Source: https://thepress.sfchronicle.com/review/v-sattui/
Timestamp: 2019-04-25 16:26:41+00:00

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With more than 130 years of history, V. Sattui began as a true American Dream. In 1872, Vittorio Sattui immigrated to the United States from Genoa, Italy and opened his San Francisco winery three years later. The Sattuis found success in the business for the 35 years, before production was shut down with the onset of Prohibition. More than half century later, Vittorio’s great-grandson Dario Sattui, who grew up above the inactive San Francisco winery, rebirthed the family business in 1976, this time in the Napa Valley. Dario envisioned erecting a winery with an Old World village-like feel. Today, V. Sattui continues to charm visitors for its rustic Italianate influences, as well as its broad array of food and wine experiences.
Sattui offers a full menu of tasting programs from winery tours to blending seminars to food pairings. Opt for the simple marketplace tasting, a choose-your-own-adventure style flight where you select five wines from their portfolio to enjoy at the tasting bar. The list can be rather overwhelming,because V. Sattui makes more than 60 different wines. Not all of them are winners, but several of the Zinfandels are absolutely delightful and well priced. The experience is typically pretty swift, and the tasting staff in the marketplace aren’t the most informative in the Valley. But beyond the wine, V. Sattui’s marketplace deserves equal attention for the food. While less posh than Dean & Deluca just across the street, V. Sattui offers a full deli — one of the rare winery restaurant permits in Napa — complete with an exceptional cheese case. When the weather is right, take your panini, your pasta and a bottle of your favorite Zin outside to their expansive picnic area for a laid-back mid-tasting day lunch.
WHAT TO TRY: While V. Sattui’s wine list can be daunting, there’s a wine for just about everybody. Pick your favorite kind of wine, and ask the tasting staff about the best version. It will help narrow down your options. Don’t leave without trying a couple of the Zinfandels. My favorite is the Amador Ridge — a lighter expression of Zin with beautifully bright cherry tones and a smoky medicinal herb edge. V. Sattui also makes a smattering of dessert wines in the pre-Prohibition California tradition — Angelica, “Port”, and “Madeira.” The Madeira, while showing little resemblance to the true Madeiras grown on the Portuguese island of the same name, comes from a solera and has a history of more than 100 years. Tasting notes included roasted chestnuts, caramel and dried apricots — the wine is complex, delicious and a total blast-from-the-past.
INSIDE INFO: Should you find yourself in Wine Country for the weekend, V. Sattui hosts Saturday and Sunday barbecues on good weather days — serving up ribs, tri-tip steaks and house-pulled mozzarella.

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