Harvest Party Highlights: Wine, Music, and Memories at Laird Estate

In this episode of Breaking Bread in Napa, the team shares their vibrant experience at the Laird Family Estate, a family-owned winery with a welcoming atmosphere and a stunning harvest party. From the sparkling 2019 Blanc de Blanc, praised for its zest and creamy balance, to the bold and flavorful Napa-style Pinots and Cabernets, the guests reflect on the diverse flavors and rich traditions of the valley. The discussion celebrates Napa's unique terroir, its blend of climates and soils, and the immigrant heritage that shaped the region into a wine-lover’s paradise. Whether you’re a local or a visitor, this episode invites you to explore the magic of Napa Valley wines. In this episode, we are joined by guests Hicham Mejjaty, Freddie Henjes, and Alex Ervell.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Well, hello listeners.

(00:16):
It's back to Breaking Bread here in Napa.
This is our third episode and we have some repeat guests here that I'm excited to have
on the show today.
It's been quite a while since we last had our discussion.
So lots to talk about on the political side of the house.

(00:38):
And we also have a new guest here, a dear friend, Alex, who he'll introduce himself
shortly.
But let's kick off with our second family vineyard review.
We were so fortunate yesterday.
Most of us here, we visited the Laird family estate.

(00:59):
Another really wonderful family-ran winery.
And they had their harvest party yesterday that we joined with a bunch of other friends
as well.
And it was just lovely.
It was just so pretty.
They have a beautiful deck that we all sat on.
They had live music, a really nice band, nice kind of jazzy blues type of band.

(01:25):
It was just such a pleasant day.
And they had a few stations.
And we're going to review one of the wines, actually, that we tasted yesterday.
But highly recommend Laird family estate if you're visiting the valley or your local.
And they have a very wide selection.

(01:45):
They make about eight or nine different varietals.
So there's something for everybody.
And you don't need a reservation.
You can even just stop in there at any time.
And they have a really nice tasting room as well as you can even bring a picnic.
If you wanted to have a picnic, buy some wine and bring your own picnic.
They're just really casual, just a really beautiful setting.

(02:08):
So we're going to review the 2019 Blanc de Blanc sparkling.
When I walked in there, I was like, I wanted the Rizay sparkling because they do a really
nice job.
And I said, this is their inaugural release of the Blanc de Blanc.
I said, great, let's have a taste.
And both vineyards are on property.

(02:30):
So we were actually overlooking them.
It's the Redhead and Linda Vista vineyards.
51% Redhead, 49% Linda Vista.
And 100% Chardonnay grape.
Just delicious, light, very well balanced.
It was creamy, but it was also had a lot of zest of lemon.

(02:55):
But it was just wonderful.
And the price point is amazing.
For a Blanc de Blanc, it's tough to get a really good tasting Blanc de Blanc for under
$50.
And this is the one that definitely, it could stand right up with your Viva clubs and whatever
other sparkling that you like.
So really good value, great tasting, loved the vineyard.

(03:18):
So I'm interested to hear from my guests your impressions of the wine that we tasted and
say a few things.
I know his job and Freddie, you were at the event yesterday as well.
But Alex, would you like to introduce yourself to my listeners and give us your thoughts
on the Blanc de Blanc we tasted this morning?

(03:40):
Sure, yeah.
It was beautiful.
My name is Alex, first of all.
I live in Oakland and I visit Napa quite often and enjoy the beautiful wines.
I wish I'd gone to that party because it sounds amazing.
But you had other things on your calendar.
I had other things going on on my social calendar, but here I am.

(04:02):
The wine that we tasted today was beautiful for what we did, which was a light lunch.
No, that was a brunch, actually.
Yeah, it was a beautiful wine.
I loved it.
Awesome, awesome.
So, Shab, what about you?
What are your thoughts on the wine?
Well, let me start with the winery.
It was such a beautiful winery.

(04:23):
Very close to Napa, downtown Napa for all the visitors.
Only about five miles, I think, from downtown.
So very easily accessible if you can probably a 10-minute Uber ride from downtown Napa.
So I thought it was very accessible, good winery.
We were welcomed with two Blanc de Blancs as we come in and loved the porch, loved the

(04:48):
party, loved the band.
The band was really, like you said, bluesy, jazzy, which that's what you want when you
drink in some of these fabulous wines.
The Blanc de Blanc was refreshing.
I thought it was a great wine for a Saturday, nice summer in Napa.

