inside
napa valley Spring/ Summer 2019
The Valley
springs to life
WINTER SPRING 2019
INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 1
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In this issue
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Spring in the vineyards Dan Dawson reinvented Getting to know you: Ryan Gregory Food Trucks of the Napa Valley Neighborhoods: Milton Road Crafting beautiful music Honoring our nurses Training the service dogs Latitude 38 rises Great Estates The Vineyard Whisperer The perfect knife Embracing motherhood Crossword Collabria at 40 Where in the Valley Happy Hour happiness Locals Night Out Living the life Cocktails of the Valley Napa’s ghost wineries
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Spring returns to the Valley NORMA KOSTECKA Advertising Director
T
he rain is easing, the sun is shining and the vines are getting back their lovely clothing of leaves. Can the clusters of grapes be far behind? It’s spring again in the Napa Valley. For this edition of Inside Napa Valley, we’ll follow the spring NORMA KOSTECKA vibe by meeting some Napa County residents making, doing, or reinventing themselves in interesting ways. We’ll visit a former wine shop owner who’s having a second act as a writer and educator. We’ll explore the workshop of an American Canyon craftsman who is hand-making exquisite SPRING/SUMMER 2019
guitars. We’ll learn about a man known as a wizard in teasing out the best of a site to create a world-class vineyard. We’ll look back at how three Napa friends stepped in to revitalize a failing music festival — succeeding in a big way — and we’ll get tips from Napa County’s best chefs on how to pick the perfect hand-crafted knife. But May is more than just the heart of spring. It’s also a month for remembering some important people in our lives. In honor of Mother’s Day, we’ll meet a Napa County mom who has decided to focus her attention on children – her own and others – in a special way. In honor of National Nurses Week, we’ll meet the men and women who devote themselves to our
health care in so many different ways. And there is so much more. We’ll take a look at what spring really means in the vineyards, and we’ll look back at Napa County’s history of “Ghost Wineries.” We’ll meet a local woman training dogs for wounded veterans, and we’ll visit with Collabria Care, a hospice celebrating its 40th year in the Valley. Springs means a good party too, so we’ll look into Napa County’s burgeoning Happy Hour scene. We’ll talk with bartenders and customers alike to get their favorite cocktail concoctions, and we’ll look ahead to a new “Locals Night Out” for the summer in downtown Napa. We’ll continue our
Neighborhoods series, visiting a quirky area most Napans don’t know about, and we’ll look at a Great Estate on the market in St. Helena. We’ll continue our look at Food Trucks of the Napa Valley, we’ll Get to Know Supervisor Ryan Gregory, and we’ll test your knowledge of Napa County landmarks with our Where in the Valley. All of that, and we’ll also bring you a digest of some of the best of our wine and food coverage from the Napa Valley Publishing family of newspapers. So please join us in celebrating spring in the Napa Valley, with the latest edition of the award-winning Inside Napa Valley magazine. On the cover: Spring in the Napa Valley. Photo by Tim Carl. INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 3
Spring
J.L. Sousa Photos, Register
in the vineyards L AY N E R A N D O L P H
If you really want to feel optimistic and joyful, visit the Napa Valley in spring. A time of awakening and new beginnings, spring is also known to exhibit an explosion of colors sorely missed during winter. In the Napa Valley, the legendary yellow mustard flowers, much like the red poppies of Tuscany, mark the beginning of a new season, and it’s hard not to feel a little giddy when you see them. Spring is an especially busy time in the wine world. Inside the wineries, the white and rosé wines are being blended and bottled, and there’s a flurry of activity in preparation for their release. Red wines are in barrel, in various stages of fermentation and aging. But in the vineyard, the beginnings of shoots and buds jolt the vineyard workers into action, and they are cleaning, trimming, and guiding the vines for the upcoming growing season. The vine-pruning process began in winter. Now, with new plants forming, the vineyard staff 4 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
evaluates which ones will stay and which will go. Maintenance is key; the vines can grow abundantly without care, soaking up water and nutrients in the soil to grow wild, intertwining, and spreading without restraint. While this may seem positive, grape growers need the energy to go to the fruit, not to ever-spreading vines. The same need for control is true of the buds on the vines— some will remain and ultimately grow, flower, and form fruit. Others will need to be sacrificed at this point, so that nutrients go
to the remaining buds and in the end to the fruit, for the fullest flavor possible. The magical time of bud break – when the buds literally break open – signals that rapid growth will now begin. The work done during this period will set the stage for the eventual fruit quality and vineyard timing for the rest of the year, including when the grapes are ready for harvest. If the fruit is ripe too soon, the grapes may miss the benefit of extra hang time that adds flavor and intensity. If the fruit is ripe too
late, it risks encountering weather that could cause irreparable damage to the yield. Keeping the vines maintained and trained, which sometimes means tying them to horizontal wires (i.e., trellising), helps contain the growth and allow the buds and eventual fruit to take the lion’s share of energy from the available sources. Trellising keeps fruit off the ground, minimizing disease and providing some canopy from the sun. It’s also much easier for vineyard staff to hand harvest if the plants are trained to trellis. Several weeks after bud break, a beautiful floral aroma fills the air. The buds are flowering; the vineyards are in bloom. In a few weeks, the first indication of the size of the eventual harvest emerges, when green berries that will eventually become grapes appear in the vineyard—what’s known as fruit set. The appearance of these tiny, hard berries means that spring is coming to a close, and summer is near. WINTER SPRING 2019
Napa Valley’s
WINE ADVISER
TIM CARL PHOTOGRAPHY
Dan Dawson talks about his new service, Dan Dawson’s Wine Advisor, an online subscription-based guide to the artisan wines from California and beyond.
TIM CARL
Dan Dawson rises through the wine world, from busboy to high-end wine expert
T
wo years ago, Dan Dawson sold one of Napa’s highest-end wine merchants, Back Room Wines. Starting in 2001, he had built up the business from a tiny hidden location on Franklin Street, moving in 2008 to a more than 2,200 square-foot-store on First and Main streets that had wine sales, a tasting area and racks of locally rare-to-find producers. More than a place to buy wine, Back Room Wines became a hangout for winemakers and industry professionals to come and learn about the newest and finest examples of wine from the area and around the globe. Dawson had become a trusted voice, leading his dedicated customers toward wines of quality, often at low prices. Now, without a storefront, Dawson has embarked on a new journey — a personal wine adviser/educator, which seems a 6 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
blending of equal parts expertise pace, camaraderie of the team and and experiment. the allure of fine wine and fancy food. He quickly rose from busboy DAN DAWSON to dining-room captain, where he Before Back Room Wines, joined two other captains on the Dawson already had years of team who had also risen quickly in experience. As the buyer at All the ranks. One of them was Guy Seasons Bistro and Wine Shop Fieri, who is now one of Amer(1992-1998), the first head som- ica’s best-known restaurateurs, melier at The French Laundry cookbook authors and an Emmy (1998-1999) and wine merchant Award-winning television personat Dean & Deluca (1999-2001), ality. The other was Matt Guyot, Dawson had refined his skills at who for the last 20 years has been scouring the back roads and hid- at Brix in Yountville. den vineyards of the area in search “It was a great team, and I of the undiscovered. learned a lot about wine — fast,” He had grown up in Eureka, Dawson said. “I also learned that where he started working at the wine and hospitality were two Red Lion right after high school sides of one coin.” in 1985. According to Dawson, Fieri, “It was the fanciest restaurant now known for his spiky bleachin the area at the time,” Dawson blond hair and penchant for loud said. “As a server, I wore a poly- clothes and spicy food, was a charester suit with a bowtie and a ismatic personality who had a way name tag, prepared steak Diane of capturing the attention of the tableside flambé style and got my room. first experience serving wine. It “Can you imagine Guy Fieri was also around a team of pretty preparing a flaming steak tablespecial folks.” side?” Dawson said and then Like many young people enter- laughed. “Even back then he was ing into the world of fine dining, the center of attention and amazDawson was smitten by the fast ing to watch interacting with
people.” Both Dawson and Fieri left Eureka to attend the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), each graduating with a bachelor of science degree in hotel management. After graduating, Dawson moved to San Francisco, where he interned at the Olympic Club and then moved to Iowa to become the maitre d’ of the Davenport Club. “I still didn’t know much about wine, but at the time people were buying a lot of Cakebread Chardonnay and also white Zinfandel — one from Sutter Home and the other from Deloach,” Dawson said. “I was like, ‘These wines do make sense to me’ with the food we were serving, and so I started making suggestions and almost to my surprise people agreed with me.” Dawson was learning that he had the ability to taste elements within wine that others might not. After surviving one winter in Iowa, he headed back to Northern California, hoping to secure a position at a Napa Valley restaurant. SPRING/SUMMER 2019
WINE AND FOOD IN THE NAPA VALLEY — THE EARLY YEARS. Today, the Napa Valley is known as one of the world’s most famous wine regions, but that didn’t happen overnight. Charles Krug is credited with building the valley’s first commercial winery in 1861, with more than 140 more wineries and 16,000 acres of vines planted by 1889. However, changing tastes, bouts of root louse (phylloxera) and Prohibition decimated the nascent wine industry so that by the 1930s there were only a handful of wineries and vineyards left standing. But by the late 1960s, Robert Mondavi’s winery had been built and helped usher in what we know as the Napa Valley today. By 1970, the planted vineyard acres had again reached 1889 levels, and the number of wineries was growing. In 1976, when the famous “Judgment of Paris” awarded Napa Valley vintners with higher-ranked wines than the more famous French first-growth Bordeaux wines, a near flood of new investors descended on the area, further accelerating both growth and wine quality. At about this same time, California was becoming obsessed with French cuisine, and by the late 1970s the Napa Valley saw the opening Étoile in Yountville and the nearby French Laundry (originally owned by Don and Sally Schmitt). Beyond Yountville, by the early 1980s there were other culinary destinations throughout the valley with a distinctly French bent. Restaurants such as St. Helena’s Miramonte, Le Favour Cafe Oriental (one of the first French-Thai fusion restaurants in America), Trilogy and the nearby Auberge du Soleil were gaining national prominence. The small town of Calistoga was also making its culinary mark with a restaurant owned by Alex and Gayle Dierkhising that they called All Seasons. Unlike other eateries at the time, the Dierkhisings also sold wine in what was a small backroom near the kitchen. SPRING/SUMMER 2019
ALL SEASONS By the 1980s, All Seasons had become one of the first restaurants in the United States to receive the Wine Spectator’s prestigious “Grand Award.” By the early 1990s, the Calistoga restaurant wine/shop had become a must-stop for wine collectors and aspiring wine professionals alike. Dawson worked at All Seasons as a server from ‘92 to ‘94 and then took over the restaurant’s wine store from ‘94 to ‘98. But before he could even start, he first needed to take a wine-knowledge test from the Dierkhisings. “[Alex] asked me what was the difference between Pinot Noir and Burgundy,” Dawson said. “Of course, the answer is ‘nothing’ but at the time I went blank, but somehow I got the job. Their love of wine and cutting-edge wine program seemingly drew the next generation of wine professionals to All Seasons like a magnet. It has been a center of wine culture for Napa Valley that has helped launch many careers in the wine industry.” “Dan has a great palate but also always was looking for a good deal for the customer,” Dierkhising said. “His specialty was Cabernet Sauvignon, but give him a well-made old-vine zinfandel and he could tell you what vineyard the grapes had come from without looking at the label.” It was the heyday of Napa Valley wines, and Dawson was in the middle of the action. “You could still get some of the cult wines from Napa at a reasonable price then,” Dawson said. “And what I was seeing was that people were starting to shift their attention, starting to go nuts over wines from the valley.” His recommendations were getting people’s attention, and soon he was pondering his next move. BECOMING BACKROOM WINES By the late 1990s, a nearby small restaurant in Yountville was also gaining national attention. The French Laundry had been
purchased by Thomas Keller in 1994 and had quickly gained accolades, awards and stars for his innovative haute-inspired cuisine. “I became the first official sommelier at The French Laundry,” Dawson said. “Up until 1998, they really didn’t have a dedicated somm on the floor, which seems strange now but at the time it just wasn’t all that weird.” After The French Laundry, he spent time at Dean & Deluca, and through all of Dawson’s experiences his understanding and love of Napa Valley wines grew. “I found that there were a lot of wines out there that people hadn’t ever heard of before and
Dan Dawson, Wine Advisor Now, beyond enjoying time with his wife (Holly Dawson, public information officer for Napa Valley College) and their daughter (Talia, who is of African American/Korean heritage, born in New York and adopted at birth) and teaching wine-appreciation classes at the Napa Valley Wine Academy, Dawson has also started Dan Dawson’s Wine Advisor, an online subscription-based guide to the artisan wines from California. Subscribers who pay $60 a year receive discounts at selected wineries, monthly wine recommendations, access to the Dawson wine-rating database and reviews.
Register file photo
Teacher Janet Fletcher, left, and Dan Dawson, owner and wine merchant at Back Room Winesin 2011 as they prepared to teach a “Cheese Meets Wine” class.
many of those were at reasonable prices, so I decided to strike out on my own,” he said. Back Room Wines was born, and for nearly the next two decades Dawson created a strong network and reputation for finding many of the newest and greatest wines, often with an eye for value. “I have always focused on small-production wines that overdeliver for the price,” Dawson said. “For example, finding a delicious Napa Valley Cabernet for $45 can be done.”
He also contributes stories to the Napa Valley Register’s Wine section. “Although I sold the shop, I’m still finding people value getting recommendations on the newest and greatest wines that are also exceptional values,” he said. “The world of wine is constantly changing and I believe that today there is even a greater need for someone who has the customers’ backs, someone with a history of finding the hidden gems that don’t cost an arm and a leg. My hope is that I can be that person.” INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 7
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GETTING TO KNOW YOU
Board of Supervisors Chairman Ryan Gregory Sweet or salty? Salty Favorite bike ride? Mt. Veeder Road, which takes you to the peak of my supervisorial district. Riding the district’s roads on two wheels is the best way to understand current road conditions! Favorite fruit? Orange. Least favorite fruit? Mango and Papaya, yuck. Dream vacation? A trip to Africa for a safari (bucket list) including a trek up to Mt. Kilimanjaro (newer idea). I prefer active vacations. Best part of politics? Being in a position to tackle local problems and make your community better. Worst part of politics? Politics. What would you have as a superpower? Ability to fly. First Job? Paper boy for the Napa Register. Loaded the papers in my canvas neck sack and delivered them on my bike. “Collecting” door to door was the pits. Second job? I had several jobs as I worked my way through college, none of them related to engineering. The best was working at the SLO homeless shelter over four years, moving from night staff to Program Manager. “Never let schooling interfere with your education,” as Mark Twain said. What do you in your spare time? A lot of bike riding, road and dirt, with occasional bike racing. I recently joined the Napa high-school mountain bike team as an assistant coach. My daughter is excelling on the team, which makes it even better.
