Our Spring 2014 PHENOMENAL Conference at the Bardessono in Yountville, California, is fast approaching. Based on history, we can expect daytime temperatures in the high 60s, dropping into the mid-to-low 40s at night. We re hoping for sunny skies, but light rain is always a possibility at that time of year. As for dress, this will be a casual weekend. Anyone in a suit will stand out! The agenda: Thursday, April 3 Welcome Reception, Bardessono 6:00-7:30 pm. Dinner on your own. Many excellent restaurants within easy walking distance. (Check out www.yelp.com, search Yountville, CA.) Friday, April 4 Buffet breakfast: Bardessono 7:00-9:00 am Seminars: Bardessono 8:00-11:30 am Lunch and afternoon activities on your own (see Activities below) Dinner: Caymus Vineyards, Rutherford (transportation provided) 6:00-9:30 pm.
Saturday, April 5 Buffet breakfast: Bardessono 7:00-9:00 am Seminars: Bardessono 8:00-11:30 am Lunch and afternoon activities on your own (see Activities below) Dinner, hosted by Embraer: Bottega, Yountville 6:30-9:30 pm The Bardessono The Bardessono is at 6526 Yount Street, Yountville, CA 94599; 707.204.6000; 707.204.6099 fax. Getting There If you are flying your Phenom to the conference, we recommend landing at Napa County Airport (APC) just south of Napa. It s a 20- to 30-minute drive north to Yountville depending on traffic.
The Napa Jet Center will welcome Phenom Jet Association members with a fuel-price discount (75 cents off retail, currently $6.34 a gallon), and waiving of the facility fee with minimum 100-gallon fuel purchase for a Phenom 100 and 150 gallons for a 300. Hertz rental cars are available. Contact Manager Pradeep Panikar at 707.603.1202; cell 510.290.7661; fax 707.603.1282; or email Pradeep@NapaJet Center.com. Activities You have two basic choices when it comes to activities during the PHENOMENAL weekend. The first option: Do nothing, at least nothing more than relaxing at the Bardessono, enjoying a massage, maybe taking a walk around town and checking out the French Laundry s own garden across from that worldrenowned Yountville restaurant.
The second option is to spend the time doing stuff exploring some of Napa Valley s hundreds of large and small wineries, going for a hot-air balloon ride, visiting the beautiful Culinary Institute of America campus at Greystone in St. Helena, taking a warbird ride, lunching at one of the area s fabulous restaurants, biking around the valley, and taking a walking tour of historic Yountville. Check out the details below, and respond with what you would like to do. Wine tours Beyond the Label Boutique Tour Enjoy an afternoon of lunch and wine at the private home or vineyard of a boutique wine producer, enjoying great conversation, wine, and food in the Napa Valley. This is a truly unique experience, one not available to the general visitor. Price ranges from $250 pp for a group of 14, to $500 pp for two people.
Beyond The Label Blending Day Enjoy a day relaxing in the mountains bordering Napa Valley, eating lunch and discovering your palate while blending your own Bordeaux blend. We will taste some Napa wines, have lunch, then find the perfect blend. $250 pp. Beyond the Label Winery Tour Five-hour tour with Beyond The Label including luxury transportation to and from two vineyards, lunch, wine tasting, and blending with a Napa Valley winemaker. An experience of a lifetime! $250 pp Wine Tastings Cliff Lede Vineyard, Yountville
The Artisan Cave Experience. A private tour of the Lede fields and winery, and lunch in either the Cave dining room or White Room, depending on the size of the group. $150-$175 pp. Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, St. Helena Tour the dramatic and historic grounds of one of the world s top professional culinary colleges, have lunch at either the Wine Spectator at Greystone or the Bakery Cafe by illy, then enjoy a demonstration Cookbook Recipe class on Shrimp & Chicken Jambalaya. (Tour and lunch any day, demo class on Saturday or Sunday, April 5 or 6). $20 tour, $20 class, plus lunch. Or, there s a special five-hour hands-on class on Gourmet Meals in Minutes. 9:30 am-2:30 pm Saturday, April 5. $250 pp. On Sunday, April 6 CIA Chef John Ash will give a 2.5-hour class on The Marriage of Food and Wine. 1:30-4:00 pm, $95 pp. Warbird Rides See California s wine country right-side-up and upside-down from the cockpit of a P-51 Mustang, T-6 Texan, or Boeing Stearman. The 30-minute flights originate at the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport (STS) in Santa Rosa. $850 for the P-51TD (dual controls), $500 for the T-6, and $300 for the Stearman Napa Valley Aloft Hot-Air Balloon Rides On most days the balloons launch from the historic grounds of the V Marketplace in the heart of Yountville, just a short walk from the Bardessono. As you rise above the valley floor, panoramic views open up
