Napa Wines on a Budget: Big, Bold & Unapologetic

The Napa Valley is a bit like that guy you knew in high school — let's call him Rick — who ended up selling his software start-up and getting really rich while you toiled at a mid-level university and then worked your way slowly, painfully slowly, up the ladder at some drab multinational. You apply yourself with diligence and a sense of purpose, but your progress is limited. Rick just hangs out, gets the girls, and sneers at everyone.

Now you know how winemakers in most wine regions in the world feel. To many of them, Napa and Rick are one and the same.

There's a bit of truth in this begrudging tale, but a recent trip to Napa quashed any misgivings this correspondent had about the wine. Napa can deservedly claim to offer the most consistent quality of any fine wine region in the world, Bordeaux included.

The wines are big, bold, and unapologetic. They haven't been around for centuries. Jefferson didn't obsess over them. The rest of the wine world hates to see them succeed. Where's the tradition, the history, and the struggle? Answer: if you want struggle and history, go to Russia. This is California, baby.

Once you've booked your flight — and we know you've already logged on to Travelocity while you're reading this — put Frank Family Vineyards in your itinerary. While constantly tearing one another apart with hilarious put-downs, Dennis, Todd, and owner Rich also manage to be the best hosts in Napa. Frank Family over-delivers on quality at  lower prices than the other top Napa producers, and their tasting is free. (Others charge as much as $25 for the privilege.)

The Frank Family Vineyards 2007 Sangiovese ($50) is a decadent wine: dark red fruits and tar on the nose give way to a huge but soft palate full of chocolate and sweet cherries. The 2006 Winston Hill ($150) will be etched in Shoestring's memory forever: a perfect wine, with wonderful structure, layers and layers of cassis, blackberry, and cocoa flavors, with a beautifully integrated oak caress.

Down the road from Frank is family-owned Flora Springs, a first-rate Napa winery in the European tradition. The wines here are much more restrained that some of their bombastic peers. It is a must-visit, especially if you get to meet co-owner and singer-songwriter Sean Garvey. Sean epitomizes the attitude of the Flora crew. They balance serious wine with a vibe that is geared towards a young and curious crowd. Flora Springs takes a risk and tries to be cool — quirky tasting room included — and they pull it off nicely.

Their Napa Valley Cabernet 2006 ($36) is as good an entry to serious wine as you will find. It has a more youthful and bright feel than other Napa cabs in this price range, and it’s all the better for it — very expressive berry fruit flavors on the palate, and just a suggestion of vanilla from the 20 months or so the wine spends in new oak casks.

You might think $30, $50, or $100+ is a lot to spend on wine. You have a fair point. And it's true you can buy memorable wines for considerably less — the purpose of this column is, of course, to share some of them. But Napa is one of those places where you can find a wine that will stay with you forever, and it's hard to put a price tag on that.

Over the holiday period, it is worth forgoing some non-essential festive stuff, in favor of spending a little more on a great Napa cabernet. Sit by the fire, let the wine breathe for a couple of hours, and savor the company, the conversation, and the moment. This is what wine is all about, folks.

Copyright 2009, Shoestring LLC. Photo: iStock.