Chiles and Pope Valleys
By Paul Franson
Bayinsider Contributor
Over the Vaca Range east of Napa Valley, you can find the California that existed before progress changed the state forever. Though part of Napa County and the Napa Valley appellation for wine, peaceful Pope Valley and tiny Chiles Valley offer a bucolic contrast to hectic Napa Valley.
East from St. Helena, you rise on famed Howell Mountain to Angwin, a Seventh Day Adventist college town improbably located on the edge of wine country.
Then you drop into peaceful Pope Valley. There at the crossroad of Pope Valley Road is the thriving metropolis: The Pope Valley Garage, with a bathtub containing rattlesnakes, a small building housing the post office and a general store with basic supplies. An historic blacksmith shop opens once a year.
Wines of promise
There are many new plantings in the area. Pope Valley was gerrymandered into the Napa Valley American Viticultural Area by smart landowners and wineries. It's clearly not part of Napa Valley, being over a mountain range and not even sharing a watershed. Nevertheless, its grapes are excellent and qualify as expensive Napa Valley wines.
Higher in altitude and warmer than Napa during the day, it cools off more at night, making it ideal for many varieties. It's best known for Sauvignon Blanc, but its Cabernets are gaining increasingly attention. Few wineries note the Pope Valley location at present, but St. Supéry promotes its Dollarhide Ranch in southern Pope Valley to increasing renown.
Rhône varietals such as Syrah hold special promise for the future, since they grow well in the location.
North from the intersection, you pass Vitto's famous hub cap ranch, a folk art site recognized by California and every passing motorist.
The historic Pope Valley Winery offers a delightful visit on weekends to see the 100-year-old creaking winery and the old blacksmith shop. You can taste some excellent wines, including a Chenin Blanc rarely seen today. You can also picnic on tables provided under a giant oak tree. It's best to call before visiting; most of the wineries in this remote area require appointments.
Down the road north at the barrel mailbox, Aetna Springs Cellars makes excellent Cabernets. It's open only by appointment.
Neglected and abused
Just past is Aetna Springs Road and the dilapidated Aetna Springs Resort. Once a famous resort, it fell into neglect as tastes in vacations changed. A proposal to restore the resort was defeated by county voters concerned about development in this remote area, and the fate of the historic resort is uncertain.
It contains many interesting but sad buildings, some probably designed by famous architect Bernard Maybeck or at least his students. Across from the resort is a modest 9-hole golf course, the only public place in Pope Valley you can buy a beer and sit and talk with your friends. It may close, too.
Returning south past the store, you reach Pope Canyon Road. Turn left. The Eagle & the Rose Winery looms on the right. A surprisingly large facility, it's the first modern production facility in Pope Valley and will likely prove popular for processing the flood of grapes due soon from local grapes. It is open for visitors by appointment.
Its owner also owns the airport and closed restaurant next to the winery. He would like to reopen it, but so far has run into opposition from Napa County officials.
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