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

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.

This includes 1% Merlot in the blend.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is classic with cassis, slight tobacco, spice, chocolate and char.  Full bodied.  Medium to firm tannins.  Good balance and acidity.  On the palate, this drinks easy.  The fruit is somewhat concentrated with flavors of cassis, plums, slight dry forest floor, chocolate and spice.  Good finish.  This should be cellared for a few years and then drink for eight to twelve after that.  Nice on its own, this will work with with meat or fowl based dishes.  BBQ Chicken would be a good choice.   

It was great to try this wine.  I was a buyer of this wine for a long time, but, it kind of fell off my radar (there are only so many high end bottles I can buy), but this is one to revisit.  It is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc.  purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose has cassis, cedar, blueberries, cloves, baking spices and slight char.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, this is young but delicious.  Great texture.  Flavors of cassis, blueberries and black cherries with some cedar and spice.  Long finish.  This is deep a

Bottle No.

Probably my favorite Napa Syrah.  It is made at the top of Mt.