It's a Tuesday afternoon and I'm sitting here at Cosi's sidewalk patio on Michigan Ave across from the Art Institute watching some huge protest (I have no idea what for) that has basically shut down this part of the city. No matter. It's a beautiful Chicago day, the first day of May and life is good. I'm currently studying for Prof Matthew Bothner's Strategy & Structure class, which is absolutely fascinating. We discuss two HBS cases per week and Prof Bothner does an amazing job of guiding discussion, getting people involved, and incorporating variety of tools (videos, interviews, metaphors, frameworks) to foster insights and enhance our learning experience. For students who are shy, afraid of being cold called, or just don't have an opinion - this class is not for you! Last week we discussed Loy Weston pioneering the expansion of KFC in Japan. Great case, very entertaining, but most of all it deals with the difficulties of expanding a franchise concept overseas where a lot of the elements that made the company (and brand) successful in the home country don't necessarily translate into a profitable foreign venture. It often takes a resourceful and sometimes radical manager like Loy Weston to jump start the venture, but after it's in place how do you manage the relationship? I've enjoyed the class so much that I actually flew out to Napa Valley, CA for the annual GSB Wine Cllub Napa Valley Trip (also featured in the April 9 issue of Business Week Magazine) a day late just so I could attend Prof Bothner's class.

Speaking of Napa...here's an update on how the trip went.

Friday, April 10th, our first stop was at Flora Springs Winery. Flora Springs sits upon a beautiful St. Helena estate were we began by taking a tour of the vineyard and winery. It was thrilling to observe the wine making process first-hand, made even more special because Flora was bottling one of their newest release wines that morning. Our next stop was at the famous Silver Oak Cellars on the Silverado Trail passing the legendary Opus One on our way. As we gazed at the magnificent estate, our guide Bruce relayed a funny story about the winery. Apparently, when Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe Rothschild began digging the caves for the wine cellar, they hit a series of hot springs. Since heat negates the benefit of an underground cave (wine ages perfectly at cool temperatures), a cooling system was installed in the cave to protect the wine against the underground hot springs!

When we arrived at Silver Oak, Michael, our host greeted us and poured a tasting of their 2002 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon; a spectacular wine, very characteristic of Oakville Cabernet Sauvignons. Michael than escorted us to the patio where we tasted the 2002 Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet while absorbing views of Silver Oak’s Cabernet vineyard.

We then proceeded to Rutherford Grove, a small family-owned winery in historic Rutherford. There, Rob Ledford arranged a magnificent picnic lunch, which we enjoyed while soaking up the warm California sun and sipping a Rutherford Grove 2005 Sauvignon Blanc. Lunch was followed by with a tasting of Rutherford Grove wines, the highlight being a 2004 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.

Next we stopped at Beringer Estates (only to provide a contrast to boutique wineries that comprised most of our weekend) on our way to Frank Family Winery. At FF the “Rouge” (a sparkling rose) was a favorite of the group, but that couldn’t top the Estate Chardonnay and the Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, which were both superb. The staff was extremely friendly and we loved their wines so much that the group shipped two cases of wine back to Chicago.

Saturday was spent in Sonoma Valley. We began our day at Nicholson Ranch where we learned about their wine making process, which emphasizes limited production, high quality wines. While touring the caves we tasted the Estate Chardonnay and two yummy, silky, and fruity Pinot Noirs.

Next, we stopped for lunch at The Girl and The Fig restaurant in downtown Sonoma. Lunch was outstanding. I savored over a bowl of asparagus cream soup and salami & brie served over a baguette accompanied with giant capers. Craig Kahler selected a set of delicious Viogniers, which paired exceptionally well with our meals.
That afternoon we visited BR Cohn, Kunde, and Imagery Estates. BR Cohn was fun, yet the wines were average, but we got a kick out of playing with their dog Moose and later tasting his namesake wine “Moose’s Red.” We then headed north to visit Imagery Estates where I was blown away by all of their wines (so much so that I, along with four others, joined their wine club!). A special tip…Imagery’s wines are excellent (especially the 2004 Petit Syrah) they only sell their wines through the wine club and tasting room, and they are considering closing their wine club soon! Kunde was our last stop of the day, and we headed back to the hotel to ready ourselves for our final dinner.

Our Saturday night dinner took place at Bay Leaf. After being seated in the Italian room, the owner Mounir Fahmy greeted us and described our three course dinner in such outstanding detail that my mouth began to water. Many of us indulged in the baby back ribs and some chose the grilled salmon. Making the evening even better, Fahmy treated us to “winery style” service where the entire kitchen staff presented our courses precisely at the exact same moment. The food was amazing, the wine superb, and desert delectable. It was the perfect culmination to a weekend learning about great wine, immersing ourselves in the magnificent Napa and Sonoma landscape, and enjoying fine meals and service. On Sunday night we left Midway airport saddened that we had left such a special place where we enjoyed some of the best luxuries in life, reminisced amongst good friends, and enriched our MBA experience. But wait. For many of us there is still next year!