Cakebread Cellars and a Dancing Bear
Cakebread Cellars is one of the most known names in the Napa Valley and celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2013. It is a family-owned winery, which has generated remarkable success. This is due to the quality of their wine and the quality of their people. This is a winery that has grown and evolved over that time period, adding vineyards and expanding its facilities.
Cakebread is known most broadly for their white wines – Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. But this is only the beginning of their portfolio. You will find quality throughout their offerings from Syrah, Zinfandel, and red blends to their Cabernet. In fact, their most recent vintage (2012) of Dancing Bear Ranch Cabernet was given a score of 99 points – that is nearly perfect.
Our visit to Cakebread a few weeks ago was a special day. Along with some friends, we were “redeeming” an auction lot from Taste of Howell Mountain 2015. Our day began with a tour of the grounds starting in the garden. The Cakebreads may have “invented” the wine and food experience in the valley. Very early on, they began hosting events featuring the pairing of food and their wine. Today, they have a full time gardener who tends the garden to support their wine and food events. More than that, they employ a full time culinary director who leads cooking classes and does special events for the winery.
On our visit, we were greeted with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and shown around the facilities. We strolled past the fermentation tanks and into the barrel room. The grounds are very lovely and provide a great backdrop for learning about and enjoying their wine. This set our day off to a relaxing start.
We then hopped on a bus and were driven to the Dancing Bear Ranch vineyard on Howell Mountain. This was a special event as there are no regular tastings on this mountain vineyard. When we arrived at the vineyard, Dave Griffiths, Cakebread’s sales and marketing manager, greeted us. While the day was chilly and overcast, the lovely wine warmed us. We stood out on the patio – gazing across the valley below. It was a gorgeous view as the vineyard sits at 1600 feet above the valley floor.
It was tough to go inside – away from the vistas of the valley, yet a beautiful lunch awaited us. We were seated at a large table, while each course was paired with Cakebread wines. The chef for that day was none other than Brian Streeter, the culinary director for the winery. He has been with Cakebread for 25 years and loves to share the art of pairing food with wine. The pièce de résistance that day was the pairing of Dancing Bear Ranch Cabernet with a steak – delicious.
Cakebread Cellars is a class operation producing quality wine with a wide portfolio of varietals and blends. Next time you are in the valley, stop in and taste. They are by appointment only and offer many different venues to taste their wine. You also do not need to wait – you can readily find Cakebread wines at your local store or fine wine shop as they have wide distribution. While you may not be able to visit the Dancing Bear Ranch on Howell Mountain, you can visit their website and build your own fabulous meal paired beautifully with Cakebread wines courtesy of Brian Streeter.
Enjoy!
