Schramsberg Dinner at the Meritage Resort

Hugh Davies and Sandra Crittenden

After spontaneously booking our trip to Napa Valley during Harvest and then seeing the difficulty in getting hotel rooms, I started making dinner reservations as quickly as I could. I also started checking for events. I had been disappointed that I couldn't fit a trip to Schramsberg into our tasting schedule so I was excited to see this paired Schramsberg dinner with winemaker, Hugh Davies at the Meritage Resort. I immediately booked a place at the table.

We arrived promptly at 6:30 to enjoy our first glass of Blanc de Blancs and passed hors d'oeuvre out overlooking the vineyard. We met a nice couple from Chicago before moving down into the Estate Cave for dinner. Mystical mood lighting set the stage for the next glass of sparkling. It created a beautiful ambience but it was not the best lighting for food pictures. I ended up sitting directly across from second generation winemaker, Hugh Davies.

I was impressed with the quality of food and the service for such a large group. The dinner was much more crowded than I had expected so I felt fortunate to have the seat that I did. Hugh was very excited to introduce the new Davies red wine releases and share the stories of each wine's vintage. It was interesting to learn more about his family and the winery's history as well. I am looking forward to touring and tasting at Schramsberg on my next trip to Napa Valley.

The Dinner:

2011 Blanc de Noirs with American Cavier with creme fraiche, English cucumbers, quail egg, crostini
2013 Davies Pinot Noir "Ferrington Vineyard" with Split Pea and Ham soup with parsley, mint and sea urchin gold
2012 Brut Rose in Valencia Orange & liquid nitrogen Mimosa
2012 Davies Cabernet Sauvignon with roast quail, 40 hour pork belly, apricot, watermelon and arugula
2006 J. Schram with Fromage blanc creme brulee with caramelized honey gelato, granola and warm fresh fruit

This event was $125.00 per person for dinner plus wine pairings.

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