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5th
March 2008 - 20th March 2008
Napa, California
[2] |
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Tuesday
I drove with Barry to Freemark Abbey and as I had done on Saturday,
reconnoitred the area. I decided to do a circular route via Crystal Springs
Avenue and Deer Park drive over Howell Mountain to Pope Valley, driving
along Chiles Pope Valley Road past
Lake Hennessey
(which is not far from Lake Berryessa and Monticello Dam and its bewildering
Glory Hole) back to the Silverado Trail. I drove past Freemark along Highway
128 to the upmarket
Healdsburg,
in Sonoma County, where I had been in 2005 (in winter). I put in $20's gas
and returned to pick up Barry at 17h00. On the way I stopped in
Calistoga
for a sandwich, this being a late lunch. The barbeque was rescheduled for my
last evening in Napa and Barry had invited step-daughter Olivia (engaged to
be married) and Alesya. Olivia played drums in a band for a scream
metal band, using high-pitched rasping and other uncommon techniques (see
wiki). I was impressed with the rhythm section of the band. |
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Wine
farm off St Helena Highway, near Calistoga, Napa Valley, California |
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Wine
farm at the junction of Sanitarium and Deer Park Roads, before taking the
pass over Howell Mountain, Napa, California.. |
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View
across the valley on Howell Mountain Road, en route to Pope Valley. |
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Wine
farm off Deer Park Road; Driving Chiles Pope Valley Road; Wine farm off
Chiles Pope Valley Road (same stop). |
Freemark
Abbey Winery, located between St. Helena and Calistoga in
California's Napa Valley, traces its roots to 1886. The
winery was first built by Josephine Marlin Tychson, the
first woman to build and operate a winery in the state. In
1939, three businessmen from Southern California, Albert
"Abbey" Ahern, Charles Freeman and Markquand Foster
purchased Lombarda Cellars, as it was later known (after the
birthplace of one of its owners in Lombarda Italy). Together
they reopened the winery and renamed it Freemark Abbey (a
combination which includes a portion of each partner's
name). The current owner is The Legacy Estate Group. -
a financial institution, what else? Today, Freemark Abbey
produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and
Riesling, as well as very limited production wines, such as
Viogner, Petite Sirah, Sangiovese, and Cabernet Franc.
Depending on conditions, the winery sometimes makes a late
harvest Riesling known as "Edelwein Gold".
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Rolling hills and wine farms off Chiles Pope Valley Road, en route to Lake
Hennessey. |
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Lake
Hennessey; Wine farm near Calistoga, Napa Valley; The wine farm residence. |
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Wine
farm off Highway 28, near Freemark Abbey, Napa Valley, where my good friend
Barry works. |
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Barry
took me to the bus terminus at 07h00 in time to board the airport bus at
08h00. I had enjoyed my stay and would certainly miss the old geezer!
The flight was at 13h30 from SFO airport, however, my name was called out at
the check-in desk. To my surprise, United Airlines had upgraded my ticket to
business class - in any event, the flight was full. I found the air
hostesses in business class extremely polite and friendly, usually more
senior and experienced than the rest. One was married to an American
and was living in Seattle. She had been born in South Africa and had lived
there till about 12 before relocating with her parents to the UK and Hong
Kong. Just before we landed at Heathrow at 06h25 UK time, she
presented me with a complimentary 750ml bottle of Concannon Chardonnay, as I
had been drinking it. The wine hails from the central Californian coast,
which is better known for its buttery
Chardonnays.
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En
route to Healdsburg in Sonoma Valley, just after Calistoga. |
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En
route to Healdsburg; Wine farm near Healdsburg on Highway 28; Highway 28 -
Lichen-carpeted trees. |
Links: Part
One - Portland, Oregon: [
1 ] [
2 ]
Part Two
- Napa, California: [
1 ] [ 2 ] [
3 ]
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