of the Napa Valley wine-growing region. To the north the majestic Mt. St. Helena, to the west the Mayacamas mountain range, and to the east the sculptured terrain of the Vaca Range. With favorable winds aloft, the balloons can climb to higher altitudes where you may catch a glimpse of the San Francisco skyline and even the majestic Sierras to the east. The entire experience including check-in (6:35 a.m.), balloon inflation, launch, the ride, landing, retrieval, transportation back to the V Marketplace, and a leisurely post-flight breakfast, is 3.5 to 4 hours. Depending on how many are interested, we can put together a Phenom group for a ride early Friday or Sunday morning. (Saturday morning is booked.) $200 and up depending on number of people. For more information, visit Napa Valley Aloft s website: http://nvaloft.com Napa Valley Bike Tour An afternoon winery tour including picnic lunch and tastings at area wineries. A guide will be on the road with you to discuss local history, the vineyard growth cycle whatever captures your interest. A van will accompany the tour for support and to carry wine purchases. The pace is casual, with frequent stops to enjoy the scenery and discover boutique and
family-owned wineries. Get out and experience the vineyards up close, engaging all five of your senses to create memories you'll never forget! Price ranges from $159 pp to $245 pp depending on the size of the group, plus wine tastings. For more information see Napa Valley Bike Tours website at http://www.napavalleybiketours.com/index.html. Watch a video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6qkxgj5au4&feature=youtu.be Walking Tours Pick up a walking tour map from the Yountville Chamber of Commerce in town, and spend a couple of leisurely hours exploring some 30 points of interest in this historic town. In the early 1800s the area that now makes up the Town of Yountville was owned by Mexico. In 1836, George C. Yount obtained a land grant from the Mexican government, the first such grant in Northern California. Yount named his Caymus Rancho after a tribe of Native Americans in the area. It was on this land, in the early 1850s that Yount laid out the town's first boundaries. Initially, the town was known as Sebastopol, but later, in recognition of Yount's contributions, it was renamed in his honor. The first grapevines in the valley were planted by George C. Yount in 1838. Although Yountville was not incorporated until 1965, its boundaries have changed very little since 1874. Art Napa Valley Collects, honoring the region's private art collectors, is a threemonth exhibition beginning April 3 presented at Napa Valley Museum in Yountville, in partnership with Arts Council Napa Valley and Visit Napa Valley. The exhibition includes significant works from outstanding art collections throughout the Napa Valley, including such artists as Joan Brown, Marc Chagall, and Pablo Picasso. For more information see www.napavalleymuseum.org.
You can explore the many local arts attractions, discover behind-thescenes stories, and curate your own Napa Valley art experience with www.napavalleycollection.com. For general information about Yountville including area wineries, things to do, and events, see www.yountville.com Please indicate with a checkmark which activities you are interested in, and how many in your party will participate. We will do our best to put together groups and arrange reservations. Of course, you are free to explore Napa Valley and enjoy its many activities on your own. Name: Friday night dinner at Caymus Vineyards for in my party Saturday night dinner at Bottega for in my party Warbird rides P-51 T-6 Stearman for in my party Bike tour for in my party Hot-air balloon ride for in my party Cliff Lede Winery Artisan Cave Experience for in my party Beyond The Label Wine Tours: Boutique Tour for in my party Blending Day for in my party Winery Tour for in my party Cullinary Institute of America at Greystone: Guided tour for in my party
Demonstration class on Shrimp & Jambalaya 1:30-2:30 pm Saturday, April 5 or Sunday, April 6 for in my party Gourmet Meals in Minutes class 9:30 am-2:30 pm Saturday, April 5 for in my party The Marriage of Food and Wine class 1:30-4:00 pm Sunday, April 6 for in my party -END-