One of the things that Kevin and I miss the most since coronavirus hit has been seeing our close friends and family during these socially distancing times. Before all the stay at home orders and travel restrictions, we pretty much did something every night of the week. Shortly after the restrictions went into effect in California, we got several text messages from friends making sure we were okay! So needless to say, we were beyond excited when Priority Wine Pass helped set up a virtual Napa wine tasting with Prime Solum in Napa Valley with two of our close friends Daniel and Alex.
A very unique double date night idea, all from the comfort of home.
Not sure you’d be into a virtual wine tasting? Afraid you’ll say or do something awkward? Don’t worry, you’re with friends (who will never let you live it down!). Am I projecting? I say, just blame it on the wine.
Check out our latest adventure and you’ll soon understand why virtual wine tastings have become all the rage. If you like a deal as much as we do, just think of all the money and time you’ll save with a virtual trip to Napa Valley — all from the comfort of your home. And think of it this way, at least you’ll only get to embarrass yourself in private!
Prime Solum: A History of the Family-Run Winery
Kevin chats up Prime Solum Tasting Room Manager Elana Hill, a professional artist and winegrower.
To kick off the wine tasting experience, Prime Solum Tasting Room Manager Elana Hill gave us the backstory on the winery and her connection. When Elana said that Prime Solum is a family-run business, she wasn’t kidding. Elana is the daughter of Bill Hill, who founded Prime Solum. Bill first moved to Napa in 1974 with the dream to become a winegrower. And clearly, he succeeded — developing dozens of prime vineyards up and down the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington. He later went on to build the large-scale William Hill Winery, which he sold in 1992, and launched his current projects of Expression and Prime Solum.
But what’s the story behind the winery’s name? Elana explained that they were channeling their geeky science side — since Prime Solum is a term from soil science, referring to the best soil, or the optimal place to grow something. There is your science lesson for the day… The more you know!
A glimpse inside the tasting room at Prime Solum in Napa Valley, where Elana conducts all virtual tastings.
Elana also has a cool backstory, and certainly isn’t your stuffy Napa winegrower. We could relate to her boho, artist vibes from all our trips to LA’s east side and downtown. I mean, not that Kevin and I are artists at ALL. Though, I will say that Kevin can draw a pretty convincing cartoon dog. Elana lived in downtown LA as a teacher and artist before moving back to Napa to join the family business as the wine tasting room manager. She helped establish the art-filled tasting room, where she’s based during the tasting experience, which even includes some colorful pieces of her own.
She has a deep understanding of wine, taking courses in viticulture and oenology (the fancy way of saying winemaking), to learn not just about the various tasting notes that come through in wine, but how science impacts taste. Our friends loved her, and like any tour or guided experience, we feel like so much depends on the person who’s leading it.
A Virtual Napa Wine Tasting With Prime Solum: Why It’s So Unique
The wine line-up, taken by our friends Daniel and Alex. Yes, four bottles… So scale accordingly!
We weren’t sure what to expect when we received four bottles of wine overnight from Napa. If you’re lightweights like us, keep that in mind since you’ll be opening all four bottles at once to taste. Prime Solum is different from just about any other wine tasting experience. First off, they see wine tasting as a community experience to be enjoyed with friends or in a group. It’s the social aspect that really adds to the experience, Elana explained. We couldn’t agree more.
Our friends Daniel and Alex, sharing a selfie just as we’re about to taste some wine.
Our friends also had a much fancier set up compared to us. I mean, a tablecloth and all. Show offs!
Another thing that sets Prime Solum apart from other tasting experiences is that they encourage you to taste the wines side-by-side, rather than the typical tasting of one at a time. But why does this matter? Elana explained that it’s a way to encourage people to go back and forth to taste what makes the wine stand out, and how it evolves as you sample other wines. We also prepared snacks to pair along with each of the wines and could taste the immediate differences.
Our food spread — a much less impressive presentation compared to Daniel and Alex’s set up.
Wines Tasting 101: Sampling the Best With the New Release Tasting Set
Opening the first corked bottled, Kevin defers this task to me since he has a certain knack for breaking corks.
Doing a virtual wine tasting couldn’t have been any easier. You simply pick your tasting experience with Priority Wine Pass, which sets up the Zoom link and connects you directly to the vineyard. We loved the various tasting options with Prime Solum, and selected its New Release Tasting Set ($157), including four bottles of wine.
We started off with the 2017 Expression 38 Chardonnay from the Russian River wine region. A interesting fact is that each of the numbers on the wine bottles relates to the latitude along the coast at which it’s grown (once again, tapping the science side of the process). After one sip, I could taste a delicious citrus profile, lemons and even peaches. Kevin is not a fan of oak wines — most memorably asking a bartender at a San Francisco dive bar if the wine was “oaky.” And the bartender responded, “It comes in a box.” Touché bartender, touché! From here, we moved onto a side by side tasting of Pinot Noir.
This part of the wine tasting experience was my absolute favorite. It included their 2015 Expression 38 Pinot Noir from Russian River and the 2014 Expression 39 Pinot Noir from Anderson Valley. In my head, I always lumped all Pinot Noir as having the same flavor profile. But trying them side by side, completely blew me away. I could immediately taste the differences between the two bottles. Several factors contribute to shaping the wine, most notably the climate. The Anderson Valley Pinot, with its cool climate, was lighter in color with strawberry and more grass/earthy flavor notes, while the Pinot from Russian River was rounder, with more fruit flavors on the palate. Kevin and I were split on which Pinot we liked most (I preferred the Russian River). But hey, I guess we each get our own bottle now!
Last bottle from the tasting, the 2014 Prime Solum Cabernet Sauvignon.
We could hardly believe we were on the last bottle as Elana poured the 2014 Prime Solum Cabernet Sauvignon. This was the group’s favorite of the four bottles, though we agreed it was hard to pick since everything was just so good. We could taste the rich, red intensity immediately after the first sip with notes of tobacco, blackberry and other dark berries. Cabernet Sauvignon tends to be a crowd pleaser, and I’m with them! We also learned that Elana’s painting was included on the label, adding a pop of color. So you’re getting a bottle of wine and some art!
Where did our evening go? We couldn’t believe 90 minutes passed (since it felt more like 15 minutes). Always a great sign. So be sure to sign up for your own wine tasting experience with Priority Wine Pass. And if you’re having a difficult time deciding, we can’t recommend Prime Solum’s experience enough. Plus, you’ll likely have a lot of wine left at the end to enjoy the rest of the week. Or if not, well, probably a nice wine hangover!
THE LOW DOWN:
- Priority Wine Pass offers personalized tasting experiences including virtual wine tastings with premiere and family-owned wineries along the West Coast.
- We highly recommend the virtual Napa wine tasting experience with Prime Solum, and their fun side-by-side pairing experience.
- They offer tasting experiences starting at $123 USD for a wine set. We recommend the New Release Tasting Set ($157 USD for four bottles).
- To learn more about Prime Solum, visit their website. You can also check about their in-person wine tasting experiences ($58 per person). To find out more info, call 707-492-3531 or email: elana@primesolum.com. The winery is located just north of the town of Napa.
Looking for more ideas in Napa Valley? Check out our weekend guide to spoiling yourself silly in Napa once travel restrictions are lifted. Love road trips as much as we do? Well, check out our driving itinerary from San Francisco to the redwoods. You can even stay at Daniel and Alex’s cozy cottage in Monte Rio. Clearly, our friends are getting a taste of fame in this blog post!
Remembering pre-COVID days. One of our memorable trips to see Alex and Daniel in Monte Rio.
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