Castello di Amorosa - Napa Valley

We left Mill Valley and it was a 90 minute drive to Castello di Amorosa in the Napa Valley where we had booked a wine tasting and a tour of the castle. The drive out of Mill Valley was beautiful with view of hills all around us. The fog was also starting to clear and it turning into a beautiful day.

We reached the edge of the Napa Valley, and drove towards Saint Helena and active volcano. The landscape was very dry and rocky with mountain ranges on either side of the valley. We drove past vineyard after vineyard and it was really beautiful.

We arrived at the vineyard and showed the concierge our tickets before driving up to the top of the hill where the Castle overlooked the valley. We were dressed in our hiking clothes still so we quickly changed into our casual clothes before heading in. The first part of our wine tasting and tour was a tour underground and through the different floors before a wine tasting.

The guide mentioned that the Castle was built in 1994 by Dario Sattui, and is a 14th-century Tuscan-style castle. The owner spent $40 million dollars designing the castle with 8 floors to reflect something that would have been made in Tuscany. The castle features a moat, drawbridge, and 107 unique rooms, including a grand barrel room and a torture chamber.

We started the tour in the dining area which features walls and roofs painted in designs seen in Tuscany. The guide then discussed the wine making process and why high quality wine grows in the Napa region. He explained that the valley’s climate is important as there are usually warm days and cool nights, and the lack of rain in the region allowed the grapes to thicken there skin which is required in the wine making process. Our guide also mentioned that Napa Valley has 16 AVAs which means viticulture areas and this is due to the different microclimates within the valley that allow for a wide range of grape varieties to thrive, contributing to diverse wine styles.

We then headed underground through multiple tunnels filled with barrels and wine. We had a tasting out of a barrel that still had not aged. It was a 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon that still required another couple of years in the barrel. We then walked to the Armoury Room which was filled with suits of armour and different weapons that dated back hundreds of years. We then headed to the Torture Chamber which included an an original Iron Maiden used previously in europe. These rooms were meant to show the authenticity of the castle.

We then walked into the tasting room where we tried 5 wines each. I tried the Dolcino a sweet white wine, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Serata which was a sweet red wine. The tasting were delicious but we didn’t think the wine was any better compared to the other wines we had in Sonoma Valley.

We headed back the accommodation and decided we would grab some salads for dinner. When we entered our room we noted that our fridge had still not been fixed and we had cold items to store. We spoke with reception and they transferred us into a new room. Thankfully most of our items were already packed so it was quite seamless moving. We had dinner and a cider before heading to sleep.Baca lagi