Sean Scully, Inside Napa Valley
SPRING/SUMMER 2019
FOOD TRUCKS OF THE NAPA VALLEY
Maria Sestito
PHAT Salads and Wraps M A R I A S E S T I TO What you’re eating: Meat (or beans!) and cheese with all the fixins’ but in a healthy way – grilled chicken or steak tossed with crisp romaine lettuce in a salad or wrap. Get it vegetarian or gluten-free and add any toppings you want. The two most popular combinations are “The Santa Fe” (your choice of protein, lettuce, black beans, cilantro, tomato, cheddar cheese, bell pepper and crunchy tortilla strips in creamy chipotle-citrus dressing) and “The Texan” (similar to “The Sante Fe” but with roasted corn instead of black beans, sautéed onions instead of peppers and a creamy BBQ-chipotle dressing). 10 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
Who’s making your food: Tim Bailey is new to being a business owner, but he isn’t new to the restaurant industry or to food trucks. The Sonoma County resident has worked in the business for nearly 26 years, including about six years managing food trucks. He didn’t think wanted his own truck until he came across PHAT Salads and Wraps. “I fell in love with it,” Bailey said. He purchased the truck from its original owner, Gia Sempronio, in October. The truck is in its 11th year of operation in Napa County. “Most everything is the same,” Bailey assures the truck’s
loyal customers. He did switch the crispy fried onions on “The New Yorker,” which comes in a gorgonzola vinaigrette, to shallots coated in rice flour and fried, making them gluten-free when tossed in a salad. Don’t leave without trying: Bailey’s favorite – “The Asian.” “The spicy Asian sauce (a sesame-ginger dressing) is amazing,” he said. “That recipe I didn’t touch!” Pro Tip: You can order ahead by calling 707-363-9658, but if not, Bailey is pretty quick wrap roller. Even when there’s a long line, the average wait is usually about 10 minutes.
Price Range: Wraps start at $6.50, salads start at $7.50. The priciest wrap is “The Sante Fe,” which is $9.50. Get double the protein by making it “PHAT” for an extra $2 or add avocado for $1. Where to find it: On Kaiser Road by the DMV on Mondays, at 607 Airpark Road (by the airport) Tuesday through Thursday, and in the area of California Boulevard and Pueblo Avenue on Fridays. Word to the wise: The truck advertises breakfast burritos, but don’t expect any. Breakfast service has been discontinued, but lunch hours are still the same as before, 10:30 a.m.—2 p.m. SPRING/SUMMER 2019
15% Off Gourmet Lunch and Gourmet Dinner Promo Code: WTLHE
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NEIGHBORHOODS
MILTON
ROAD
Judy Ahmann, right, and her daughter Anna Ahmann-Reed at Ahmann Family Ranch on Milton Road.
J.L. Sousa photos, Register
K I R K K I R K PAT R I C K
Meet the Napa neighborhood that’s a mystery to most Whether you just moved to the Napa Valley or have lived here all your life, chances are you know little or nothing about Edgerly Island or its Milton Road district. It’s not an area you’ll find romanticized on postcards or in glossy coffee table books. But to the few hundred residents that call the quirky riverside neighborhood home, it has a charm you won’t find anywhere else in Napa County. So where do you find it? Head west on Highway 12 and hang a left when you get to Cuttings Wharf Road. A couple of miles down, the road veers right onto Las Amigas Road, which turns 12 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
When you live along the valley’s most significant waterway, you see things other Napa Valley residents don’t. “I didn’t know much about the river before my husband and I moved out there,” said Nancy McEnery, author of the book “The Napa River.” “We had no idea how active and vibrant the river is. It’s a hidden gem.” From her house on Milton Road, McEnery said she could see multi-story cruise ships, sailboats, kayaks, rowboats, fishing boats, tugboats and, early on, Photo courtesy of Bob Fisher, Wombat Charters. barges loaded with mounds of salt harvested from the Cargill The iconic yet little-used Brasos Railway Bridge at Sunset on Edgerly Salt Company’s salt ponds. “The Island. salt is no longer harvested,” she into Milton Road after a couple If you spot the seldom-used Bra- pointed out, “as California Fish more miles. Although there is no zos Railroad Bridge in the dis- and Game, which now owns the sign to mark the spot, you’ll soon tance, you know you’re on the be venturing down Edgerly Island. right track. Please see MILTON, Page 14 SPRING/SUMMER 2019
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Photo courtesy of John and Judy Ahmann.
Photo courtesy of Jay Gardner
Jay Gardner and friends aboard Gardner’s 41-foot trimaran, Trillizas, in the Napa River near Gardner’s Milton Road home.
Milton From 12
land, is restoring hundred of acres into tidal wetlands. “I’m a lover of nature and the bird life out there is amazing because the area is on the Pacific Flyway,” McEnery said. “We would see egrets, pelicans and herons and all kinds of shore birds and that was fascinating. You never knew what you’re going to see land on your dock or across the river.” She also watched barges carrying sections of the old Maxwell Bridge pass by on the river. “One day, we even saw an old Napa mansion float by on a barge on its way to a new life in Benicia. That was pretty cool,” McEnery said. As to spending time on the river, she said: “We bought a two-person kayak at one point but it wasn’t that stable. We ended up in the river due to a few mishaps.” McEnery, who has since moved into town, says her seven years living on Milton Road “gave me a glimpse into just how important the Napa River is as a commercial waterway and also beautiful the river is.” “I really enjoyed living out there, it’s a great community of interesting people,” McEnery said. “There are writers and poets and people in construction, and many people who work in other parts of Bay Area. Folks have discovered how great it is to live near the water and the area has become more desirable as a result. All the houses are different; it’s very unique.” Of course, being isolated, the Milton Road neighborhood is not without drawbacks. “You live way out there and if you need a 14 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
loaf of bread or milk, you have to drive into town,” McEnery admitted. Jay and Pam Gardner have lived in the Milton Road area 41 years and counting, and actually sailed to Napa from Rhode Island via the Panama Canal on their 38-foot double-ended ketch named Ingwe (Zulu for panther). “We lived on the boat for 16 years before we built our house,” said Gardner. The couple’s first daughter, Juell, was actually born on the boat and is now her parents’ next-door neighbor. “We had to live on our boat when we first came here,” Gardner said, “because at the time there was a real shortage of berthing and marinas that would allow live-aboards, so we lived at the Napa Valley Marina for the first couple of years.” Native Napan Albert Giovannoni and his brother Lawrence built the marina in 1957. “He was such a nice man and very kind,” Gardner recalled. In addition to providing a berth, Giovannoni also rented the Gardners a small building where they began their canvas business in 1978, PJ’s Canvas. “We had experience building sails for ourselves because we couldn’t afford to buy them,” Gardner said. “We started making sails and canvas products for people, Pam was actually running the business initially, and it was going so well after a couple of years, that I came to work for her,” Gardner chuckled. “One day Albert said, ‘why don’t you consider buying a lot out here?’ There was a lot he was selling on Milton Road and we bought it, which was lucky for us,” Gardner said with a smile. The community of 135 houses is home to 300-400 people, Gardner said.
The City of Napa sternwheel riverboat, owned by Milton Road residents John and Judy Ahmann, loading passengers for a Sunday brunch cruise.
“It’s very much an eclectic group of people who live out here,” he said. “There’s no home owners association so you can pretty much do as you wish out here. The neighbors are the best part of living out here; they’re pretty easy going for the most part.” Not everyone who owns a home along Milton Road is a full-time resident. “We have a fair amount of people who live here year round, but we also have a large amount of people who rent their homes,” Gardner said. “If you love living on the river, and we do, then you really love it here,” he emphasized. “If you have any fascination for birds, it’s great. There’s a snag in the river nearby where 20 egrets hang out. There’s also a lot of animal life, including raccoons, turkeys, lots of possum, coyote, skunks, and I’ve heard tell of mountain lions but I haven’t see any.” “People catch sturgeon in the river and we even have sea lions come up when the salmon are running,” said Gardner. You might think living on a river guarantees flooding problems, but Gardner says that isn’t the case. “We haven’t had significant flooding here since 1983, when we had three floods in a 13-month period, which made us get pretty serious about taking care of our levees. Knock on wood we have been pretty much dry since, but it’s a constant battle.” Gardner said that the Edgerly Island area floods for different reasons than the city of Napa. “It floods because of excessive rain, and although rain contributes here, most of the time we are affected by high winds and high tides. You get real weather out here.” Gardner said the district has gone from being a funky industrial area with a lot of noise in the salt ponds era, to being peaceful. “It’s Please see MILTON, Page 17 SPRING/SUMMER 2019
WINTER SPRING 2019
INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 15
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Milton From 14
absolutely enchanting now,” he said. The Gardners bought the Meyers Water Company 15 years ago, which is now run by their daughter and son-in-law, Juell and Matt Fullner. The company serves some 100 customers. Water is provided by an artesian well and is not influenced by the Napa River, Gardner says. John and Judy Ahmann’s 340-acre Epicenter Ranch, located on the western side of the river, is a throwback to days when cattle was king in Napa County. And as you might have guessed from the name, the epicenter of the 6.0 Napa earthquake in 2014 is on the Ahmann’s property. “No one knew there was a fault there before the earthquake,” said Ahmann. Mrs. Ahmann said it was like being in a “bouncy house” with up and down shaking when the earthquake hit. “The engineers who came out and looked at our house said if all of the homes had been built like ours, there would have been a lot less problems.” “We were very fortunate because this house has a full basement with heavy beams,” her husband added, “so we had no cracks or broken windows.” The cattle out here were bawling and crying right before the earthquake,” Mrs. Ahmann recalled. “They knew something was going to happen.” While the Ahmann’s moved to Edgerly Island more for the views than the river life, they did operate a 60-foot, authentic sternwheeler riverboat from 1987-1994 that was
moored at the Napa Valley marina. “We’d seen riverboats before and we thought that’s just what Napa needs,” she added. “In the early 1980s, we were at a conference in Oregon and bought a riverboat which we sailed down the coast and up the river to Napa.” Called the “City of Napa,” the Ahmann’s riverboat offered brunch cruises on the river every Sunday morning, dinner cruises every Saturday night, occasional Friday night cocktail cruises with live music and also served private parties like weddings and anniversaries. “It was a great adventure and we were very busy,” said Mrs. Ahmann. “The Napa Yacht Club had its first meeting onboard the City of Napa,” her husband added. “We still have the boat in dry-dock,” she said, “and would love to donate it to a worthy cause. We even thought it might make a great house for someone.” “I think we’re still here because we have always loved the proximity to the Bay, the views, and the open space,” said Mrs. Ahmann. “We just like being out in the open space without people around. We fell in love with this region when we walked to the top of a muddy hill on our property in 1970 and saw the view.” In recent years, the Milton Road cattle ranchers have had a beef with something else that comes with the territory, the ever-present threat of salt water to their property. Their land is ideally protected by floodgates also known as flapper gates. The Ahmanns maintain that the gates began to leak in 2013 allowing salt water to seep onto their ranch making it unsuitable for grazing or crops and causing more than $1 million in damage. Eventually, the Ahmanns had to sue Napa County over the problem and were awarded $374,000 with a promise that the county
would install new gates to solve the problem by Oct. 31, 2018. Ahmann said only one gate had been fixed by that time and other was finally fixed in February of this year. If you have a taste for a lifestyle you won’t find anywhere else in Napa County, take a drive down Milton Road some weekend when the weather is nice. You’ll find a few quirky homes for sale and some for rent right on the Napa River, and even a few empty lots ready for building your home with river view hot tub and your own private dock.
Photo courtesy of Bob Fisher, Wombat Charters
Shonna Foster, a visitor to Napa from New Mexico, shows off a striped bass she caught in the sloughs near Edgerly Island.
Photo courtesy of Bob Fisher, Wombat Charters
Egret in flight near Edgerly Island.
