Napa Valley

• Atlas Peak
• Best of Napa
• Calistoga
• Conn Valley
• Diamond Mountain
• Howell Mountain
• Mt. Veeder
• Oak Knoll
• Oakville
• Pope Valley
• Rutherford
• Spring Mountain
• St. Helena
• Stags Leap
• Yountville

Great showing for this wine although still a bit on the youngish side.  Purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose is big and deep.  Cedar, cassis, slight blueberries, slight coffee, and char.  Full bodied.  Great plush texture.  Great balance.  On the palate, this is deep, complex and delicious.  It has a bit of a "Bordeaux" quality but the fruit is prime Napa.  Flavors of cassis, coffee, char and slight blueberries.  Long finish.  The last glass was the best.  This is great on its own but works with most (not seafood) foods.  This bottle was enjoyed with an assortment of che

This is a blend of 81% Zinfandel, 10% Petite Sirah, and 9% Carignane.  A middle of the road style of Napa Zinfandel.  Deep ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, slight raspberries, bramble, gravel and spice.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this drinks easy.  Some depth.  Flavors of black cherries, cherries, slight cranberries and spice.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This is nice on its own and will work well with foods off the grill.  Drink over the next five years.  

This is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 7% Petite Sirah, and 5% Malbec from Napa.  It is a big wine (15.5% abv) but not over the top.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, boysenberries, char, chocolate and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Good balance despite the alcohol.  On the palate, this is tasty.  Flavors of cassis, black cherries, some milk chocolate, char and spice.  Some depth and complexity.  Long finish.  This should drink well for another five to eight years.  Great on its own, this would work well with a steak or burger.  

This is a blend of 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Syrah, 18% Malbec and 16% Merlot from Napa.  The grapes are fermented separately and then blended for further ageing.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, cassis, black pepper, black cherries, chocolate and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is drinking well.  It has some depth and (varietal) complexity.  Flavors of black cherries, cassis, black raspberries, chocolate and char.  Good finish.  This drinks well on its own and will work with lots of foods.  A nice steak wine but also

This is a fun wine from a "pirate" themed bottle.  It is a blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Grenache, Petite Sirah and Cab Franc.  Purple/ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries, black raspberries, some plums, gravel, vanilla and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Plush texture.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this has some varietal complexity.  Some depth.  Easy drinking.  Flavors of black cherries, black raspberries and plums.  Good finish.  A nice wine on its own, this worked well with a variety of home made pizzas.  Seems at peak right now

Chappellet excels at most anything they do. So this Hideaway Vineyard Cabernet, a 100% Cabernet, should be no surprise that it’s a deftly made wine. From the outset this is a rich, structured wine. It begins with moderate to heavy tannins, which support black cherry, blackberry, light campfire smoke, rhubarb, black tea leaf, soft cedar, wild flower and herbs, and light clove. Aged in mainly new French oak to subdue the tannins, this high elevation Cabernet fruit from Pritchard Hill is classic Napa Cabernet – ripe but restrained.

One of my favorite whites from Napa.  This is a blend of 85% Sauvignon Blanc with the rest Malvasia and Chardonnay.  Pale golden in color with a touch of light green hues, clear and bright.  The nose is lovely with a slight grassy note along with peach, Granny Smith apples.  Medium bodied.  Polished texture.  Good balance.  On the palate, this is refreshing with peach, green apples and nice minerality.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This is very nice on its own and will work well with all but the heaviest foods.  It went wonderfully with Dal and Spinach Paneer dishes.  Drink over the next fi

Chappellet has been growing Cabernet Franc for 35 years, planted at a time when Franc was merely considered a blending grape. Comprised of 78% Cabernet Franc (there are small amounts of four other grapes), Chappellet had a made bold choice to produce a stand-alone wine from this grape. Sure, Franc has been made in the U.S. as a stand-alone, and the Loire Valley is ripe with iterations of Franc - most notably in Chinon and St. Dennis. But Franc in California and Franc in France are quite different. That difference aside, Chappellet does an admirable job crafting a very enjoyable wine.

Another gorgeous wine from Becklyn Cellars.  Inky purple, opaque and bright.  The nose is big with cassis, slight coffee bean, cigar, and slight graphite.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Great, plush texture.  On the palate, this is concentrated, deep and delicious.  Flavors of cassis, some blueberries, spice and char.  Good balance.  Long finish.  This is still young and will get better.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  Great on its own, this will work with bigger dishes (not sea food).  It would be nice with Roasted and Stuffed Bell Peppers.  

Chappellet has long been devoted to its Chenin Blanc, even when it wasn’t really in favor. This iteration - frankly the best in years - offers lovely aromatics and a soft mouth feel, a white wine that doesn’t want to be aggressive, but one that seduces you. There are notes of light resin, lemon peel, lime kefir, hints of apricot, tangerine and orange zest. The acidity is what really supports this wine, allowing it to be a food companion for a variety of diverse foods, or even a stand-alone cocktail wine with a cheese platter.