A Good Winery To End the Trip

The last winery stop— and the crowd favorite— on the most recent Napa tour was Patz & Hall.  A little off the beaten path: think industrial park instead of 29 or the Silverado Trail. But all that was forgotten once we stepped inside.  Elegant without being excessive, we waited in the front room but could see through to the salon where a table was set with glasses and such. Because I didn’t jot it down and I’ve waited too long to write about this, I cannot remember the name of the delightful lady who guided us through our tasting. But she was wonderfully hospitable and informative.  We found out that Patz & Hall was started by four partners, grounded in a frienship begun at Flora Springs in the early 80’s.  Established in 1988, the beginnings were slow, with all of the partners working elsewhere while things got going. It also meant more experience to draw from: Honig, Far Niente, Cain, etc. And that method has served them well.  The wines are amazing. Without any vineyards of their own, they have long-term relationships with family growers—which leads to choice fruit.  As for showcasing their products, the lovely tasting salon was opened in 2005, and a winery in Sonoma last year. 

There are only two varieties made here: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Eight versions of each make up about 35,000 cases a year. Here’s what we tasted:
Wall Road Chardonnay—tangy, coconut, pineapple, kinda spicy
Hudson Chardonnay—more butter, smoky, light guava
Zio Tony Chardonnay (from Martinelli)—honey, lemon, minerality
Hyde Vineyard Pinot Noir (Carneros)—light, strawberry, earth
Chenoweth Ranch Pinot (Russian River Valley)—spicier, musky, plum
Pisoni Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands)—black raspberry, pepper, mocha, vanilla.

These bottles don’t run cheap, but they’re worth it. I left with the first Chardonnay, the Hyde Pinot, and the Pisoni. Maybe it’s time to pop open a bottle and revisit a wonderful afternoon.