Nearly every house on Milton Road comes with a dock and nearly every dock features a boat for Napa River cruising. Photo courtesy of Bob Fisher, Wombat Charters
WINTER SPRING 2019
INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 17
wood
The music of TIM CARL
Luthier John Datlen makes custom guitars from his shop in the Napa Valley
C
rafting wood into a beautiful piece of furniture is hard enough, but crafting wood into a striking piece of art that produces sound is something altogether more challenging. For John Datlen of the Napa Valley, transforming wood into guitars has become something he enjoys. “I’ve been working with wood my entire life, but when I saw a handmade guitar in 2011, I was blown away,” Datlen said. “It was a stunning piece of craftsmanship but
it also gave voice to the wood, and that was altogether new to me.” From that point, Datlen has been on a quest to craft the perfect guitar. “Unlike a piece of custom furniture that is built with stability and sturdiness in mind, guitars are built to the edge of collapse,” he said. “They must resonate and amplify the sound, which means they must be delicate, light and with an eye toward playability.” Like many artisans, Datlen grew up with a keen interest in his craft. “We moved to the States when I was 15, but I was a kid up in Toronto,” he said. “ No matter where I was I knew my interest was creating things from scratch, mostly
using wood as my medium.” He often helped his father do projects around their home such as building a new fence or deck, often with jazz and blues music playing in the background. “My dad was a big fan of jazz, and I like jazz, but for me I’ve also always loved the old Mississippi and Chicago blues like Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Howlin’ Wolf and many others,” he said. “The depth of both the emotion and sound of music has always spoken to me.” When Datlen’s family moved from Canada and settled in the Bay Area, he soon found himself working at a local cabinet Please see WOOD, Page 21
John Datlen in his workshop Tim Carl Photography
18 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
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WOOD From 18
shop and mill, where he learned the craft of restoring older Victorian homes, eventually specializing in crafting custom cabinets, windows, doors and curved moldings. “[John] came to work with me as an apprentice cabinetmaker at El Cerrito Mill and Lumber Co. right out of high school. He was recommended by the wood-shop teacher,” said cabinetmaker Jack Moore. “The mill had many highly skilled craftsmen, and John was taught the old-school way of woodworking. He was green but eager to learn, and I could tell very quickly he had a gift for woodworking.” Datlen was eventually hired on at the mill, where he continued to learn the art of intricate woodworking and was often involved in historic restoration projects. Eventually he started his own business that thrived for years, but during the Great Recession business slowed. “It was one of the few times in my life when I had some extra time,” he said. “It was hard, but it was a good thing, too, because it allowed me to spend time with my wife and children, and also explore other avenues for woodworking.” With the extra time, Datlen got involved in trying to locate a custom-made stand-up bass for his daughter, who played one in her high school band. “We walked into Sexauer Guitars over in Petaluma and met the owner — Bruce Sexauer. It pretty much was like, wow.” MAKING WOOD SING Sexauer is a Northern California luthier who has been building stringed instruments for 52 years. Known for his custom-made guitars, he also builds violins, dulcimers, mandolins, flamenco guitars and standup SPRING/SUMMER 2019
A bowl made by John Datlen
A bowl made by John Datlen
Tim Carl Photography
basses. Since he is one of the world’s leading luthiers, a Sexauer guitar can start at $15,000. “They were stunning to look at, but he was making wood sing and I thought I really need to pursue this path,” Datlen said. “So I went back to my workshop and started making my first guitar.” Eventually, Datlen would bring his early models to Sexauer for assessment and guidance. “Many new luthiers are only interested in making what I call coffee-table guitars
Tim Carl Photography
— they might look nice but often they don’t make sound that resonates,” Sexauer said. “What I appreciate about John is that he has accepted feedback and incorporates what works for him — not changing to fit someone else’s style but improving and developing his own. I can see his growth, and he seems to understand that to make beautiful sound a guitar must be sturdy but also delicate so that it responds equally at all pitches, ensuring balance.” For the world’s most sought-after luthiers, there can be a two- to three-year wait for a custom guitar. At the moment there is no waitlist for Datlen’s guitars, but even so each one takes eight to nine months to complete. Now, with more than 40 guitars under his belt, he’s finding a following of collectors and enthusiasts. After playing one of Datlen’s early guitars, Jason Newsted, the former bassist of the heavy-metal band Metallica, purchased it and also had another exact replica built so that he could have the “same” guitar at each of his two homes — one on the East Coast and one on the West Coast. Even less-famous players have become enthusiastic fans, such as Jack Wills, a finger-style guitarist living in Ohio who collects luthier-made guitars. “When I heard John interviewed on Stevie Coyle’s ‘Mighty Fine Guitar’ show I ordered two guitars straightaway,” Wills Please see WOOD, Page 22 INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 21
Tim Carl Photography
WOOD From 21
said. “His work was striking to look at, but his attention to detail and technical expertise create an instrument that is incredible — magical, really. When I received my first one it was almost like the guitar played itself. They are so well crafted that it shows John’s love of both wood and sound.” Wills purchased his guitars for $3,800 each. That was two years ago, but he estimates that they’ll soon be worth much more once people learn about their quality. “Some people buy extra homes or boats, but I am into guitars,” Wills said. “Once musicians figure out John’s level of quality I can imagine that if I ever needed a third that I’d be paying much more.” Datlen is still working his day job
22 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
making furniture and cabinets and using his home workshop to make guitars. Customers can purchase instruments through his site (www. datlenluthiery.com) or at Mighty Fine Guitars in Lafayette. “I spend eight hours a day working with wood and then I come home and spend hours making guitars,” he said. It’s not work, but instead it’s something I look forward to doing.” The smell of cut wood, lacquer and some quiet, unfamiliar blues music filled the air his workshop. A few unfinished guitars lay on a table in various stages of completion. “I’ve made a lot of fine things in my life — cabinets, tabletops, intricate molding — but a guitar is something that might last 50 or 100 years making music with an artist. It’s not that those other things I have made aren’t important or haven’t provided a certain type of joy, but making a musical instrument is just something that really resonates.”
Tim Carl photography
SPRING/SUMMER 2019
Sacred moments Nurses say they were drawn to a life of service by formative experiences ISABELLE S C H M A LT Z Through births, deaths, serious diseases, injuries, and cold and flu season — nurses are there. The question “What do nurses do?” seems to have a simple answer: Nurses take care of people. But perhaps the better question is “How?” Nurses work as an advocate for patients. Nurses perform tests and check vital signs. They’re record-keepers and care coordinators. Nurses promote wellness through nutrition and exercise and help patients understand their medications and treatment plans. Nurses help ease fears and provide support — physically, emotionally, and spiritually — to patients and their families. The primary role of any nurse is to provide safe and high-quality care, but they also work as educators. “People don’t know how to navigate healthcare, and we’re the translators,” said Kim Brown Sims, Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Patient Care Services Officer for Queen of the Valley Medical Center. When a patient is admitted to the hospital, they are “arguably experiencing one of the worst times in their lives,” said Jessica Hernandez, a registered nurse who works in Critical Care at Queen of the Valley. “These patients are vulnerable and sometimes without any family or friends to be at their bedside,” Hernandez said. “I take pride in knowing that I can be their advocate and their support system when they need it most.” To honor the role of nurses 24 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
Sean Scully, Inside Napa Valley
Registered Nurse Jill Ford uses fine calipers to check for changes in a patient’s cardiac chart through the day on the cadiac monitoring unit, known as Floor 2 North, at Queen of the Valley Medical Center.
throughout the country, National Nurses Week is celebrated every year May 6-12, on the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. At Napa Valley College, nursing faculty will put on a breakfast for their students, and the campus will also offer blood pressure checks and other basic screenings to honor the nursing profession. While defining a nurse’s role may not be easy, the abundance of job opportunities nursing provides help make it one of the most popular career paths in America. According to the U.S. News and World Report’s “25 Best Jobs of 2019,” nurse anesthetists, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, and registered nurses are some of the best-paying and most widely available jobs in the country. The healthcare industry, as a whole, dominated the “Best Jobs” list, which also predicted continued
growth and ample opportunities in the healthcare field. “The realm of what a nurse can do is pretty endless at this point in time,” said Janice Ankenmann, a certified critical care nurse and family nurse practitioner, who is also a nursing professor and the nursing program director at Napa Valley College. “There’s plenty of job opportunities depending on your experience.” Napa Valley College offers an associate’s degree in nursing and prepares its students to pass the California Board of Registered Nursing exam. The college admits 40 students per year to its nursing program. Last year, they received about 100 applications, Ankenmann said. Students who have completed all the prerequisite courses are admitted on a first-come, firstserve basis once every spring. The nursing program previously kept
students on a waitlist, but the college did away with this system years ago after finding it was not benefiting students or the program. The nursing program takes two years to complete and costs approximately $5,500, which includes books, uniforms, and tuition. Students are still responsible for regular college tuition and fees, and the cost of the nursing program does not include transportation, parking, or living expenses. Nearly half of all students enrolled in Napa Valley College’s nursing program are Napa natives. But the school has enrolled students from as far as Santa Rosa, Oakland, and Reno, Nevada. Many of the school’s graduates are offered job opportunities in Napa because it is where the students perform most of their clinical work during their studies, Ankenmann said. SPRING/SUMMER 2019
Students who want to choose a specialty in nursing — such as pediatrics or critical care — may do so after passing the Board exam. Many nurses learn their specialty during on-the-job training. Choosing a specialty is about understanding your own personality — your strengths and weaknesses — and what gives you the most internal gratification, Ankenmann said. The emergency room, for example, is the perfect environment for someone who enjoys adrenaline and can work under the pressure of a lot of people coming in and out the door, Ankenmann said. The intensive care unit is good for people who want a quieter, more controlled environment, where they work with only one or two patients at a time. The operating room is a good fit for someone who likes routine and working closely with a physician, Ankenmann said. Ankenmann has worked as a nurse for more than 40 years. She is a registered nurse who specializes in critical care and has worked at Queen of the Valley as a nurse/ manager in the ICU as well as at hospitals in Florida and Southern California. “There’s a picture of me at 3 or 5 years old in a nurse’s uniform with a bag and cape,” Ankenmann said. “I was indoctrinated at a very early age. I always knew I was going to be a nurse. I can’t imagine doing anything else.” Ankenmann is the daughter of a nurse. Her mother’s friends, many of whom were more like family, also worked as nurses. As a child, Ankenmann learned the importance of washing her hands and keeping things clean and orderly. She also learned to put others before herself and to not pass judgment on any person — good or bad. She remembers her mother wore a cape and cap to work. She worked as an Operating Room nurse, and Ankenmann recalls her mother having a glass syringe and a sharpening stone. Before disposable equipment became common SPRING/SUMMER 2019
practice, nurses and doctors were responsible for the sterilization and maintenance of tools, like syringes and needles. “Things were very different back then,” Ankenmann said. In addition to managing the nursing programs at Napa Valley College, Ankenmann also works as a part-time nurse practitioner. She said her passion for nursing extends beyond the parameters of her work life. “It’s not just your career,” she said. “It becomes part of who you are.” NOT FOR THE WEAK OF HEART (OR STOMACH) Let’s face it: Nurses have to handle gross, nasty stuff. Most nurses interviewed for this story spoke frankly about bodily functions like blood, mucus, vomit, and, as one nurse put it, “the squirts.” “We can’t make this stuff up. There are horrific body fluids we have to deal with,” Brown Sims said. “It’s part of who we are as humans, and it, too, washes off.”
Good hand hygiene is essential. “Be prepared to change your scrubs,” Brown Sims said. “And put on your splash guards.” While a sense of humor (and, perhaps, a strong stomach) help many nurses get through the day, some of the most important qualities for the profession are compassion, empathy, patience, and
resilience. “We care for people in their most vulnerable state,” Brown Sims said. Every patient deserves “tenderness,” she said. Even with the best intentions, there are days — like any other Please see NURSES, Page 92
Sean Scully, Inside Napa Valley
Queen of the Valley Chief Nursing Officer Kim Brown Sims, left, and Charge Nurse Liz DeBonis, right, review patient records in the cardiac monitoring unit, known as floor 2 North.
Queen of the Valley Chief Nursing Officer Kim Brown Sims visits floor 2 North.
Sean Scully, Inside Napa Valley
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NAPA
Photo Illustration by Kelly Doren
SERVICE DOGS Military veterans pay it forward by training service dogs A N N E WA R D E R N S T
J
ackie Martin and her military-veteran family feel so lucky and blessed that they all have served their country and come back in one piece that they want to pay it forward to other combat vets who might be struggling. It is why they created Napa Service Dogs, a fledgling nonprofit that will adopt a rescue dog, pay for it to be trained as either a companion therapy dog, or a service dog, and given for free to a veteran. Martin’s husband, Jack, was a Navy
SPRING/SUMMER 2019
pilot, and their two sons were both Marines – all of whom saw combat – and one son is still serving in reserves, she said. They also have a wide range of friends who are veterans as well, she said. American combat veterans who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), or are physically disabled can be matched with a rescue dog that has been trained by local animal training expert Dan Cartwright. Depending on
the needs of the veteran, the dog will be trained as either a therapy dog or a service dog. “It’s a win-win for everybody,” Martin said. A rescue dog gets a second chance and a vet gets a dog trained to help with their specific needs whether it’s physical for someone wheelchair-bound, or emotional for those with PTSD. Properly trained dogs are a comfort to veterans. A trained dog allows them Please see DOGS, Page 28
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Photo illustration by Kelly Doren
DOGS From 27
to navigate the civilian world, she said. To date, Cartwright has trained one dog for Napa Service Dogs, but because of Martin’s work schedule they have not been able to focus much on fundraising, which is necessary to be able to pay Cartwright for his services and pay for any adoption fees and veterinarian services for the adoptive dog. She said when she’s done with her current projects, she plans to take some time off of work and refocus her attention to Napa Service Dogs. “Dan is one of the most amazing trainers, he’s awesome. He can pretty much train anything,” Martin said. And he has trained a variety of animals in his more than 40 years of work. He’s worked with killer whales, sea lions and dolphins at places such as Marine World USA; he’s worked with elephants, lions, chimpanzees, tigers, leopards, cougars and other smaller primates; and he’s been a trainer to other trainers in the United States and overseas. He focuses 28 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
now on dogs and owns and runs Good Dog! Training, where he does private one-on-one training, and on the side takes wine lovers with dogs on tours to dog-friendly wineries. There’s a big difference in the type of dog he looks for when he’s looking for a therapy dog versus a service dog, Cartwright said. A therapy dog can be “any kind of dog” – especially in size — and needs basic obedience skills. It needs to be a dog that is comfortable with different people and in a variety of environments. It needs to “get along with everybody” and “make you feel good,” he said. A service dog tends to be larger because it may need to support someone’s weight, Cartwright said. Labrador retrievers are one of the best dogs for this service because of their temperament; they are typically mellow and affable. Golden retrievers are another good breed, he said. He looks for a dog that shows no sign of aggression and is willing to be trained. He wants a younger dog so that the veteran will have their service dog for several years. His training method rarely uses treats. When a dog is motivated by food, it is “not really working for you, it is working for the
treat. I want the dog to look me in the eye” and be rewarded by his interaction, he said. He has four main methods of reinforcing dog behavior, starting with praise. “Every dog I’ve ever worked with really wants to please,” he said. If that doesn’t do the trick, he uses “tactile reinforcement” such as belly rubs. Next down his list is offering a favorite toy, but this doesn’t work with all dogs, Cartwright said. His last resort is treats, and he rarely needs to use this. He’s not opposed to the use of treats though, it’s just not necessary the way he works. Napa Service Dogs’ first dog, a lab named Stanley, had a “huge appetite,” he said. “I never used one treat.” Stanley learned to turn on lights, walk off leash and stay right next to him, stop when he stopped, and was trained in all the basic obedience commands – all without the reward of food. Martin and Cartwright are hoping to be able to provide veterans with free therapy and service dogs in the future, and Martin said she is looking forward to spending more time and focus on Napa Service Dogs. SPRING/SUMMER 2019
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Napa native Dave Graham is the CEO of Latitude 38 Entertainment, the company that runs the Napa Valley music festival BottleRock.
‘An elevated
experience’ Latitude 38 Entertainment has taken BottleRock to new heights TIM CARL The inaugural 2013 BottleRock left a wake of unpaid debts, community complaints and accusations of general mismanagement that put the future of Napa Valley’s first major music festival in doubt. But what others saw as the likely end of a short experiment, three friends — Napa natives Dave Graham, Justin Dragoo and Jason Scoggins, all of whom had had successful previous business careers — saw an untapped opportunity. “That first year we all just attended the event as music fans and we were like, ‘I can’t believe this is going on in our own hometown’ — it was awesome,” Graham said. “When we heard that the festival’s future was in jeopardy Please see EXPERIENCE, Page 32 SPRING/SUMMER 2019
Tim Carl Photography
Justin Dragoo is the COO of Latitude 38 Entertainment, the company that runs the Napa Valley music festival BottleRock.
INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 31
EXPERIENCE From 31
we were all disappointed, but then we started to think about the possibilities, which we felt were significant.” To most everyone else, the potential possibilities seemed murky at best. The festival had lingering debts of over $2.5 million, workers had gone unpaid, checks had bounced and the city of Napa was getting an earful from the community about snarled traffic and unruly festival goers, while some local businesses claimed that — despite the estimated 80,000 attendees that year — the number of shoppers had actually decreased during the three-day event. Latitude 38 Entertainment Convinced that the music festival could work if it were overhauled, the trio of hightech entrepreneurs with no music industry experience formed Latitude 38 Entertainment. Named for Napa’s geographic location along the 38th parallel north, the team of Napa Valley natives could have just created a whole new music festival, dropping the BottleRock name altogether and starting fresh. Instead, in a show of good faith, they purchased the assets of BottleRock without assuming any liabilities and eliminated half of the debt. The partnership believed that through their business experience, coupled with their deep local roots, they would turn the ailing festival around in short order. “We liked the look and feel of the BottleRock brand and also didn’t want to sully the name of the Napa Valley with a failed
Raphael Kluzniok/Register
Snoop Dogg tries the California roll he made with help from chef Masaharu Morimoto during the last day of BottleRock 2015 at the Napa Valley Expo.
music festival,” Graham said. “Besides, the problems with that first festival had not affected the good will of the attendees, like me, who loved having a first-rate music festival in their own backyard.” Although many of the 2013 attendees remained unaware of the business challenges and were looking forward to the 2014 festival, Graham and his partners found it tough convincing those in the music industry that they were a whole new ownership group. “It was brutal trying to get the 2014 lineup,” Graham said. “We’d go into industry meetings and they’d say, ‘Hey, you pay your bills yet?’ We’d tell them we were new owners, but we often needed to pay up front to get
over the hurdle that first year.” However, what the team knew — all with MBAs — was that the Napa Valley ethos fit well with their idea of creating a customized luxury experience. “Being in a place like the Napa Valley is unique in the world of music festivals,” said Dragoo, partner and chief operating officer. “Where else can you bring exceptional food and wine, beautiful views and the finest bands together in one place?” What Dragoo, a former college/pro football linebacker, had learned during his numerous post-football careers — including Please see EXPERIENCE, Page 34
Latitude 38 Entertainment’s office in downtown Napa. Tim Carl Photography
32 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
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Maria Sestito, Register
Crowds gathered as close as they could to the front of the JaM Cellars Stage during Billy Idol’s performance in 2018.
EXPERIENCE From 32
being a Vice President of Global Technology Services for IBM — was how to match luxury experiences to fit customer expectations. This knowledge — along with his having grown up in the Napa Valley — convinced him that many of those visiting wine country were looking for an elevated experience. “We were not from the music industry, and so that was a minus in some cases but also a plus because we could look at things differently,” Dragoo said. “What I’d learned in the past was how a super-strong team built on trust can have a huge impact on success. Because I knew and trusted these guys and we each had distinct skill sets, I felt like we could make this work.” The trio was finding that a certain type of attendee desired to have an “elevated experience” but that finding ways to treat the general-admission guest and those in the community better was also of critical importance. “Because we were coming at this without being in the music industry, I think in many ways that gave us an edge,” Graham said. “We asked, ‘Why not create a clean, safe, high-quality experience that matched the Napa Valley brand of luxury? Why not create a festival that the community was behind and supported?’ Our goal became that of being true to this place. Our focus was a type of ‘Napatism,’ if you will.” This focus on the Napa Valley ethos also manifested in community outreach, highlighting local wineries and restaurants, engaging with strong partners and working 34 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
to maintain a new and fresh lineup every year. “Our focus is on creating an experience that rises to the level of the Napa Valley brand — doing so gives us meaning and purpose,” Graham said. “We now have 80 wines by the glass, dozens of restaurants included that range from Gott’s Roadside to Oenotri to Thomas Keller’s restaurants, and our guests who’ve never been here before get a better sense of what this valley has to offer. “Everyone has this idea that comes to mind when they think about Napa, and it typically involves food and wine,” he said. “When we took over the festival, we felt like if you already have 3.5 million people coming to Napa every single year, then give them what they want and add music, not create some copycat festival that didn’t fit this place.” According to Graham, many of the more than 70,000 visitors who attended BottleRock last year had never experienced wine country. “It’s pretty awesome when you go to a winery that weekend and see someone with a BottleRock T-shirt on,” Graham said. “I think sometimes we take it for granted just how beautiful and good we have it here. It’s fun to share that experience.” To engage with the community and address concerns the team conducts public meetings. “We live here and so it really matters what our neighbors think,” said Scoggins, who is in charge of sponsor relations. “Our intent is that the entire valley benefits from BottleRock and that we continually improve the experience from no-wait lines, litter cleanup and better parking to shutting off the music exactly at 10 p.m. We want to be good neighbors.” What the team has learned over the years is
that there are vastly different levels of desired service for festival goers. All attendees want to see their favorite bands. And although BottleRock has not hosted the likes of the Rolling Stones, it has attracted top acts such as this year’s young hip bands: Mumford & Sons, Shannon & the Clams and Imagine Dragons, while also including baby-boomer group such as Neil Young and Santana in the lineup. This eclectic collection is anything but random and represents a distinct strategy to appeal to the breadth of those interested in attending the three-day concert. Whereas the general-admission ticket buyer makes up 85 to 90 percent of the concertgoers, there is the remaining segment who desire an “elevated” level of experience, according to Dragoo. “Even for general-admissions guests we want to provide a high level of service,” he said, “but we also want to provide our guests with basically any level of service they want.” Most who pay the $359 for a three-day general-admission pass are content to watch bands from the ground level, use the flush toilets, purchase wine and food at the numerous “wine cabanas” or watch the various culinary demonstrations where they might catch a glimpse of famous chefs cooking with top musicians — like in 2015 when Snoop Dog learned to roll sushi under the tutelage of “Iron Chef” Masaharu Morimoto. Plenty of options are available for guests who desire VIP treatment, including the $18,057 per-couple package that includes private transportation, a four nights’ stay at St. Helena’s high-end Meadowood resort, meetand-greets with the artists, special onstage viewing areas and bling such as drinking wine from Riedel stemware instead of plastic cups. If that price tag is too much to swallow, a half-dozen alternative elevated options range in price from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Our discussion centered on how and why the trio had spent the last half-dozen years building a festival worthy of the Napa Valley. Only at the end did the topic of music and bands come up. “We’ve spent years, money and a lot of our time working to get the finest acts for the festival,” Graham said. “But in the end, we can’t be wholly dependent on getting the top music acts every year because that’s impossible. What we can do is make sure that we focus on making the experience something that our guests can’t get anywhere else. Of course, that means getting the best bands, but it also means that the toilets are clean and our local businesses and neighbors are happy, too.” SPRING/SUMMER 2019
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GREAT ESTATES
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VA L E R I E OW E N S Nestled in the heart of St. Helena lies a hidden gem overflowing with elegance and tranquility. Located on 1230 Oakwood Lane, the luxurious Mediterranean modern estate comes fully furnished, boasts six private acres, and is just minutes away from Meadowood Napa Valley and downtown St. Helena. Built in 2008 for Mike and Dina Smith, the owners of Sunshine Foods Market in St Helena, the home was designed to capture natural light, emanate solitariness and provide the ultimate entertaining experience. “The original owners wanted a party house, and I think that is what we created,” said Rodney Friedrich, owner of The Friedrich Company. “This home is one of my favorite projects. We had fun designing it and fun building it. Almost every level comes out at an existing grade. Inside the home, we really tried to get as much natural light and views as possible.” Please see ENTERTAINING, Page 44
SPRING/SUMMER 2019
GENE IVESTER PHOTOS
ENTERTAINING From 43
After listening to his client’s vision for the property, Friedrich built a dream house. The multi-level estate features a primary level master suite, an open chef ’s kitchen inside and out, four additional en suite bedrooms, a gorgeous media and entertainment room perfect for capturing the grandeur of the Napa Valley. Asking price is $7.125 million. It features five bedrooms and five full bathrooms (plus another half), all spread out over 6,000 square feet. Additional amenities include a luxurious bar and wine cellar, an elevator and a stunning outdoor retreat. With several covered patios, decks, cabanas and an Infinity Edge Pool, the manor provides a tranquil haven to rejuvenate. “I love the way the home flows,” said Jacqueline Wessel of St. Helena Real Estate. “There is so much detail, and the views are incredible. You can see Spring Mountain and the Culinary Institute. I also love the access to town yet you feel remote. You cannot see your neighbors and your neighbors cannot see you.” Peaceful, private and luxurious capture the essence behind the home. Designed to embody the spirit behind Napa Valley living, the country estate is a great place to call home.
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44 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
SPRING/SUMMER 2019
“A star danced, and under that was I born.” William Shakespeare
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The vineyard
WHISPERER TIM CARL
Richard Brockmeyer brings a family passion to Napa Early pioneers established some of the finest vineyards in the Napa Valley more than 150 years ago. George Calvert Yount was first credited with planting wine grapes in the valley in 1839. More recent entrants have been Inglenook’s John Daniel Jr. and Beaulieu Vineyards’ Georges de Latour, who purchased and reinvigorated languishing vineyards after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933. Other names, too — Patchett, Crabb, Tchelistcheff, Mondavi, Beckstoffer, Hill — have had lasting impact on the valley’s agricultural profile. Yet behind each have often been lesser-known names who acted as guides. Some call these often-secretive prophets vineyard whispers. Meet one of them — Richard Brockmeyer. Owner of Wine Industry Investment Consultants, Brockmeyer grew up in Bakersfield, where his father was a high school agriculture teacher and his grandfather, Cederquist, was a farmer with 80 acres of vineyard that included a small section of old-vine Grenache vines, some of which had been planted in the late 1800s. “Looking back, my entire life has had a central theme — understanding the land as it relates to farming,” he said. “As a kid I’d drive out to some remote ranch with my dad and check in on some student’s project. Those were some great memories, and it just seemed to fit what I wanted to do with my life.” As he walked through the SPRING/SUMMER 2019
Tim Carl Photography
Richard Brockmeyer, owner of Wine Industry Investment Consultants, inspects the progress of one of the vineyards he helped uncover while working for William Hill at Premiere Pacific Vineyard in the early 2000s. The vineyard has subsequently been sold and now supplies grapes to dozens of winemakers and wineries, including such luminaries as Russell Bevan, Joel Gott, Cakebread and Duckhorn.
vineyards with his father and grandfather, they would point out how the soil, water and sun associated with a certain piece of land were intricately linked to the quality, longevity and sustainability of the crops grown — or the “basic equation,” as Brockmeyer puts it. THE COLLEGE YEARS After obtaining a bachelor of science degree from Fresno State University in agriculture, he had plans to enroll at UC Davis and continue on as a farmer, but an influential Fresno professor
— Douglas Cords — suggested he apply to Stanford’s MBA program. “I’m not exactly sure what Dr. Cords saw in me, but when I got to Stanford I was one of two Ag majors in a class of 300. So for a while I was scratching my head and asking how I’d gotten there and why,” Brockmeyer said. “One of the lessons I eventually learned was that building a team with a mix of experiences and backgrounds lends itself to help solve complex problems.” After the first year at the business school, he noticed an ad on
a bulletin board asking students to apply for a summer internship. William Hill wanted to hire five students that summer, and one of them ended up being Brockmeyer. “This is before Bill had fully gone into the wine business, and my project that summer was titled “Supply and Demand Analysis of North Coast Premium Wine Grapes,” Brockmeyer said. “Bill had this economic hunch that agriculture — and especially premium wine Please see WINE, Page 48 INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 47
WINE
we were on to something pretty special.”
From 47
CALPERS AND PREMIERE PACIFIC VINEYARDS (PPV) By the early 2000s, some of the largest professional investment funds on the planet had noticed the lofty returns coming from the premium wine grape-growing real estate sector. In what might have been the largest of such investors at the time, in 2002 the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS ) invested $200 million — a drop in the bucket for the nation’s largest public pension fund with totaling $165 billion at the time — to fund the development of premium vineyards in California, Oregon and Washington. The company they chose to lead the acquisition and development efforts was Premier Pacific Vineyards Inc., which had been co-founded by Hill a few years earlier. “I wanted Brock to be a part of the PPV team because over the years of working together I knew he had the skills to help find the highest-quality vineyards,” Hill said. “He never would come to me with a bad property.” Over the next half-dozen years, Brockmeyer and the PPV team found and developed more than 30 vineyards. And although CalPERS was one of the first to see premium vineyards as a sound way to diversify its investment portfolio, it was not the last. Today, there are hundreds of endowment funds, private equity firms and state pension funds that have invested in the world of high-end wine, often with the Napa Valley a potential target. “What PPV showed was that what Bill had us evaluating back in 1974 was correct — quality vineyards are a scarce resource and, as such, provide a significant long-term investment opportunity,” Brockmeyer said.
