Jamieson Ranch
Hold on — there’s a winery in American Canyon? These far-south reaches of Napa County can feel removed from Napa Valley, but one advantage of Jamieson Ranch’s location, just off Highway 12, is that it’s a nice way station for sitting out nasty traffic back to San Francisco.
At 700 acres, Jamieson is an enormous property — and currently none of its vineyards, in the midst of a replanting, are producing fruit. The huge scale of the facility (which produces more than 80,000 cases of wine per year) and the luxurious feel of its tasting areas (indoor tables; outdoor patio; bar) match the cost of its pinnacle food pairing offering: $100 per person with a tour; $75 per person without. (Alternatively, a cheese pairing is $35, and a charcuterie pairing $45.)
Exorbitant cost aside, you do stand to learn something here. The first segment of the pairing session involves some taste experiments — you’ll take bites of things like salt, lemon and apple and see how they alter the taste of three wines. It’s instructive. The second segment involves three very small, composed dishes prepared by winery chef Scott Ekstrom (former sous chef at Michael Mina and executive chef at Angele), paired with those same three wines.
On a recent afternoon, Ekstrom served fromage blanc with citrus-marinated beets alongside the rather rich 2013 Egan Vineyard Chardonnay ($30/bottle); duck breast, maitakes and beluga lentils alongside 2014 Rosella’s Vineyard Pinot Noir ($55); and a braised short rib tartine with black garlic aioli alongside 2013 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ($95). Ekstrom is a skilled chef. All three bites were delicious, albeit minuscule, and they harmonized with their respective wines.
You may be greeted, even indoors, by one of the estate’s three miniature horses, sporting some highly entertaining footwear. The whole experience is utterly pleasant, though it’s hard to call it a great value, given how small the food portions are and how limited the number of wines you’ll taste. To Jamieson’s credit, the pours of those three wines are bottomless. Still, fair warning: You may depart with a hankering for In-NOut.
Food pairing $75 or $100. 1 Kirkland Ranch Road, American Canyon. (707) 254-8673. www.jamiesonranchvineyards.com Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.