Napa Valley Wine Tasting Adventure: Artesa and Mondavi, June 14, 2010

The second vineyard we visited was Artesa.  From their press kit: "Our Carneros estate comprises 352 acres with 145 planted to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, a diverse planting of numerous clones and selections in a variety of elevations, exposures and soils. Our 409-acre northern Alexander Valley property has 100 acres dedicated to Bordeaux varieties, as is almost half of our 180-acre ranch on eastern Napa Valley benchland. Our 300-acre Sonoma Coast property will yield 100 acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  Located in Carneros, (the only sub appellation shared by California’s two most famous wine regions, Napa and Sonoma) Artesa is committed to the exploration of premier appellations and vineyard sites."

 Artesa is the complete opposite of Domaine Carneros where it is more modern while the latter is the traditional French chatteu.

the view from atop the terrace

 At the top of the stairs before you enter Artesa is an infinity pool.  I TOTALLY want one in my backyard... my other option is to have the beach on the north shore as my backyard.  Either one will suffice.

NEXT STOP: ROBERT MONDAVI