grapes — would provide what’s known as a scarce-resource investment opportunity, which at the time was a novel idea.” Hill, a Stanford graduate from a few years prior, had become enamored with wine while traveling in Europe and had decided to explore the economics behind the grape-growing and wine businesses. “What I’d learned is that the primary determinant for wine quality is the vineyard where the grapes are from,” Hill said. “Brock was one of four or five students I had look at the variables behind what makes a quality vineyard and just how much such land was out there — and there wasn’t much. We also looked at the demand for wine in the U.S., which to my surprise was growing faster than I expected.” Brockmeyer would go on to work with Hill after graduation. One of his first projects was helping develop a Napa Valley vineyard called Diamond Mountain Ranch. “The development of that vineyard was an eye-opening experience,” Brockmeyer said. “No. 1, I’d never spent much time in the Napa Valley and it was beautiful. But it also seemed like all the pieces were starting to come together.” Hill had found the vineyard — an abandoned prune orchard — but he understood that the land and distinctive microenvironment could have a direct impact on the production of quality wine. They cleared and planted vines, and a few years later Sterling Vineyards purchased the property at a significant profit. “Bill’s plan was to keep the property for longer, but the offer was the proverbial ‘can’t pass it up’ type,” Brockmeyer LONG-TERM said. “I think all those who were INVESTMENT involved in that project felt like Brockmeyer has continued to 48 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
Tim Carl Photography
work with companies looking to find and develop the finest vineyards. Over his long career, he has worked with some of the region’s luminaries. He’s learned the value of understanding a property’s soil type, drainage, depth, orientation to the sun and microclimate as ways to know if — and what type of — grapes will thrive. But he has learned something else, too — that, if done correctly, creating (keep creating) a new vineyard that grows premium wine grapes ensures that the piece of land is never bulldozed and covered with houses, a parking lot or a strip mall. “I am proud that some of the vineyards I’ve help to uncover have gone on to produce some of the most coveted wines on the market,” he said. “It makes me smile to read the Wine Spectator’s “Top 100 Wines” and see a few of the vineyards mentioned at the top. That means they’ll be there for a while.” Beyond continuing to advise clients on finding and developing high-end vineyards, Brockmeyer, his wife, Cindy, their son, Brett (associate winemaker at Cade) and his partner, Brianna, are launching their own wine brand — a rosé that comes from the ancient vines of his grandfather’s vineyard in Bakersfield. “The grapes from the vineyard have been sold off for years, but a few years back we started making some wine and found that they made pretty special
wine,” Brockmeyer said. “It’s rare to taste a rosé from 125-year-old vines.” The pale-pink 2018 Brockmeyer Cederquist Vineyard Rosé ($22 a bottle and 150 cases made) comes from his grandfather’s old-vine Grenache vineyard in Fresno County and is perfectly balanced with complex aromas of crushed strawberry, rose petal and white peach. On the palate the flavors are of cranberry and crunchy watermelon finished with raspberries and a wonderful earthy, slightly saline note. Brockmeyer paused as we talked. We stood on a hill overlooking the Napa Valley. Wellkept vines formed long rows that slipped westward toward the San Pablo Bay. The earth was rocky and dry, surprising seeing as how 3 inches of rain had fallen the night before, highlighting its well-drained characteristic. He bent down and picked up a handful of gravelly soil. “Maybe I’m getting a little sentimental, but the longest-lived vines have seen their share of challenges and I have a greater appreciation now,” he said, letting the soil slip through his hands. “You can’t create a great vineyard overnight. Vineyards, the finest of them, are a heritage, something much more than just an investment. The best allow that particular piece of earth to speak. All we have to do is learn how to listen.”
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INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 51
Knives in Napa Valley insiders offer tips for the ultimate kitchen tool M A RT Y O RG E L
Goose and Gander Chef Nic Jones Marty Orgel
Courtesy Aura Knifeworks
52 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
Unlike Gertrude Stein’s famous line, “... a rose is a rose is a rose,” a knife is not always a knife when you are a professional chef in the Valley. Chefs buy all sorts of knives for all sorts of purposes. Their favorites are precision cutting instruments, perfectly balanced, fit their hands, and are the right knives for the job. “We use knives all day, every day,” said Nash Cognetti, executive chef at Tre Posti Catering Company in St. Helena. Tre Posti means “three places” in Italian and got its name because there are three distinct event venues onsite. Cognetti is also executive chef at Tra Vigne Pizzeria in St. Helena. Tra Vigne means “among the vines” in Italian. “The typical home chef may use a knife every night for 20 minutes. We use ours 20 hours a day. We’re looking for high-quality steel that stays sharp and is durable for multiple preparations,” he said, adding that knives meeting Cognetti’s expectations cost $200 to $300 each or higher. “It is different for every chef, every person” said Patrick Merkley, owner of Shackford’s in downtown Napa, one of several shops in the Valley that caters to both chefs and the general public. Merkley is also a chef, and he has operated several catering businesses in the valley, including one called Fusion Catering. “It’s the feel of a great knife,” he said. Look closely at Merkley’s hands and the knives he is holding in the picture. These are Aura Knifeworks knives, which Merkley Please see KNIVES, Page 91 SPRING/SUMMER 2019
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Submitted photo
Claudette Shatto, center, with a group of Girl Scouts
An Inspirational Journey VA L E R I E OW E N S
Napa mom steps out of a power job to devote herself to kids - her own and others alike Guided by intuition, the role of a mother is eternal. A lifetime post composed of moments equating to an epic journey full of vicissitude. As the role evolves, so does the soul. For one local mother, the gift of motherhood has altered, expanded and enhanced her life. An inspirational story, reminding us of what matters most, and the true impact of a life dedicated to others. “When I became a mother, my priorities 54 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
changed,” said Claudette Shatto, the Business & Entrepreneur Instructor at Napa Valley College. “I promised myself that by the time my son was in kindergarten, I would work closer to home. I wanted to volunteer and be involved.” As the former vice president of sales and marketing for V Sattui Winery, Claudette spent 17 years dedicated to the development and advancement of the multimillion dollar company. However, holding fast to her family values, Claudette’s success did not outweigh her commitment to her two sons, Cameron, 7 and Caleb, 6. As a result, Claudette made the decision to volunteer and offer her children one of the greatest gifts a parent can give, time.
“In June of 2017, I quit my job without having another job lined up,” said Shatto. “I remember thinking, ‘how is my husband going to react?’ But when I called him and told him that I quit, he responded with, ‘everything is going to be OK. We are OK.’ That’s when I knew I made the right decision and everything was going to be OK.” “Claudette has an incredible passion for our children and our community,” said her husband, Charles. “I am so proud of her. She is always looking for new and innovative ways to reinvest her time and resources back into the community. I knew her next step would work out. She is an inspiration.” With a determination to be actively SPRING/SUMMER 2019
Claudette Shatto and her family
Submitted photo
involved in her children’s education, Claudette expanded beyond the scope of standard parent participation. Assisting with after-school programs, fundraising efforts and offering her professional talents with marketing, social media and digital communication with the parents and the parent faculty club, Claudette’s impact has been immeasurable. “Claudette was chosen to be a VIP volunteer because she does more than volunteer, she continues to make Pueblo Vista Magnet School a great place for kids to learn and plan events that bring the community together,” said Helen Rocca, principal of Pueblo Vista Magnet School. “Claudette not only volunteers in the classrooms, she supports our advertisement for all our parent club events and has brought leadership programs to our enrichment after school classes. She brings a positive energy to our school and has great ideas.” An invaluable volunteer and student advocate, Claudette has paved the way in educational achievement by piloting an after school enrichment program, partnering with Junior Achievement. “Teaching leadership to kindergarteners and first graders is a true passion project for me. I use the book ‘7 Habits of Happy Kids’ by Sean Covey and will be volunteering at Philips Magnet School working with their first graders starting at the end of March,” said Shatto. A visionary, Shatto also teaches leadership to the Boys & Girls Club at Pueblo Vista Elementary School and local Girls Scouts. Hosting an “Entrepreneurship Bootcamp,” helping girls earn their Savvy Shopper badge, Owning your Own Business Badge and Customer Service Badge. “The Boys and Girls Club asked that I lead the leadership and Junior Staff kids in a lesson about giving back. So, I came up with SPRING/SUMMER 2019
Making holiday cards with Boys and Girls Club.
Leadership with Kinder and First graders.
the idea of making cards to send to the Butte County Office of Education after the Camp Fire,” said Shatto. “We used cards that I had saved since 1998 for the project. I saved them because I knew that one day I wanted to have children and I wanted to make holiday cards with them. Many of the cards were from family members who are not with us anymore, but their holiday sentiments were still being passed on. This was by far one of my most favorite community service projects.” Following her heart, Shatto accomplished her goal. She left Corporate America to make a difference at home, not realizing the impact she would make on her community. After leaving V Sattui, she found her place within the classroom. Becoming a tenure-track professor at Napa Valley College, her experience and talent found a home. She also launched Manifest, a business created to provide a wide array of services catered for small businesses and sole proprietors. “I absolutely love my job,” said Shatto. “I drive to work and feel so incredibly lucky. I’m paid to help people and every day I change lives. I help small businesses achieve their
Submitted photo
Submitted photo
dreams and I help students with their career and educational plans. The best part is that I have the same schedule as my children. I have the exact same time off, we travel more, and have a lot more time together.” While giving her career, time and energy to motherhood, Shatto found a new journey and along the way; she found her purpose. A wife to a supportive husband, a fierce mother, teacher and adviser, Claudette and her family are also an example of how far love can travel. “My husband, Charles, and I both traveled extensively before we were married with children. Charles was an exchange student and he enjoyed the life-changing experience. We love bringing culture into our home. We love that our children are exposed to different languages and cultures at a young age. We also enjoy that we can share our family’s traditions with students from around the world.” Robert Ingersoll once said, “We rise by lifting others.” For Claudette Shatto, her path is one of advocacy and devotion. A tale of what it is to be a mother, a humanitarian and an inspirational figure in the eyes of two young boys who gave her wings to fly. INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 55
Celebrating 40 years of world class Ports Family owned and operated since 1979
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PRAGER WINERY AND PORT WORKS 1281 Lewelling • St. Helena, CA 94574 707.963.PORT www.pragerport.com 56 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
WINTER SPRING 2019
UNIVERSAL CROSSWORD Edited by David Steinberg April 15, 2019
ACROSS 1 It’s often mistaken for love 5 Gym set 9 Heron habitat 14 What many wool socks do 15 Original sin garden 16 ___ Gay 17 Actress Reid 18 Puerto ___ 19 Practice piece 20 1981 running film (letters 4-6: 2011 macaw film) 23 Prosciutto, for one 24 Greek N’s 25 Downtown make-out sesh, e.g. 26 Beetle or butterfly 28 “Amen!” SPRING/SUMMER 2019
33 1968 roommate film (letters 9-10: 2009 balloon film) 37 Flawless ring? 40 “The Matrix” hero 41 Roll call calls 42 1997 space horror film (letters 5-8: 2011 thunder god film) 47 Suez Canal’s southern end 48 Chronicles 52 Furry sitcom E.T. 54 Go downhill fast? 55 180 56 Two-film showings, or a hint to this puzzle’s theme 61 “Space Is the Place” bandleader
62 Big laugh 63 Cubs legend Sammy 64 Rose part 65 French Sudan, today 66 Straitlaced 67 Isle such as Bikini 68 “Casablanca” heroine 69 Rational DOWN 1 Chinese nut 2 Jazz fan? 3 Beats it 4 “___ she blows!” 5 Send another way 6 Cleans up, as writing 7 Chest muscles, briefly 8 Be a busybody 9 Hybrid on the range
10 Prefix for “perspirant” 11 “It’s ___ lucky day!” 12 Shoppe descriptor 13 OPEC member 21 Creep (along) 22 Bank-protecting org. 27 Short jackets 29 Greg Evans comic strip 30 007, e.g. 31 Drink sold in pints 32 “Absolutely!” 34 “Walking on Thin Ice” singer Yoko 35 “___ Rosenkavalier” 36 “And how!” 37 That sow 38 Blvd. relative 39 Called the shots 43 One often ends up in hot
water 44 Campus building 45 Fareed on CNN 46 “Don’t bet ___!” 49 Dawn goddess 50 Uses, as a hammock 51 Halvah ingredient 53 1938 Physics Nobelist Enrico 54 Elite Navy group 56 Song such as “Shallow” 57 Not deceived by 58 Russia’s ___ Mountains 59 Filly or colt 60 FedEx rival 61 Couples massage site ANSWERS PAGE 88 INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 57
Neal Brown and Alveda Meneely Marty Orgel
Dying
gracefully Collabria Hospice marks 40th anniversary M A RT Y O RG E L Jean Chapman, 92, and Neal Brown, who just turned 89, share an unfortunate similarity. They are both terminally ill. Chapman has heart disease and Brown has both heart and kidney disease. Yet in a rather refreshing way, these two remain in high spirits and radiate hope and warmth to all around them. And for totally different reasons, they both said they are not afraid to die. They credit their upbeat ways to family and friends and to Collabria Hospice of Napa, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Collabria officials purposely did 58 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
Collabria Care 414 S Jefferson St. Napa, CA 94559 (707) 258-9080 collabriacare.org
not plan any major events to mark the occasion, instead saying they want their record of helping terminally ill patients to speak for them. Chapman and Brown agreed. Brown, who lives in the city of Napa, and Chapman, who lives in Napa County, both said they could not manage the end of their
lives without Collabria’s help. “We get along delightfully,” said Brown. “I’ve had a marvelously great life,” said Chapman. “We turned to Collabria 22 years ago when my husband Jack died. I was just so appreciative of their help during Jack’s death. They did not intrude. They would ask questions and help me make a choice.” Chapman is sharp, funny, and witty. “Collabria Hospice is terrific,” she said, “And Hospice of Napa Valley [as it was called back then] helped both of us cope during Jack’s final days.” Her husband, she said, was just like her.
He just wanted to live the rest of his days at home. “I’ve had a great life. Fifty years in a good marriage. So what’s to complain about?” Answering her own question, Chapman said she had no regrets, nothing left undone, and she was ready to die. “It’s the way I look at the world. After you die you don’t remember anything, so why care?” “I’m a very devout Christian,” said Brown, “so I look forward to death.” He was stoic about any pain he might feel. “I pray to Please see DYING, Page 60 SPRING/SUMMER 2019
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Marty Orgel
Jean Chapman and Collabria Nurse Nurse Jean Arrington
DYING From 58
God all the time.” Brown had a heart attack in 2005. “If I get a stoppage of the heart now, it is all over.” “Rather than calling it ‘religious,’” Geriatrics and supportive care doctor Michael Mason at Napa Kaiser said, “I call it ‘spirituality’. “I think the key with Collabria is not just hospice.” Mason said, “Collabria is a step ahead of everyone else.” Collabria Hospice works with people with serious illnesses. It
Register file photo
New Technology High School student Olivia La Marca, left, helps Jean Horlivy listen to Janis Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart” during the Music & Memory program at Napa Valley Hospice Adult Day Services, bow known as Collabria Care, in 2015.
has day care programs for people with dementia. They do a lot of care, he said, and serve lots of people in the Valley. Mason said he believes in a higher being. “People [with] some type of spiritual belief tend to have less distress” at the end of their lives than those who do not. Kaiser considers Collabria Hospice a partner in working with terminally ill patients. “Society is trying to figure out how to understand and deal with the end of life,” he said. Collabria Hospice Care marketing manager Robbie Hayes agreed. When he first got in touch to request coverage for Collabria Hospice’s 40th anniversary,
Register file photoS
New Technology High School student Kaeli Stephens, left, dances with Jeane Burton to Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” during a Music & Memory program at Napa Valley Hospice Adult Day Services, now known as Collabria Care, in 2015. 60 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
Hayes wrote “Probably the most impressive aspect is the way we have used innovation and our resources to respond to real and developing needs in our community … since we first opened our doors as an all-volunteer agency in 1979.” In an intriguing way, no one softened their words when talking about death. No one spoke of “passing”, or “departed”. Or in hushed tones. Everyone confronted death head on. There was no remorse from these terminally ill patients. No obvious depression. Not even anxiety. Brown’s sister, Alveda Meneely, said doctors won’t tell her brother how long he has to live. “Could
be today,” she shrugged and said. “Could be tomorrow. One year, or five.” Yet people who visit call this the “Happy House”. Thanks to Brown’s upbeat manner everyone leaves in a good mood. “He’s easy,” Meneely said. “He not only does his own laundry, he cooks his own meals.” Because, she said with a laugh, “He doesn’t like my cooking!” When asked her attitude about life right now Chapman needed only one word, “Yippee,” she exclaimed as she threw her arms up into the air with gusto. And without missing a beat she added, “Thanks for the memories.”