(05:11):
Awesome, awesome.
Freddie, my man, there you are.
I'm here.
Yeah, I thought it was a great event yesterday.
As Hesham said, we walked right in and they handed us a glass of the Blanc de Blanc.
And it was just a great way to start off the event yesterday.

(05:35):
And yeah, the event was great, the music was great, the location and the kind of just total
atmosphere and the environment was excellent.
Good vibes, good people.
We even made some friends.
And the Blanc de Blanc itself, yeah, it was, I think, coming from a Chardonnay, a little

(05:59):
bit more full bodied than what you might expect from a standard champagne, but it was still
light, refreshing, but you did get kind of like a little bit almost like of a fattiness,
creaminess that was, yeah, just very lovely.
Awesome, awesome.
I know you guys actually tasted a lot of the reds.

(06:21):
How were the red wines you guys tasted?
You had a pino that you had to go back and get a second glass of that, I see.
Yeah, the pino was excellent.
The cab was also great.
Yeah, just the, let me think.
So the pino was just kind of what you would expect from a pino, just great kind of late
afternoon, red vibes, kind of just get it, you know, you move from the white into the

(06:46):
red and the party starts.
And so, yeah, it was a great way just to like spend the afternoon with that.
The cab was also delicious.
No, I do like the pino, I did like the cab.
I thought I liked the cab a little bit better or more.

(07:07):
You always like the cabs.
Yeah, I do.
I'm a cab person.
But that's the thing, what I like about the cab, the Napa pinos, they're very unusual
of like they're not light.
They're not like the pinos of the central coast.
I really like them because they are like a little bit, if you're like cab, they are

(07:31):
meteor, exactly.
Full body, full body pinos.
Yeah, exactly.
100%.
Which I love that.
So the pino was fabulous, the cab was fabulous and the party was fabulous.
Yeah, it's kind of like probably a lot of the winemakers in Napa are cab focused.
And so when they get the opportunity to kind of work with a pino, maybe they're kind of

(07:54):
pushing it in that direction.
Exactly.
Do they grow those pino grapes up at that layer or is it down towards the San Pablo Bay?
Probably more of the carnaros.
Carnaros, yeah.
More carnaros, yeah.
Because they need that ocean or water element.
Although because we're on this side of the valley, we'll have to ask the question next

(08:15):
time we go there if they got the pino.
But they're growing the Chardonnay grapes over there.
That's what the blanc de blanc that we had was on.
Yeah.
Because we're on this side of the valley, which is more, you get the San Pablo Bay,
which is why I love my house where it's happy.
You get the brulees.
Exactly.
They did have right next to the parking lot some green grapes growing.

(08:37):
So they definitely growing some green grapes over right there.
Is that Oakville?
No, no, not at all.
We're still in Napa.
We're still in Napa.
We're in Napa.
We're in Napa.
We're in Napa proper.
We still can do pinos, we still can do the blanc de blancs.
So I love that.
I love that transition.

(08:58):
Again, the Napa pinos I'm a fan of.
I love pinos in general.
I'm more of a cap person, but I do love pinos, but I love the Napa pinos because they are
a cabbie pinos, I call them.
That's right.
Full body.
Absolutely.
A cabbie pino.
A cabbie pino.
Earlier.
It's quite amazing how much of a range of climate from South Napa to North Napa and

(09:24):
how they're able to grow just such a wide variety of grapes.
That is the beauty and the magic of the Napa Valley.
The soils are so diverse and it's just like it could be literally right next to that vineyard.
That's volcanic.
This is more fruit forward and it's just really, we're so, I mean, oh my gosh.

(09:45):
And then the climate is well on top of that.
And then the climate on top of that.
It's a climate, but also immigration.
It was the Italians that showed up here.
Oh, are we transitioning?
Oh, that sounds like a great transition to the shop.
Like Segway.
Thank you.
You're keeping me on time.
You're on ready.
You're keeping me on time.
Chop, chop.