We struck the motherlode: Procore Championship, Silverado Resort, September 12-15, 2024
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As noted elsewhere in these pages, California cab is the American golfer’s wine of choice. So when the Tour visits Napa, you better believe there’s great golf-appropriate wine everywhere you turn. Oddly, amid all these riches, the restaurants scene is off the charts, while retail appears to be a step behind. I don’t know why and can only guess that the area is so winery-tourist-driven that retail is left to “wither on the vine.”
Restaurants
Honestly, it would probably be hard to find a restaurant in the Valley without redeeming value if your intent is to drink something local. I didn’t look them all up, so please don’t call me on that. I’m going to separate what I found into two flights. The first three are simply other-worldly and the best of the best, with breadth and depth on par with any great list in the world and expectedly over-the-top in California. The others deserve your attention if you can’t get a reservation or don’t want to take out a second mortgage to have dinner.
The French Laundry list is breathtaking. If I’m reading it correctly, the half-bottle collection alone is better than 99.9% of the world’s restaurants, which I assume has to do with the tasting menu concept. There isn’t much else to add except they allow corkage for $200 a bottle, which is like jamming a corkscrew in your eye simply because they can.
La Toque has a great list distinguished by the vast number of bottles in multiple categories that are fully mature. Some are even relative bargains, especially if compared to the prices at the French Laundry. An ’05 Chappelle-Chambertin from Camille Giroud for $425 isn’t piracy in these circles and I’m not willing to spill any others I found in case I eat there soon.
At Press, like The French Laundry, you must navigate to page 14 to escape the half-bottle and magnum listings. Seriously, between the two of them they must have cornered the market for these formats. And in case you forgot where you were, the last 54 pages of the wine list are devoted to California cab/proprietary blends. As The Cure sang, it’s Just Like Heaven.
In no particular order, we found much to like at Auberge de Soleil, Barndiva (Healdsburg), Farmhouse, Bouchon-Yountville, Brix, Goose & Gander, Oenotri (if it’s gotta be Italian), and Torc. It’s an embarrassment of riches out here and we haven’t even mentioned the food.
At retail
I guess it’s a COVID artifact but seemingly every wine store in Napa (and they aren’t the only ones) has a “club” concept. Perhaps they know from experience that the tourists are hammered from tasting rooms all day, bought bottles at the winery, etc, and simply don’t care about retail. In any event, if you find your thirst unslaked, try Wine Country Connection, Back Room Wines, or Napa Valley Wine and Cigar. The latter two have lots of good cabs if for some reason you still want one!