Carolyn Joliffe delivers flower arrangements in mugs from Small Pleasures to receptionist Pat Hitchcock at Hospice of Napa Valley, now known as Collabria Care, in 2005. The Hospice nurses will take the flower arrangements to their patients. Small Pleasures is a group of women who make flower arrangements and donate them to a variety of homes for the elderly and others. SPRING/SUMMER 2019
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WINTER SPRING 2019
J.L. Sousa, Register
Where in the Valley? How keen is your eye for Napa landmarks? Our photographers travel a lot of miles in pursuit of images, and along the way we’ve taken some shots of interesting, quirky, and unusual objects, many of them in plain sight from major roads. But it can be surprisingly hard to identify these places when you zoom in just on the details, even if you pass by the spots every day. How many of these Napa County places can you identify? Answers are on Page 67.
SPRING/SUMMER 2019
J.L. Sousa, Register
Sean Scully, Inside Napa Valley
J.L. Sousa, Register
63
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Wine &dine in the Napa valley
WINTER SPRING 2019
INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 65
Happy Hour,
EVOLVED New trends add interesting food, affordable combos - and way more hours JESS LANDER Happy Hour has evolved into so much more than half-priced margaritas at the swim-up pool bar on your Mexico vacation. The ultimate act of self care, Happy Hour can take the edge off a long work day, help you reconnect with friends before the nightly ritual of dinner, bath time and bedtime with the kids, and provide a
cost-effective way to “treat yo’ self.” In Napa Valley, Happy Hours are as abundant as sunshine and vines, and the choices are seemingly endless. But select restaurants incorporating these four Happy Hour trends are sparking a Marie Kondo standard of joy and should not be missed.
The bar and lounge area adjacent to Charlie Palmer Steak in the Archer Hotel in downtown Napa. 66 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
THE GOOD STUFF Happy Hour is a little bit like Black Friday, but year-round and without the aggressive shoppers (it has happy in its name, after all). It’s a chance to save big on some of your favorite, but often too-pricey Please see EVOLVED, Page 68
J.L. Sousa, Register
SPRING/SUMMER 2019
THE ANSWERS
Here are the answers to our Where in the Valley? quiz from Page 63. Covenant Presbyterian Church located at 1226 Salvador Avenue. J.L. Sousa, Register
Sean Scully, Inside Napa Valley
Wilson’s Feed & Supply, 1700 Yajome St, Napa Napa Tax, located at 2143 Jefferson Street, for Where in Napa Valley.
ProLab Orthotics at 575 Airpark Road. J.L. Sousa, Register
J.L. Sousa, Register
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INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 67
EVOLVED From 66
delicacies, like oysters on the half shell. You can go straight to the source, Hog Island Oyster Co., and slurp Chelsea Gems from Washington at half-off ($1.50 per) between 5-7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. For $18, Sunday-Thursday, you can down a half-dozen at Angèle, plus indulge in other French delights on the cheap, like fried deviled egg with shaved black truffle for $6.
Arina Habich, Dreamstime
Jess Lander
Deviled eggs topped with pickled onions and bacon at Torc
But for the best deal in town, you’ll have to head Upvalley, where Tra Vigne Pizzeria offers $1 oysters as part of their daily 7-0-7 Happy Hour, as does Harvest Table, Tuesday-Sunday. “Our $1 oysters on the half have been a huge Happy Hour hit. In most restaurants, you expect to pay anywhere from $3-$4 per piece, making these a very expensive menu selection, particularly if you are sharing,” said Cynthia Ariosta, Marketing and Community Outreach Director for Tra Vigne Pizzeria. “Offering delicious oysters at a buck a piece gives our guests the opportunity to splurge on something regularly that is very often only purchased as a special treat.” While you’re at it, toast to your joie de vivre with something sparkling, also too often reserved for special occasions. Angèle knocks 25 percent off bottles of domestic sparklings on Sundays and Champagnes on Wednesdays, and you can sip local bubbly by the glass for 68 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
Christin Klose, Dreamstime
$7 during Happy Hours at Charlie Palmer speakeasies —what today’s college freshmen (Tip: pair it with a $7 order of Lobster Corn refer to as pre-gaming — to get a buzz going Dogs) and Carpe Diem. before heading to a restaurant that couldn’t serve alcohol. FOURTH MEAL But with so many competing Happy Despite its name, Happy Hour is rarely Hours in Napa Valley, some restaurants are just one hour and its timing is loosely defined, breaking tradition and opening up their doors though it typically occurs between the end of for a little late-night imbibing. the working day and dinner. This practice While Charlie Palmer in the Archer’s lobby dates to Prohibition, when it was common for people to attend secret cocktail hours at Please see EVOLVED, Page 70 SPRING/SUMMER 2019
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EVOLVED From 68
was an instant Happy Hour hot spot from its 2017 opening, the hotel’s rooftop bar, Sky & Vine, is even more inviting on a nice day. In an effort to avoid pitting the two against one another, while also recognizing a need for a late-night sipping spot, Sky & Vine introduced Reverse Happy Hour, available from 9 p.m.close, Sunday-Thursday. Enjoy $9 cocktails and munch on $10-or-less snacks by the fire pits. The Andaz also placates the late-night munchies on their Mercantile Terrace with $6 bites and drink specials on Sunday from 6-10 p.m., and in true Italian style, Ca Momi Osteria hosts L’ aperitivo, Tuesday-Sunday at 5-7 p.m. and then again from 9 p.m.-close. During these windows, Ca Momi serves spritzes, wines, beers and flatbreads for just $5 and will knock $5 off the price of any pizza. FOOD FOR ‘A LINCOLN’ Speaking of $5, the price is right at many Napa Valley Happy Hours. It’s not a bad strategy either; after all, it worked wonders for Subway and their footlongs. In addition to Ca Momi, Torc’s Happy Hour menu is completely comprised of $5 bites, from the face melter quesadilla with short rib and habanero to the deviled eggs topped with pickled onions and bacon. You can also munch on edamame, shisito peppers and even a California roll for the low price of one Lincoln each during Eiko’s Social Hour. “We decided to make all our Happy Hour menu items $5 so when people come in, they can try a variety of items while also enjoying very reasonably priced wines by the glass and cocktails,” said Cynthia O’Toole, TORC proprietress and wine director. “It’s a great way for locals to see what we’re doing without committing to a full dinner. As a result, our bar is full most nights.”
Jess Lander
Lobster corn dogs at the Archer Hotel
LEFT: Happy hour at the Sky & Vine atop the Archer Hotel.
Jonathan Ferguson, Dreamstime.com
WOULD YOU LIKE FRIES WITH THAT? All of this fun comes with a catch: those $5 beers and bites add up quick and before you know it, you can’t afford dinner. Luckily, some local spots are taking a page from your favorite fast-food joints with a money-saving combo that’ll leave you feeling relatively full. At Kitchen Door, you can get a Burger and a Beer for $8 and Ca Momi’s daily PMS — not what you think; it stands for Pint, Margherita pizza & Spritz — costs $15. Compline may be best known as a wine bar, but you can get three tacos and a beer for $10 as part of their Late Night Family Meal, available daily from 9-11 p.m. 70 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
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A sampling of the vinegars available at Napastak on First Street in downtown Napa, founded by Lusine and Arthur Hartunian.
J.L. Sousa, Register
LOCALS NIGHT OUT Taking summer events to a new level in Downtown Napa CRAIG SMITH Napa’s new summer series takes outdoor events into a whole new level, and makes locals part of the fun. Each week, three of Napa’s favorite bartenders will compete in a mixology competition, and 200 locals will sample their entries and pick the People’s Choice award winner for that week. A panel of three judges will also pick the bartender who will advance to the final round, and at the end of the eight-week series, one of them will take home a giant engraved shaker, two-night stay at Archer Hotel Napa, $250 gift certificate to Charlie Palmer Steak Napa – and a check for $1,000. And that’s just one aspect of the evening. More on that in a moment. Locals Night Out is a chance SPRING/SUMMER 2019
Locals Night Out Mix, Mingle and More Wednesday Evenings, 5:30 to 8:30 June 12 through July 31 Inside First Street Napa
All the activity will take place inside First Street Napa, with all downtown streets left open. The event promises to surprise you every week with the quality of the arts and crafts, all curated by Lisa Gordon, manager of Makers Market on First Street, just west Tim Carl Photography of the Archer Hotel. Peter Triolo, director of food and beverage at Charlie Palmer Steak “We won’t have the old handHouse. crafted items that you might have seen in the past,” said Gorto mix and mingle with your restaurants and enjoy a craft- don. “What you’ll find are the friends while you take in local, brewed beer or glass of wine; all up and coming artisans of today; hand-made arts and crafts, savor while listening to music from appetizers from four downtown local artists. Please see EVENTS, Page 74 INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 73
EVENTS From 73
DIY booths, henna, apothecary, wood crafters, even granola makers and more.” Different artists will be part of the mix each week, so you’ll see something new every time you attend. “Seeing what these artisans create is inspiring. It’s great to be able to help support people do what they love.” Keeping it local with beverages is easy, and attendees will be pleased. Beer from downtown’s participating breweries will be featured – Downtown Joe’s, Palisades and Trade. Wine from Napastak, Compline Wine Bar, Restaurant and Merchant, and other downtown tasting rooms will be for sale by the glass. And if you’re hungry? Enjoy appetizers from Charlie Palmer Steak, Compline Wine Bar, Restaurant and Merchant, Miminashi, Filippi’s and others, all priced to make locals happy. The mixology portion of the evening is the brainchild of Peter Triolo, director of food and beverage at Charlie Palmer Steak Napa. “We have some amazing bartenders in Napa, and this is a great way to showcase their talent. We want everything about this to be local,” said Triolo, “and that means locals will weigh in on the competition and the fun.” Triolo said mixologists will be challenged to craft the perfect cocktail. Organizers will identify the first 200 interested people each night, charge them $1 and then give them a wristband, three tickets and a chip. “People will turn in their tickets for a one-ounce pour of each cocktail, and will then use the chip to vote for their favorite.” Charlie Palmer Steak is the primary partner, providing everything necessary for the weekly contest. “We’re thrilled to play a part in bringing a little mid-week fun to the heart of Napa,” Triolo said. The idea for a mid-week outdoor event came from board of the Downtown Napa Association (DNA,) in response to feedback from residents and businesses. “Locals miss some of the outdoor events we used to do,” said Bill LaLiberte, general manager of the Oxbow Public Market and president of the DNA. “There’s nothing like being outside; enjoying a glass of wine and an appetizer, talking to your neighbors and checking out the entertainment. Downtown is the perfect place for this kind of thing.” For more information, visit DoNapa. com, and check out Locals Night Out. 74 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
Anne Ward Ernst,editor@weeklycalistogan.com
J.L. Sousa, Register
Lavender honey from Napastak on First Street in downtown Napa, owned by Lusine and Arthur Hartunian.
J.L. Sousa photos, Register
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LIVING THE LIFE
GOINGTRIBAL COLIN MACPHAIL
The first time I became aware of tribes was on my first day at elementary school on the West Coast of Scotland. Finlay Galbraith, Jean Brailsford and Donald McEachern approached me in the dirt playground. Jean was a girl with bright orange hair, pale freckled skin and easily the toughest kid in the school. They cornered me up against the stone playground wall and in low, threatening voices demanded to know if I was “Catholic or Protestant?” I had hippie parents and we ate salad. My Swedish mother would abandon a meal and rush outside every time the sun came out, so we might have been pagan sun worshipers for all I knew. It was clear that fitting into this small school tribe would be crucial. I told them I didn’t know, and they said, “You’d better find out.” My parents were both foreign and artists in their late 20s. On this, as on many other occasions, they did not grasp the gravity of the local culture and their children’s need to fit in. At home that night, I asked if we were Catholic or Protestant. They discussed it languorously over dinner and said we weren’t really either. Even at 5 years old, I knew this vague answer would not satisfy my inquisitors. Some more definitive choice was going to have to be made. Eventually, they talked about how they had been married in a Unitarian Church just off Lothian Road in the City of Edinburgh where they had met. It had been a quick wedding because they did not have enough money to get the heating turned on. “Just tell them you’re a Unitarian,” said my mother innocently. The deep sectarian divides of the West Coast of Scotland were lost to them. The next day, I went back to the Achahoish School playground armed with my category. My trio of inquisitors pounced upon arrival and demanded, “So, are ye a Catholic or a Protestant?” I told them that, according to my parents, I was a Unitarian. They didn’t even hesitate, “Are ye a Protestant Unitarian or a Catholic Unitarian?” I had the good sense to ask, “Well, what’s 76 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
Colin MacPhail
Syrah. In their drainpipe and all-vowel Northern Irish accents, they immediately decided they liked the wine and at the end of their short visit declared they would buy it. They hadn’t asked anything about it or the price. I asked them what the most expensive wine was that they ever bought back home in Northern Ireland. She said nervously, “Is it expensive like? You mean, like $12 or $15, or something…” I told them it was indeed $15. They huddled and then proudly said, “We’ll take it! We’ll carry it back home in our luggage. None of the family will believe we bought such an expensive wine all the way from California.” When I worked a spell in wine retail 15 or so years ago, we had mostly small under-theradar producers on the shelves and a healthy smattering of ‘in-the-know’ international producers. There were a few bigger California brands carried also. You spent a lot of time reading wine tribe cues to help decide what to present. For some reason, I got very good at spotting buyers of one particular winery. They just looked different from other wine buyers. Usually men, sometimes in a group, and they were prosperous in appearance but with a mercantile aura. Maybe a Tommy Bahama shirt, fat gold watch and hairy arms. There were times I pulled the appropriate bottles from below racks and discreetly placed them near the register and would then be rewarded bed by a gasp of recognition and a nice sale. Through our lives, we all wear our tribal allegiances around us, draped over our shoulders waiting to be identified by those who care to read the patterns. Some are cultural and reflect where we lived and from who we were born, but in the American melting pot there are many sub-tribes of taste and lifestyle. We communicate these subtler, but no less important to us, associations through nuances in our appearances, clothing, music choices and, of course — wine. As a result, I suspect our wine choices about what we “like” are more directed than we might think, by which wine tribe we want to belong to.
everyone else?” Finlay said, “We’re all Protestants!” I then became the only declared Protestant Unitarian in the school, and as far as I know, possibly in the whole of Scotland. It’s no coincidence that rookie wine hosts are taught to ask where else a customer has tasted on their trip so far. The answer immediately speaks volumes. Do they have money, do they have access, are they searching out the cool and cultish, are they wine focused, or are they ‘wine tourists’ wandering aimlessly around wine country? Who is their wine tribe? We are trying to place them in our own landscape with an awareness of how they might behave in our environment. Ideally, this doesn’t affect how the guest is treated it just lets you understand the audience. Sadly, in many cases it does mean that the guest has a greatly diminished interaction. This is a shame because some of my most interesting and rewarding exchanges over the years were with people whom I knew would be lucky to buy a bottle. To do this, you have to relish people and have faith that it all comes back somehow. One of my favorites were a couple who wandered in off the street on their way to the coast and were from Northern Ireland. They had never been in a winery before. He was a ‘squaddie’ in the army, and she was a nurse. They were fish out of water in our tasting room, but great fun, and wine tribe innocents. They said they would taste Colin MacPhail is a wine consultant and one wine, so I poured them a sample of a $45 writer who lives in Calistoga.
