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

Robert Mondavi long ago started calling his Sauvignon Blanc as Fume Blanc, but it is the same wine.  This is always a quality Sauvignon Blanc for a fair price.  This is actually 87% Sauvignon Blanc and 13% Semillon.  Pale golden in color with some green and copper hues to it.  Clear and bright.  The nose is pretty with oranges, limes, minerals and with air, a bit of dust and mint.  This has a rich, creamy texture that gives it a presence that most Sauvignon Blancs don't have  On the palate, there is lemon-lime, melon and a quality that is sort of like mint tooth paste (in a good way).  Very

Maybach makes great wines.  It is one of my favorite wineries.  Though the wines are expensive, given the quality, they could be even more so.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, blueberries, cedar and spice.  On the palate, this is full bodied with medium to firm tannins.  Loads of cassis with blueberries along with some oak, spice and char.  Delicious.  Deep.  This is young and will continue to mature for the next five to seven years and should be good for ten to twelve more after that.  Delicious on its own, this will need big food such as a steak or roasted veggie

This is one of the best Merlot's made anywhere.  Period.  The attention to detail and the quality of fruit is amazing.  Certainly some vintages are better than others, but it is always phenomenal.  There is 5% Cabernet Franc in the blend.  Deep ruby/purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  A wonderful nose of black cherries, plums, slight kirsch, slight dark chocolate, and minerals.  Full bodied with a lush texture.  Flavors of sour cherries, black raspberries and plums intertwined with minerality, dark chocolate and slight spice.  Light tannins.  Lots of verve, it dances on the tong

This is in a great drinking right now.  From Aaron Pott's eponymous winery, it is always fun to say you are having some Pot(t) tonight.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has cassis, minerals/rocks, slight floral notes, and a bit of mint.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is opulent yet not over blown.  Concentrated cassis flavors with underlying gravel and slight herbal notes.  Nice finish.  Tannins are almost all resolved.  This seems to be closed to peak but certainly has five to maybe ten more years left.  Drinks well on its own and maybe a bit better with food.  Rosted meats, fowl or ve

Shafer is one of the stalwarts of the Napa valley and this wine seems like it has been one of the top Chards forever as well.  It has always had a fair amount of oak showing and this one seemed no exception.  In the past, many had way more oak, but now, this tends to show more oak than most as time have changed.  Whether this is good or bad is different for every taster/drinker.  Copper/gold in color.  The nose has vanilla, baking spices, orange peel and slight lemon.  On the palate, this has a nice oily texture.  Plenty of depth.  Notes of ginger with a bit or lemon peel and spice.  With a

Copper/golden in color.  The nose shows a fair amount of grapefruit but also some spice/oak.  On the palate, this has a very nice texture.  Notes of lemon peel and slight peach.  Good finish.  Tasted blind, it was easy to guess Napa Chardonnay.  This is drinking well now and should be for the next five to seven years.  Nice on its own or with some cheeses it may over power lighter foods but will work with heavier fish dishes or pasta with a cream sauce.  

A classic Napa Chardonnay.  This drank a lot better for my tastes on night 2.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with vanilla and lemons.  On the palate, this is drinking young but nice.  It seems like the oak has been scaled back over the least decade.  Lots of vanilla cream with some peach and some lemon.  Enough acidity to keep things lively.  Full bodied.  Goof finish.  The drinks great on its own but works great with soft cheeses.  A nice match for roasted fowl.  Drink now or over the next seven to ten years.  

This is a middle of the road example of today's Napa Chard.  Pale golden in color.  The nose is dusty with spice and lemon cream.  On the palate, the lemon cream comes thru.  Just a touch of oak showing.  Very nice acidity.  An underlying minerality.  Nice finish.  This is young of course, but drinking very well.  It should drink well for the next eight to ten years.  A nice drink on its own and will  work well with lighter foods.  

Golden in color.  The nose shows a fair amount of oak (cloves and spice) and also some pineapple.  On the palate, this is slightly sweet but also has nice underlying minerality.  Some grapefruit and peach notes.  A nice texture.  Less oak on the palate.  Warmth on the finish.  Pretty classic Napa Chard in style but within reason.  At peak but should drink well for the next three to five years.  A nice match with heartier sea food and also poultry.  Drinks well on its own too.  For those who like this style, they will love it even more.