Spring Mountain Fever and the Tao of Harley-Davidson Motorcycles

Mystic Large Wine and Time Shifts

The siren song drifts all the way down to Elmhurst Avenue in St. Helena and draws you to Spring Mountain Road where a mile can seem like forever. Spring Mountain District is a viticulture designation where micro-climates grow large wines. This area has always been my first stop in Napa Valley. But large wine isn’t the only reason to come here. The mountain roads between Napa & Sonoma are the best adventure you can have on two wheels. Today, my destination is Keenan Winery – my favorite up here. The hulking Harley is ill-suited for dark steep narrow winding roads. The ride is harrowing.

But the thought of the winery pulled me through the dark wood and bright palate of Spring Mountain. People live and work here on secluded terrain, growing grapes and making wine in the kind of quiet you find only in the mountains. A plain unmarked door around back is the entry to the tasting room. Soft wood, wine, and conversations about nothing. I’ve always loved this place. This is the first time I’ve come alone but I fell right in with total strangers. We babbled-on for an hour about the wines. There is no cure.

Ride the dark wood of the wine country on Spring Mountain. I swear you’ll feel time slowing down. When you return to the valley floor, it’ll feel like you’ve been gone forever. There’s something about this place. Napa, Sonoma, and the mountain roads that connect them are like a multi-verse in our own back yard. It’s perfect.

Spring Mountain – Robert Keenan Winery – September 8, 2013