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COCKTAILS in wine country M A RT Y O RG E L
Napa mixologists craft tasty alternatives to region’s signature beverage Napa, whether describing the city or county, is always synonymous with wine country. Yet after a day of walking through wineries sipping wine, it is a cocktail many people make their beverage of choice as they ease into the evening. Presented here are local bars known for serving hard liquor. And good cocktails. This is not a “best of ” story; this is not a “popularity contest,” because it is hard to find a bar that is bad anywhere in the entire region. You might like dives, you might prefer posh. All can be found here. And after all, the hunt is half the fun. The view from the top draws people into the Archer Hotel Napa’s Sky & Vine Rooftop Bar. This is where you look out over Napa. Because this is the tallest building in Napa, no other buildings block your view. The vistas are sweeping and unsurpassed, even on one recent overcast and rainy afternoon. A bartender taking his break in the bar six floors up was reading a book in the empty establishment, which was not yet open for business this day. “We tend to play around with our cocktail list,” he said, asking to remain anonymous because he did not have authority to speak to the press. “We try to introduce our patrons to the funky stuff.” His pick for most popular cocktail is the Garden in the Sky, which – described on the menu in all lower case letters – is made with “Hendrick’s gin, elderflower liquor, basil, mint, cucumber, lime.” The cocktail has notes of citrus, “and lighter, sweeter notes from the syrup we make here using all local produce,” the bartender said. At the Red Hen Bar and Grill in Napa, Michelle Vogen and Patricia Flanagan are enjoying margaritas. Margaritas at the Red Hen are not part of Happy Hour pricing, yet no one really cares. They are still the favorite. Vogen, a local resident, is a Realtor with SPRING/SUMMER 2019
Kate and Steve Spadarotto at the Rutherford Grill.
D’Vine Properties. Flanagan, also a local, is a construction safety director in the East Bay town of Dixon. “Weekends are for wine and socializing,” said Flanagan. “Weekdays after work are all about cocktails.” Especially Red Hen margaritas. “It’s a nice, refreshing drink. Sometimes you just want something other than wine,” Flanagan said. Sara Courtney is a bartender at Rutherford Grill in Rutherford. She has worked here since 2000 and said both locals and visitors make this their bar of choice. Courtney said the Grill’s most popular drink is, just like the Red Hen’s, a margarita. And there is a twist. “We don’t mess with our drinks,” she said. Rutherford Grill doesn’t even have a cocktail list.
Marty Orgen
“We make straight-forward cocktails. Nothing fancy but always the best,” she said. “All of our cocktails are made from top shelf liquors at well prices.” Their margarita is made with Azuñia Tequila from Glendora, in Southern California, and Combier Liqueur D’Orange, imported from France. And they buy as much local and seasonal produce as they can for flavorings. Sheri Seville has worked here even longer than Courtney. Seville has been a bartender at Rutherford Grill since it opened Upvalley in 1994 just off Highway 29. “I was hired right outside,” she said, pointing to what is now a parking lot. “It was a dirt field the day I was Please see COCKTAILS, Page 80 INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 79
Marty Orgel
A Rutherford Grill margarihta, with bartender Sara Courtney in background
If you go Archer Hotel Napa’s Sky & Vine Rooftop Bar Garden in the Sky $16 1260 1st Street Napa (707) 819-2490 Red Hen Bar and Grill Strawberry Margarita $5.50 to $15.50 depending on well or top shelf liquor 4175 Solano Ave Napa (707) 255-8125
Rutherford Grill Margarita: $14 1180 Rutherford Road Rutherford (707) 963-1792 Goose and Gander Cucumber Collins: $14 1245 Spring Street St. Helena (707) 967-8779 Sonoma Mission Inn Capresetini $18 Boyes Blvd Sonoma (866) 358-7423
COCKTAILS From 79
hired.” For Kate and Steve Spadarotto, who both work in the wine industry, their drink of choice is always a gin martini with a twist of lemon. And when they are having one, they are almost always at the Rutherford Grill. Kate is a Realtor with Compass, and using her maiden name Jones, she is also sole proprietor of Blue Oasis Wines. Steve is CEO of Far Niente Wine Estates in Oakville, down the road from Rutherford. “This is a special outing we like to take after working all day with wine,” Kate said. 80 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
Bartender Sara Courtney holds a margarihta at the Rutherford Grill.
“We don’t talk business when we’re here,” Steve added. “This is our way of celebrating our being together.” Work can be a bit of a roller coaster, Steve said. “It’s nice when we can be out together” at the end of the day. Mike Quick is sitting at the bar nursing a beer and working on his laptop. He said he switches it up between beer and cocktails. Quick is a sales representative with Young’s Market Company, a wine and spirits distributor based in Santa Rosa. He was born and raised in St. Helena. “I’m working all day, and all of my friends know where I will be at 3 p.m.” They just might not know what he’s drinking. The Goose and Gander is about four miles north of Rutherford in St. Helena. The restaurant is upstairs, the bar downstairs. Walk down the stairs for your cocktail. The bar is dark, yet inviting, and is loosely fashioned after an oldtime speakeasy. Bartender Mark Murgas, who lives in St. Helena, said cocktails are “something different to drink after you are tired of drinking wine all day.” Visitors who come here for a Cucumber Collins will often ask for a fork to get at its zingy pickled cucumbers. Murgas uses Square One Organic Vodka, adds the flavorful pickled
Marty Orgel
cucumbers, lemon juice, Yuzu – a Japanese citrus – seltzer, and local produce for garnish. Murgas also said the Goose and Gander is the only place in St. Helena that stays open until midnight. Alexandra and Dustin Brown are from Orlando, Florida. Alexandra is drinking a Cucumber and Collins. The Goose and Gander is their favorite bar in the county. “It’s just so refreshing to have this after tasting wine all day long,” Alexandra said. She owns bridal stores in Orlando. Dustin works in e-commerce and logistics. “We love it here,” he said, “we come here every time we visit Napa. “It’s like we are taking a break from wine in the middle of the day,” Alexandra said. “Like a brief intermission.” Michelle and Jason Manzagol and Lindsey and J.R. Dehring are all visiting Napa from Columbus, Ohio. “Cocktails are a nice break after drinking wine all day,” Lindsey said. J.R. added they all love the intimate feeling of the bar. Lindsey and J.R. discovered the Goose and Gander on their first trip to Napa. Now, they wanted show it to the Manzagols, who Please see COCKTAILS, Page 82 SPRING/SUMMER 2019
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are visiting Napa for the first time. If your visit takes you beyond county borders, say into Sonoma; try a cocktail at the Sonoma Mission Inn. One special drink. A cocktail that is also a bit of a secret. And you can get it only if you know its name. Its name is Capresetini, (cah-PREESE’teeny). The name is a combination of both the Caprese salad and a martini. Caprese + Martini = Capresetini. The Capresetini is the brainchild of Walter Schmidt, the senior bartender at the Sonoma Mission Inn. He created it as his entry in the 2019 Martini Madness contest in Sonoma this past February. He won for “most creative.” The Capresetini is Schmidt’s second win. Two The view from the Archer Hotel years ago, he won for “best garnish.” Schmidt explained his cocktail as an artistic and drinkable deconstruction of an Italian Caprese salad. A Caprese salad is made with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and sweet basil. It is seasoned with salt and olive oil. And like a Margherita pizza, it features the colors of the Italian flag: Green, white and red. “Almost all the ingredients and produce are local, including balsamic vinegar which is made at Sonoma Vinegar Works. And despite having ‘Sonoma’ in the name, the balsamic is distilled in Calistoga, giving my creation a Napa connection,” Schmidt said. Schmidt starts with Hanson vodka from Hanson of Sonoma, which operates a distillery just outside of Sonoma. He then adds Lillet, which comes from Bordeaux in France. Lillet is a fortified wine and is often enjoyed as an aperitif; it is also often likened to the taste of vermouth. He then adds bacon, a mozzarella cheese puree rendering, tomato confit, and basil. Alexandra and Dustin Brown at Goose and Gander. Mix and serve.
Marty Orgel
FAR LEFT: Goose and Gander’s Cucumber Collins. MIDDLE: Red Hen’s Strawberry Margarihta RIGHT: Sonoma Mission Inn’s Capresetini. Marty Orgel
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Shown are the ruins of the old Summit Ranch ghost winery in St. Helena, Calif., Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2003. The gravity fed winery was built in 1890 and was destroyed after the onset of prohibition. The winery is now located on the site of Pride Mountain Vineyards.
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L AY N E R A N D O L P H As wine regions go, Napa Valley is new to the world stage and thus considered part of the New World of wine. Still, its history is rich with the stuff of classic dramas: struggle, success, near defeat, and ultimate victory. In the late 19th century, thousands flocked to California for the Gold Rush. Many of the miners settled in San Francisco and eventually started new ventures north of the city – planting vineyards. The original Napa Valley wine boom occurred between 1860 to 1890, when more than 140 wineries were operating in the area. The region was booming, wineries were winning international awards, and more and more land was being planted to grapes. But a series of events over the next decades almost killed any hope for the California wine country as we know it today. Some of the misfortune wasn’t unique to Please see GHOSTS, Page 86 INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 85
GHOSTS From 85
California, or America. Phylloxera, a vineyard disease that had wiped out vast expanses of European vineyards, hit America, effectively killing decades of vineyard growth and closing many wineries. It’s estimated that phylloxera destroyed more than 80 percent of Napa Valley grape vines by 1900. Just beginning to rebound from it, the U.S. passed the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, making illegal the “manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors, within the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof, from the U.S. … for beverage purposes” — what we know as Prohibition. Although most wineries shuttered over the next 14 years, those wineries that managed to stay in business during this time Please see GHOSTS, Page 88
Eric Risberg
In this photo taken Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011, sunlight falls on the Franco-Swiss ghost winery in St. Helena, Calif. Built in the 1870s, the winery was being renovated by Richard and Leslie Mansfield. The winery was founded by three men who met while working at Charles Krug and by 1884 was producing 100,000 gallons of wine annually. But it was forced to shut down by the early 20th century due to Prohibition.
