So, I spent the night in a tent on the grounds of a winery recently. Which I didn’t even know was a thing.
Charles Krug, one of the oldest and most storied wineries in Napa Valley, hosted a “Cab Camp” (to be fair, it wasn’t just Cabernet: Sauvignon Blanc is the breakfast wine) recently. These people are – how to put it? – not pikers. They’ve been honing their art since the late 19th century, and the Peter Mondavi family has continuously owned and operated the place since the 1940s. By the way, there are very few wineries who can say that. These folks are proud of their history. But when I heard Peter Mondavi Jr. answering another camper’s question with, “Yeah, we should talk about that when we open the ’66,” I admit I did think it was a figure of speech.
It wasn’t a figure of speech. They opened a 60-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon for us. There are people in the wine world who are immersed and connected and jaded enough not to be remotely dazzled by that, I am sure. I am glad I am not one of them because a six-decade vertical tasting flight is not something I would never want to take for granted.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. If you have never been to Napa Valley but have some image in your mind about ultra-luxe, super-gracious, “this-is-Eden” kind of vibes? Charles Krug will not dismantle that vision. From getting a rundown on the current production facility while pouring a little Chardonnay in the architectural-masterpiece tasting room, to unbelievably fabulous food on the fabulous park-like lawn (we got to grill our own steaks, and there were six different kinds of salt. With tasting notes. Yes, really.), to touring some pretty magical vineyards on Howell Mountain, to sitting around the campfire with a history lesson and the most high-end s’mores you will ever encounter… to the tents, which were arguably nicer than some of the rooms in my house, where you could fall onto a remarkably comfy bed in a dazed stupor after drinking more wine and eating more food than you would have thought possible. And you do need to get your rest because that six-decade vertical is immediately following coffee and pastries from a superstar bakery.
