiful vineyards, and rich history all embody the estates that pepper Highway 29. Today, Napa Valley stands as a symbol of the American dream: entrepreneurship, the pursuit of excellence, and the beauty of our natural surroundings. No wonder the GSB Wine Club Napa Valley trip is such a popular event (and featured in the April 9 issue of Business Week magazine). How can you resist spending a weekend in one of America's most beautiful places, tasting world famous wines, and meeting fellow GSB oenophiles?

We arrived in Napa on Thursday afternoon and checked into the Embassy Suites Napa Valley. Before dinner the group was given a few hours to explore the nearby vineyards, peruse the boutique shops in downtown Napa, or relax in the hotel gardens. Our kick off dinner, held at Restaurant Cuvee, featured a three course meal including a toasted pumpkin seed, avocado, and key lime vinaigrette salad, pan roasted salmon, and fruit crisp dessert. A first class dinner: the perfect way to begin a spectacular weekend in Napa Valley!

On Friday, our first stop was at Flora Springs Winery. Flora Springs sits upon a beautiful St. Helena estate, where we began with a tour of the vineyard and winery. It was thrilling to observe the wine making process first-hand, made even more special because Flora was bottling one of their newest release wines that morning. Our next stop was the famous Silver Oak Cellars on the Silverado Trail. Passing by the legendary Opus One on our way, our guide Bruce relayed a funny story about the winery. Apparently, when Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe Rothschild began digging the caves for the Opus One wine cellar, they hit a series of hot springs. Since heat negates the benefit of an underground cave (wine ages perfectly at cool temperatures), a cooling system was installed in the cave to protect the wine against the underground hot springs!

When we arrived at Silver Oak, our host Michael greeted us and poured a tasting of their 2002 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a spectacular wine and very characteristic of Oakville Cabernet Sauvignons. Michael then escorted us to the patio, where we tasted the 2002 Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet while absorbing views of Silver Oak's cabernet vineyard.
We then proceeded to Rutherford Grove, a small family-owned winery in historic Rutherford. There, Rob Ledford arranged a magnificent picnic lunch, which we enjoyed while soaking up the warm California sun and sipping a Rutherford Grove 2005 Sauvignon Blanc. Lunch was followed by a tasting of Rutherford Grove wines, the highlight being a 2004 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.
Next we stopped at Beringer Estates (only to provide a contrast to the boutique wineries that comprised most of our weekend) on our way to Frank Family Winery. At FF the "Rouge" (a sparkling rose) was a favorite of the group, but that couldn't top the Estate Chardonnay and the Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, which were both superb. The staff was extremely friendly and we loved their wines so much we shipped two cases of wine back to Chicago!
We spent Saturday in Sonoma Valley. We got started at Nicholson Ranch, where we learned about their wine making process, which emphasizes limited production, high quality wines. While touring the caves we tasted the Estate Chardonnay and two yummy, silky, and fruity Pinot Noirs.

Next, we stopped for lunch at The Girl and The Fig restaurant in downtown Sonoma. Lunch was outstanding. I savored a bowl of asparagus cream soup and salami and brie served over a baguette accompanied with giant capers. Craig Kahler selected a set of delicious Viogniers, which paired exceptionally well with our meals.
That afternoon we visited BR Cohn, Kunde, and Imagery Estates. While the BR Cohn wines were average, we got a kick out of playing with their dog Moose and later tasting his namesake wine "Moose's Red." We then headed north to visit Imagery Estates, where I was blown away by all of their wines (so much so that I, along with four others, joined their wine club!) A special tip…Imagery's wines are excellent (especially the 2004 Petit Syrah) and they only sell their wines through the wine club and tasting room, and they are considering closing their wine club soon! Kunde was our last stop of the day, and we headed back to the hotel to ready ourselves for our final dinner.
Our Saturday night dinner took place at Bay Leaf. After being seated in the Italian room, the owner Mounir Fahmy greeted us and described our three course dinner in such outstanding detail that my mouth began to water. Many of us indulged in the baby back ribs and some chose the grilled salmon. Making the evening even better, Fahmy treated us to "winery style" service where the entire kitchen staff presented our courses precisely at the exact same moment. The food was amazing, the wine superb, and the dessert delectable. It was the perfect culmination to a weekend learning about great wine, immersing ourselves in the magnificent Napa and Sonoma landscape, and enjoying fine meals and service. On Sunday night we arrived at Midway airport saddened that we had left such a special place where we had enjoyed some of the best luxuries in life, reminisced amongst good friends, and enriched our MBA experience. But wait. For many of us there is still next year!

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