In this photo taken Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011, Richard and Leslie Mansfield pose by their Franco-Swiss ghost winery in St. Helena. Built in the 1870s, the winery was being renovated by the Mansfields. The winery was founded by three men who met while working at Charles Krug and by 1884 was producing 100,000 gallons of wine annually. But it was forced to shut down by the early 20th century due to Prohibition Eric Risberg
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singer, 1998 47 Coming up nine-ball neighbor5 Get 50 Mexican 11 End of hood, say distorted food truck UCLA’s URL 38 Yard sale’s 9 Olympic order 12 Slippery fish backup time sword 52 Stoop 13 Low-fat 40 Toto’s owner 13 Give off (down) milk choice 41 Like light 54 A long, 17 They’re on 2+2=5 14 Backside long time the way out 43 Many an 15 Vein of ore 55 *Source of 18 Small dent emoji 16 *Caring entertain23 Exactly 44 ___-eye dog person ment? 24 Address for 48 Central (note each 59 Portable a nobleman African river starred music 26 Remedy 49 Leg joint answer’s player 27 Memo 51 Senator’s first word) 60 “___ it abbr. assistant 19 Suffix for going?” 29 Use one’s 52 X5 and “finish” 61 Bit of color last chip i8 cars 20 World’s fair 62 Brazilian 30 Lake 53 It’s right on 21 Potion soccer Michigan the map holder legend neighbor 55 Red carpet 22 Cocktail 63 Royals 31 Put down figure, This Thursday, 6, 2011, photo shows the facade of the Chateau Montelena winery inroots Calistoga, Calif. The winery was founded in 1882 by Alfred L. Tubbs withOct. rum manager briefly and was a major producer in the Napa Valley by the turn of the century, only to fall largely into disuse after Prohibition. The property was revived in the early and Ned 34 This, in 56 Orangutan, ‘70s when James lime Barrett bought the estate. 24 Tom, Dick Certain e.g. to64 operate. wineries Tijuana in the Napa Valley. it is today, and the modern-day GHOSTS By the time the Act was The Napa Valley offers more presence of ghost wineries is a and Harry waffle 35 “SNL” alum 57 “___-hoo!” repealed in 1933, only about 40 than world-renowned wine. The constant reminder of how far it’s 25 TV brand DOWN Rudolph 58 Swerve From 86 wineries had managed to survive. region’s history has made it what come. Hundreds of wineries were left 28 *Make 1 Most grew rich. abandoned as “ghost wineries.” PUZZLE ANSWERSPUZZLE FROM PAGE 57 ofprovided But overpopulous Thesense Volstead Act the next 100 years, PREVIOUS ANSWER loopholes to Prohibition, exclud- some of these were restored to the country ing wine usedworld for religious pur- their former glory, and many poses, Military and homemade fruit juice still2exist. These wineries make 32 Tennis for personal use – up to 200 up some of the oldest in Napa champion gallonsattack per year. Two of the Valley and are some of the most oldest Lawsuit wineries in Napa Valley iconic Martina and revered properties 33 found a way to succeed through today. basis 3 Niente Finish this period. Beaulieu Vineyard Far is one of Califorsurvived Prohibition by negoti- nia’s oldest wineries and listed in 34 Ham it up line ating an exclusive deal to supply the National Register of Historic wine toExpert the churches of the San Places. It was shuttered during 37 4 Practice Francisco diocese, and Beringer Prohibition and remained aban38 Cheap 5 Cover Vineyards used the Volstead doned until it was with restored in loophole to make wine for reli- 1979. Charles Krug Winery was college paper gious purposes too. founded in 1861 and became mealnow owned by the6first“Dynamic” Inglenook, commercial winery in Francis Ford Coppola, survived Napa Valley, and the first public 39 Fit to lead-in Prohibition by selling wine tasting room in California. The grapesstand directly totrial consumers winery made it through Prohi7 Long-tailed when operations ceased. Other bition before being purchased 40 rodent wineryEntry owners soldpoint grapes, grape by Cesare Mondavi in 1943. It juice, and raisin cakes to make took almost a in decade to make 42 *They form 8 Nip a living. But the great majority the property operational again, letters the bud of wineries and vineyards ceased and it remains one of the oldest 4/15 © 2019 Andrews McMeel Universal 45 Hotel-rating 9 “Frozen” 88 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY SPRING/SUMMER 2019 org. queen www.upuzzles.com Eric Risberg
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loves. He is not grasping them in a death grip. He is delicately balancing both with just two fingers of each hand. Many people like a knife with heft. Merkley pointed out this is great for home preparation where you are preparing one or two meals a day. But when you go into a commercial kitchen, or one of Napa’s well-known restaurants, you might prepare dozens, if not hundreds, of meals in an eight- to 10-hour shift. Heft, he said, is not something you want. “Chefs prefer a light, delicate knife.” Japan and Germany are usually considered the best of the best when it comes to manufacturing quality knives. Yet a few California knife proprietors are catching the eyes of Napa chefs. Noah Cowan is Aura Knifeworks CEO, and is based in Southern California. Aura ships custom, handmade knives to Shackford’s and to specialty stores nationwide. These include a handle made from a clay mold of your grip. Customers come in and squeeze the clay which gives Aura Knifeworks an exact mold that fits the hand. All Aura knives made are made in Aura’s Southern California workshop. “They are an amalgamation of both Japanese and German design, yet they are made with American ingenuity,” Cowan said. Each individually hand-molded knife costs about $2,000. And while Aura Knifeworks makes less expensive products, it is their clay-fashioned handles that are catching on. Cowan said his problem, “which is a great one to have”, is that he cannot keep up with demand. “Your hand is completely different SPRING/SUMMER 2019
than anyone else’s hand. You might wear a wedding ring. Your imprint in the clay provides an exact match to you hand. These are insanely comfortable.” “It’s all about what feels right in your hand when you are using it,” said Nic Jones, executive chef at the Goose and Gander restaurant and bar in St. Helena. His go-to store is New West Knifeworks in St. Helena, another major knife shop in the Valley chefs prefer. The Goose and Gander, with Jones’ at the helm and staff at the ready, just won the Grand Prize in the California Artisan Festival at the Santa Rosa Airport in March. He called it, “Barely Buzz Cheddar Grits”. He served it with fresh garden greens and Pancetta. The sauce, he said, “stole the show.” It was a black truffle demi glaze made from truffles and maple syrup. “Our most popular and beautiful knife is a Teton Edge Santoku,” said Tomas Alas, the assistant manager of New West Knifeworks. “It is a Japanese-style inspired product.” It has a full-length tang; meaning the blade and handle are all one piece. The steel, he said, is the highest quality steel ever used on 7-inch blades. Knifeworks knives are also U.S.-made, in a factory in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. They cost $369. “We have a lifetime guarantee on the knife and sharpen it free forever.” Alas said chefs who come into New West Knifeworks are looking for an instrument they can use, one that is beautiful, and a knife that sets them apart from all of the other chefs in the market. “Chefs are looking for something that is high performance and an exceptional knife.” “There is no substitute for a quality knife. There’s really not,” said Cognetti, “I would recommend that nobody, under any circumstances, buy something that is not built to last them a lifetime.”
Marty Orgel
Shackford’s Patrick Merkley of Shackford. Look at his hands and fingers. Both knives are perfectly balanced.
INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 91
Sean Scully, Inside Napa Valley
Registered Nurse Jill Ford, right, disusses operations in the cardiac monitoring unit, Floor 2 North, with Queen of the Valley Chief Nursing Officer Kim Brown Sims, left.
NURSES From 25
job — when the challenges pile up and the work becomes draining. “You can plan your whole day out perfectly, but stuff changes in a minute,” said Jill Ford, a registered nurse, who works in Queen of the Valley’s telemetry unit, which monitors patients’ heart function. Waiting for test results or facing a daunting diagnosis can bring a patient’s anxieties and fears to the forefront. Under such stressful circumstances, some patients are difficult to work with. “When people don’t feel well, they’re not always the nicest and kindest,” Ford said. This is where compassion, empathy, and a calm demeanor play an important role, she said. “A nurse needs to have awareness and be able not to take things personally when a patient expresses an emotion such as anger,” said Claudia Provedor, a registered nurse and nurse supervisor for Ole Health. “It is usually not a personal issue against the nurse, but probably involves many other factors of their (patient’s) life.” 92 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
Sean Scully, Inside Napa Valley
Queen of the Valley Chief Nusing Office Kim Brown Sims, right, chats with Cardiac Monitor Tech Shundell Langford.
Nyna Vo works as a psychiatric nurse in the Senior Behavioral Health unit at St. Helena Hospital, and some of her patients have little to no insight into their own mental health. “Some of the patients are non-compliant with their treatment, which can be detrimental to their well being,” Vo said. “Though working on a mental health unit can be rewarding, non-compliance is a big challenge when providing care as it can be mentally and emotionally
draining.” Despite the challenges, Vo said her favorite part of the job is building rapport with her patients. “I think it’s a privilege to be able to work with a vulnerable population and to have them trust me with their care, is truly an honor,” Vo said. “It’s rewarding and fulfilling to see the improvements and progress in patients on the Senior Behavioral Health Unit.”
SACRED MOMENTS Jill Ford became interested in nursing later in life, after her best friend’s mom was diagnosed with cancer and ended up in hospice care. She helped feed her ice chips and assisted whenever she could at her bedside. “I felt compelled to help,” Ford said. In Queen of the Valley’s telemetry unit, Ford works with patients who need heart monitoring. With Napa being a small community, Ford said it’s not uncommon for patients to recognize her outside of the hospital, give her a hug, and say how much they appreciated her care. She describes these moments as one of the greatest joys of her career. “You’re riding this roller coaster with them (patients),” Ford said. “You’re bonding with these people on a different level.” Jonathan Garza, a registered nurse and the heart and vascular unit manager at St. Helena Hospital, was inspired to become a nurse during high school. His two older brothers were in nursing school, urging Garza to follow in their footsteps. “Around that same time, my grandfather, who suffered from crippling Parkinson’s disease, moved in with our family and I took care of him after school every day. I helped bathe him, I took him to the bathroom, helped him walk around the house as best he could,” Garza said. His grandfather had also developed dementia. One night, as Garza was tucking him into bed, he grabbed his grandson’s arm and told him how thankful he was for all of his help. “That was a really special moment – one I’ve always kept close to my heart,” Garza said. “My grandpa passed just before the end of that school year, but the experience of caring for him stayed with me and ultimately informed my decision to apply to nursing school here in Napa Valley at Pacific Union College.” Many nurses interviewed Please see NURSES, Page 94 SPRING/SUMMER 2019
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talked about the “gifts” or “sacred moments” they get to share with patients. “It’s the ‘gift’ of other people,” Ankenmann said. “People share things with you. It’s a significant reward to nursing.” Before working in executive leadership at Queen of the Valley, Brown Sims worked with premature infants in a Neonatal ICU. She still receives cards, she said, from families thanking her for helping their children, who have now grown into adults. “I’m eternally grateful for those miracle moments,” Brown Sims said. “Every time a child was born,
mom was the utmost inspiration to me as I grew up. I saw her work ethic, commitment, determination, and most importantly her dedication to her patients.” Her mother, Regina Orozco, always loved science, but as a mom to three young children, spending years in medical school was out of the question. Attending a nursing program was a much better fit. “I absolutely love my career,” Orozco said. “I’m glad I didn’t choose to become a physician.” Orozco has worked as a registered nurse for 15 years. She specializes in labor and delivery and currently works at the Kaiser hospital in Santa Rosa. Orozco is also a nursing professor at Napa Valley College, where she has worked for 12 years. “It’s funny, my whole life my
J.L. Sousa, Register
Queen of the Valley Medical Center cardiac nurse Alice Fernandez demonstrates an AccuVein vein finder, which helps find veins before starting an IV.
expectant moms and the positive difference she can make during their hospital stay. Some women are scared, either because it’s their first child, or their previous birthing experience was “terrible,” she said. “I’m here to keep you safe,” Orozco said. Orozco’s job does not end after a baby is born. Some mothers have difficulty breastfeeding. Some have emotional struggles or lack family support. As a nurse, Orozco said she works hard to provide the physical and emotional care women and their babies need. The goal, she said, is “healthy mom, healthy baby.” Hernandez remembers as a child joining her mother at work and admiring the rapport her mother had with patients. “She made her job seem so effortless and her patients would look to her as if she had all the answers, and to me, she did have all the answers,” Hernandez said. “That is when I knew I wanted to follow in her footsteps.” About 10 years ago, Orozco suffered a serious medical problem that put her in the ICU. “From the moment we got to the hospital, the nurses were at our side updating and explaining everything to my family and me,” Hernandez said. “They encouraged us to participate in her care, so we could give her the positive energy she needed to survive.” Hernandez recalls the experience as “overwhelming,” but the uncertainties and fears her family faced were eased by the ICU staff. “They were so calm, so organized, so smart — they made their job seem effortless, and now I knew I wanted to take part in that area of specialty and be a nurse just like them,” Hernandez said. Today, as a critical care nurse, Hernandez works alongside some of those same nurses who helped her mother. Becoming one of their colleagues, Hernandez said, is a “privilege and honor.”
it was a miracle. I was blessed to mom told me to never become a be a part of that experience with nurse,” Orozco said. a family.” Back then, a nurse’s role was to follow orders and do a lot of LIKE MOTHER, LIKE cleaning. Nurses weren’t expected DAUGHTER to use critical thinking skills, Jessica Hernandez always had Orozco said. a strong desire to help others, but “It’s grown into a profession,” the admiration she had for her she said. mother, who works as a labor and Orozco is currently working delivery nurse, was her biggest on her Ph.D. at UC Davis, where motivator. she is studying Nursing Science “In my youth, she would and Healthcare Leadership with a come home and rejoice in what a focus on nursing education. wonderful, blessed night she had As a labor and delivery SOCIAL MEDIA witnessing a baby being born into nurse, Orozco said she enjoys AND HEALTHCARE the world,” Hernandez said. “My the one-on-one connection with Before becoming a nurse at 94 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
Queen of the Valley, Jill Ford worked in the hotel industry in Sonoma County for about 15 years and also spent about six years as a nanny. She credits her customer service experience and working closely with families as excellent preparation for nursing. “It taught me how to manage a work environment, while also being in someone’s intimate space,” Ford said, adding that she’d “be a different nurse” if she hadn’t gained those customer service skills first. Ford said that the future of healthcare should be more customer service-driven. Most people have a choice of where they receive healthcare, she said. People talk about their experiences, and that impacts how a community views an organization. “In the social media world, people can tweet their experience at their bedside,” she said. Every interaction with a patient or their family members has the potential to become a social media conversation, Brown Sims said. “The public turns to social media even more than surfing the web now,” she said. To enhance a patient’s experience, many in the nursing profession say they believe that nurses need to be given more decision-making power. One of the biggest challenges of the nursing profession, Orozco said, are the guidelines and restrictions that give nurses less autonomy. It’s an awkward position for nurses when they have the professional knowledge to know what is right, but they don’t actually have the authority to make those decisions, Orozco said. Brown Sims agreed that it’s important to give nurses a voice and allow them to share their knowledge — especially if it can lead to better health outcomes. “If you have experts, which all of our nurses are, give them an avenue: Is there a better way to do what we’re doing in a safe manner?” she said. Please see NURSES, Page 97 SPRING/SUMMER 2019
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For hospital executives, Brown Sims said the key to success is to hire “the best of the best and empower them.” “If you empower the frontline staff, you typically get better results,” she said. CARING FOR THE “WHOLE PERSON” Caring for the “whole person” is an expression often used in healthcare. But what does it mean? “As you know, us humans are a complex species – we are layered like onions! We all have mental, spiritual, and emotional needs beyond what our physical bodies need,” said Garza at St. Helena Hospital. Garza has worked in the hospital’s Heart and Vascular unit for more than 10 years.
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Sean Scully, Inside Napa Valley
Registered Nurse Jill Ford discusses operations on the cardia monitoring unit, Flood 2 North, with Queen of the Valley Chief Nursing Officer Kim Brown Sims, left.
A patient admitted for atrial fibrillation or heart failure may need new medications or a procedure to restore their normal heart rhythm, and hospitals can provide those services “very easily,” Garza said. “But making that human connection with these patients – sitting with them, listening to their stories, praying with them,
holding their hands – that is how nurses care for the whole person,” he said. The skills needed to “care for the whole person” often come with maturity and job experience, Brown Sims said. New nurses, particularly those who are younger and have grown up with technology, are more “task-oriented” — more
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concerned with checking off the boxes than checking in with a patient on a more personal, emotional level, she said. Task-oriented, or “transactional care,” as Browns Sims calls it, is more likely to lead to burnout, she said. But as new nurses mature in their profession, they often learn how to be more interactive with patients and how to create better relationships. It can be as simple as shaking hands and making eye contact, Brown Sims said. “It gives the patient that immediate dignity and respect,” she said. Garza agreed that nurses need to approach every patient with kindness and understanding because it’s “never anyone’s best day” when they’re hospitalized. “Every person who comes in deserves compassion and caring,” he said. “Sometimes patients just want a listening ear to tell stories to. Others just need a squeeze of their hand or a kind smile.”
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