Ah, the beautiful Napa Valley has so much to offer from the stunning views of the rolling hills and vineyards to the exceptional cuisine and wines. There is so much to do and so much to see! Coming to Napa Valley can be overwhelming; there are so many places to hit and impossible to hit them all as a visitor unless you have atleast a month to spare. Somewhere to absolutely hit is Del Dotto Vineyards!

One of my favorite experiences that I would absolutely recommend to any visitor to Napa Valley is the Delicacies by Del Dotto experience. My husband and I did this, and it was the highlight of our trip. It encompasses all of the great things of Napa: amazing, unique wines, delicious food pairings, and a gorgeous atmosphere.

Del Dotto Vineyards is a family owned vineyard that focuses on the small production of premium wines. These are not wines that you will find at your local liquor store, so I suggest you buy any bottles that you like while tasting! They have wineries in Napa and St. Helena and produce predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Sangiovese, and Sauvignon Blanc from their Napa Valley vineyards.  Also in production are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and limited amounts of Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc from their Cinghiale Vineyard in the King’s Ridge region on the Sonoma Coast. Visit deldottovineyards.com for more information and history!

Del Dotto Winery in St. Helena is breathtaking. It has a Venetian feel, and you automatically feel like you have stepped in to a palace from the moment you walk in. The Delicacies experience begins with a guided tour of the cave. In 2007, they built the winery and cave in the St. Helena location which is absolutely stunning. In there, our knowledgeable and helpful guide, Brandon, let us taste wines from the barrels including current releases and wines which were to be released in a couple of months. We tasted about five to six wines and spoke about them all. We learned about how grapes were chosen and the difference between French and American oak barrels. I’m not going to spoil it here, but it is so interesting how the barrel impacts the wine!

After the barrel tasting in the cave, we went upstairs to a private dining area. Lunch consisted of a five course tasting menu, each paired with one of their wines. Joshua Schwartz is the chef here, and he is outstanding. He has previously worked for some fabulous local restaurants in Napa such as Bouchon and The French Laundry and also previously served as the private dining chef at Per Se in New York City. Each course was immaculate and perfectly paired with the wine for the ultimate tasting experience. My favorite course was the wagyu beef slider, however that was a hard decision to make since all of the courses were great. Of course, we bought some wine at the end of this phenomenal experience! My favorites were the 2014 St. Helena Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2015 Russian River Zinfandel. I am normally very picky about my Merlots, but the Merlot included with the tasting menu was excellent, and I would recommend this for any Merlot fan!

Thank you so much Del Dotto Winery for this amazing experience. We had so much fun and highly recommend it to anyone visiting the Napa Valley area! Make sure you make your reservation ahead of time! Salute!

What is  better than a food and wine pairing dinner on a Thursday night? Gotham in Red Bank, New Jersey packed the house on September 22nd to serve a delicious four course meal brilliantly paired with Hall and Walt wines from Napa Valley. The lovely Renee Linares, representative of Hall wines for the Northeast, guided us through the wine journey for the night.

Before we get into the wonderful event hosted by Gotham, let’s talk a little background on Kathryn Walt Hall. Kathryn grew up in a family that made wine, but also very much enjoyed it herself. Other than her success with her wineries, Hall was also the United States ambassador to Austria and an attorney. We are so happy she began her wine journey because these wines are amazing. Walt is her maiden name and Hall is her married name, and all the wines are spectacular.

For the first course, Gotham served up a proscuitto wrapped melon, mache greens topped with fresh calabrian chili flakes. The fresh, sweet melon was a great compliment to the natural salt in the proscuitto.  The chili flakes added a nice flavor and kick to the light, refreshing first course appetizer. The proscuitto wrapped melon was paired with the Hall sauvignon blanc 2015, Napa bottle. Great bottle with flavors of citrus, melon, and white peach. Wine spectator has given this wine 90 points.

The second course served was the pan seared scallop with autumn squash saute. Scallops were cooked perfectly. I loved the addition of green onions topped on the squash and vegetables. The Walt ‘La Brisa’ Chardonnay 2014 Sonoma was excellent. This chardonnay was not too oaky and was a very pleasant and easy drink. Fresh fruit flavors of apricot, peaches, and honeysuckle fill your mouth. Wine spectator gives this wine 89 points. I love chardonnays that lack the overly oak taste, so this one for me was excellent.

Braised veal with homemade pasta and truffle made its way to us for the third course. Pasta was al dente, and the shredded veal was tasty and tender. Parmesan cheese topped the greens over the pasta which was a nice touch. This third course was paired with the Walt ‘La Brisa’ Pinot Noir 2014 Sonoma. Brilliant bottle with flavors of berries and spicy aromas. This wine was smooth and paired very nicely with the veal course. Wine Spectator rates this wine a well deserved 90 points.

Lastly, saving the best for last, was the sliced skirt steak marinated with seven herbs and served with scalloped potatoes. Steak was served medium rare, and the seven herbs really added a fine, mouthwatering touch. This course was paired with the king of red wines.
A 2012 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa was served; it was absolutely delicious and smooth. It had flavors of dark berries and aromas of currants, dark chocolate, blackberry, and oak that were all vibrant and strong. This wine is rated 92 points by Wine Spectator and has absolutely become one of my favorite cabernets.

A strawberry dessert was served with wafers and cream to end the night on a sweet note.

Overall, the wines paired with the courses were fantastic and were the highlight of the night. The food was also good and palatable. Based on this, we would return to another Gotham wine dinner. We loved the winery selection. Hall and Walt Wines gets an A+ in our book. A special thank you goes out to Renee Linares for the Hall and Walt education.