Joel Gott California Pinot Noir 2015 ($20.99)
Everytime Gott’s Roadside posts picture of street-corn on Twitter, I want to get on an airplane and visit. (Example: This tweet)
This quaint food stand has long-been a favorite in Napa Valley for fresh, fast outdoor favorites. And yes, the burgers at Gott’s Roadside (933 Main St., St. Helena, CA) are perfect after a long day of wine tasting. The garlic fries don’t disappoint either: salty, fatty, and snappy.
On my first visit to Napa, some 15 years ago, this old-fashioned fast-food joint was known as Taylor’s Automatic Refresher. In 1999, the Gott brothers, Joel and Duncan, took the restaurant to a new level, improving the menu, sourcing local ingredients, and subsequently won awards and built a fan-base that has created hungry foodie-fans across the country.
You might still hear locals refer to the eater as Taylor’s. However, it doesn’t matter what you call it, I promise you will be hooked after one bit. This restaurant is definitely on my wine country itinerary for each and every visit. I can’t help it, I relish the chance to get fresh, hot pub food and sit outside on the red picnic tables.
Joel Gott gets it right with hamburgers and incidentally, he gets it right with wine, too. The 2015 California Pinot has smoke and cedar on the nose. It’s a medium bodied Pinot with sweet raspberry, exotic spice rack and tea leaf flavors. If you can’t find the 2015 vintage, the 2017 is just as good.
Who know’s? Maybe I’ll bring a bottle of Gott’s Pinot next time I visit Gott’s Roadside for a burger and fries.