Prager Winery & Port

To call this winery unique would be to damn it with faint praise, or at least that is what the majority of visitors to this small St. Helena property would say. To begin with, when is the last time you visited a port works, especially in this part of the wine world? The building itself, part barn, part small (and unique) tasting room, part barrel and bottle storage, and part this and that, is tucked away on a small lane you’re likely to miss if you don’t look closely. Locals remember to turn left as soon as they go past the Sutter Home retail center and Victorian house if they are headed north on Route 29; if you’re coming from the other direction, it’s the right turn right past the manicured grounds and Tudor mansions of the Harvest Inn.

For years Jim Prager, the patriarch of this small family empire dedicated to the grape, was known only for his fine Port, and to many people it remains that way. The Noble Companion 10 Year Old Tawny and the Royal Escort LBV were the bottles took home, carefully rationing out a sip or two to close friends. At times there was a rare white Port, and today the Alyssa Golden Dry Port is available to astonish your friends back home. Or try the new Muscat Port, soft and spicy with hints of hazelnut at the end. The Summer Tawny is a refreshing drink to sip at the end of the season and the beginning of harvest.
These days, a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Chardonnay hav

e joined the roster, along with a refreshing Riesling called Sweet Claire and a lightly fortified Late Harvest Riesling named Madeline. All are worth your consideration, but whatever you do, don’t leave without a bottle of their Port. You’ll be the envy of all your friends, and you’ll have tales of the winery itself to tell over small sips of vintage Napa Valley Port.

Prager Winery is open every day from 10:30 AM until 4:30 PM.

Storybook Mountain Vineyards
 

They call themselves the “Napa Valley Zinfandel specialists,” and few people would dispute the claim. Going back to the early 1880s, grape growers on what is now known as Storybook Mountain Vineyards have planted the red clay-loam hillsides in the Mayacamas Range to this varietal.

Then winery’s sought-after estate wines are carefully hand-crafted from select grapes grown without the use of herbicides or insecticides. Then they’re aged for a minimum of a year in the combination of American and French oak barrels. The century-old caves where this aging occurs are dug into the mineral-rich volcanic rock that helps produce the stunning flavors coming from the grapes growing above. Gather together an informal (or formal, if you feel the need) tasting panel and certain characteristics are bound to stand out, among them the distinctive notes of black cherries, raspberries and spice.

Located north of Calistoga on the winding road heading towards Knights and Alexander Valleys, the vineyards and winery command a spectacular position among the trees in a climate distinct and beneficial, as well as an eastern exposure. The pattern of precipitation and the winery’s proximity to Mount St. Helena (think microclimate here) also play key roles in the production of Storybook’s Zinfandel.

The winery welcomes visitors by appointment only, but the result is well worth a phone call and a drive to this unique part of the Napa Valley.

Stryker Sonoma Winery and Vineyards
Stryker Sonoma Winery and Vineyards

Open barely two months, the tasting room at Stryker Sonoma in Alexander Valley may be the most taster-friendly spot we can recall visiting. Elevated just high enough to look over the vineyards, but close enough to feel a part of them, this winery was designed for the enjoyment of the visitor. How well did they do? Their hardest task may to get visitors to leave at the end of the day; the easiest will be to get them to enjoy their wines.

This is a user-friendly winery in every respect, from the deck that is cantilevered above the crush pad, to the open spaces and windows onto the barrel room. Karen and Craig MacDonald watch over the day to day. Their partner is Pat Stryker, hence the name. At 5,000 cases a year, it is large enough to be a commercially viable winery, but small enough to produce small batches of wine, all of it available only at the winery. Their permit would allow them to enlarge their production significantly, but they’re in no hurry, even though they have a total of 31 acres, with 27 of them planted, some with 90 year old Zinfandel vines.

The wines include a Russian River Chardonnay and a delightful Gewürztraminer. Red wines include a smooth, soft Sangiovese, a couple of startlingly good Zinfandels (one from those old vines) and a Two Moon Cuvee that is a blend of two-thirds Merlot and a third Cabernet. All are well-crafted and balanced and the fact that they are available only at this gem of a winery makes them all the better.

Stryker Sonoma is open Thursday through Sunday from 10:30 AM until 5 PM, and other days by appointment.

Husch Vineyards
 

It’s hard to pass by this small winery between the tiny, little Mendocino County towns of Navarro and Philo, such is the charm of the place. Founded in 1971 on the 60-acre Nunn Ranch, it was once known for fruit trees and grain fields, but the new owners, Gretchen and Tony Husch began their move into the wine business by planting a cool, south-facing eight acres. In 1979 the Oswald family bought the winery and today three members of the Oswald family are still actively involved.

Husch Vineyards was the first bonded winery located in the Anderson Valley appellation, and all wines are still made from grapes grown only on family owned vineyards. For a small winery they produce a wide range of wines, some of them available only at the tasting room. They include a subtle Sauvignon Blanc, a nicely spiced Gewürztraminer, a Chenin Blanc, two Chardonnays, a Pinot Noir, an increasingly rare Carignane, a Cabernet Sauvignon and a couple of others.

As nice as the wines are, part of the attraction of a visit to Husch is the rustic wood tasting room, once a farm animal and grain storage shed. With the encroaching vines, the lawn beyond, the trees towering and the pleasant deck, it is a perfect place to sip wine and perhaps enjoy a picnic with a bottle of Husch. The winery is open to the public daily from 10 AM until 6 PM (5PM in the winter).