The Napa Winery You Don't Know About: Del Dotto Vineyards
I started my Weekend Getaway to Napa with a visit to Del Dotto Vineyards for their Delicacies by Del Dotto food and wine tasting. Del Dotto has 7 vineyards and 2 wineries but the Delicacies tasting is only offered at the St. Helena Venetian Estate Winery and Caves. As I said in my Weekend Getaway post, the winery is on the smaller side, which makes the experience much more intimate.
The Delicacies tasting began with some background information about the winery where our awesome tour guide, Michael, claimed "this is probably the most well known winery that you've never heard of." That's because their wines are very highly rated but you can't find them in many retailers due to the small production size. Our tour continued to the caves where Michael distributed wine straight from the barrels while educating us about each one. I'm no wine expert but I could tell that these wines were goood. After the cave tour, we were led upstairs where we were seated for the food and wine tasting (the part I had been waiting for all day).
Going into the tasting, I had high expectations because I heard this is one of the best winery tastings. Having such high expectations usually ends in disappointment for me but this tasting far exceeded my expectations. That's probably because Executive Chef Joshua Schwartz's previous stints include 3-Michelin-starred restaurants The French Laundry and Per Se. Executive Sous Chef Michael Dengelegi has also worked at Michelin-starred restaurants Per Se and Bouchon as well. So if you want a Michelin-starred meal without the Michelin-starred prices, this is your place.
Chef Michael Dengelegi (left) and Executive Chef Joshua Schwartz (right)
Make sure to go hungry because this "tasting" is equivalent to a full meal! They have 2 time slots, 10:30am and 1:30pm, so the tasting works perfectly as either an early or late lunch. The winery also has its own garden, which supplies the garnishes for the dishes. Talk about farm to table, or I guess garden to table!
1st Course: Potato Blini with Reserve Caviar and Smoked Sturgeon paired with 2011 Bubbles Sparkling Wine Sonoma Coast. Don't let the small size fool you because this potato blini was bursting with flavor. Additionally, the caviar is sourced from Tsar Nicoulai, a local and sustainable California farm.
2nd Course: Maine Lobster Roll paired with 2013 Piazza Chardonnay Sonoma Coast. BEST. LOBSTER. ROLL. EVER. Chef Joshua has the hook ups and gets the lobster delivered fresh from Maine every morning. So it's pretty much the same thing as going to Maine without really going. The lobster meat was so tender and the brioche was perfectly buttered so every bite practically melted in my mouth. If I could eat these everyday, you better believe I would.
3rd Course: Chestnut Agnolotti with Brussel Sprouts and Black Truffles paired with 2012 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast. You know something is good when my boyfriend, who is pretty indifferent towards food and only eats because he has to (weird that we get along huh), says this is the best dish he's ever eaten. If only I had caught his reaction on camera when he took his first bite. Chef Josh came to our table and shaved the truffle right before our eyes and boy did he load on the truffle. Just look at that truffle blanket.
4th Course: Falafel Slider (in place of American Wagyu Beef n' Bacon Slider) paired with 2011 Villa Del Lago Cabernet Sauvignon. I always love a good veggie burger and this one certainly did no disappoint. However, the real standout in this course was the bun. So light. And fluffy. And buttery. Del Dotto Vineyards should really consider expanding into a bread bakery.
5th Course: Gianduja (Chocolate-Hazelnut) Crespo Torte paired with Dolores Dessert Wine. Can we take a moment and just appreciate all those layers? The crepes were not only the perfect texture, but also the perfect sweetness so that you could taste all the flavors. Definitely the perfect ending to a perfect meal.
