New Wine Review

Attended a business dinner this week and had a wine that I wanted to mention.    We had a 2013 Seavey Cabernet.    Great bottle of wine and I looked it up online after the meal.   Retail prices range from $80-100.    It was an impressive wine.   I know this is not the most value oriented suggestion I have made, but I visited their website and this is the cheapest of their Cabernets; one is listed for over $1,200 for the bottle, which makes this one a steal in comparison.

This was a big Cabernet, but with a nice subtle finish.   I was not familiar with the wine, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but immediately upon just smelling the wine I could tell I was going to like it.

Next time your in the wine store, maybe looking for a gift for the wine friend.   Here is a not so popular idea that I promise will impress.

Napa Trip 2016: Second Day and Still Going Strong

Hit the day running on day two with a quick stop into Napa Wine Company.   I became a member at NWC years ago and do my best to stop in every time I'm in town.   They always take good care of their members and this time was no different.  One of my favorites this time was a 2013 Oakville Zinfandel.   The wine is really big with lots of fruit, but it was reasonably priced and give this Napa Zin a few years and it will be perfect.  Great value option, buy a case and fill your wine fridge!

After this, a stop into Oakville Grocery to pick up a quick bite before the big tastings started.

After that, it was on to the Silverado Trail and Quintessa.  A super VIP tour, thanks to our friend Marc, opened the tasting.   Then on to a full tour of their Super Cabs.    A tasting at Qunitessa is essentially a rainbow of wine glasses, each filled with a 2 once sample of some of the finest Bordeaux inspired Cabernet blends in the world.  

They take you through a tour of serveral vintage years and blending recipes so that you can get a feel for how impressive each of these factors can be on a vintage.   It never ceases to amaze me that you can have 6 people at the tasting table and everyone will get a different impression, different taste or different result from each glass.   As much as you want to believe that wine snobs know more about how wine tastes than you do.... You have to remember that wine taste really is in the eye of the beholder.   When the wine snob is paying... Drink, enjoy and compliment the choice.   When you are paying....   Drink what you like!   This

Qunitessa remains time and time again one of the best wineries in the valley and we had some great ones here.    The wine steward was great, fun and knowledgable.   I highly recommend seeking an appointment on your next trip.

The equipment and facilities at Qunitessa are mind boggling.   The massive oak fermination tanks are big enough for a small family to live.   The cave system is massive and one of my favorite parts of any tour.   I love the temperature and the smell of all the barrels of wine aging.   

 

Napa Trip 2016 - First Day in the Valley

Just got back from this year's Napa Adventure. Attended this time with our good friends the Sachs and the Roberts. Started the trip as usual with a champagne toast at Domaine Carneros, left with a double magnum, not sure when we will pop that one open, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. Finally, after many attempsthis trip we were able to arrange a tasting and tour of Palmaz Vineyards.

 I have been wanting to tour this place since reading their story a few years back. It was an awesome tasting, with an amazing food bite accompaniment. The food pairing was so impressive, we had no choice but to buy the Palmaz family cookbook. Palmaz's story of American entrepreneurship and winery founding is not singular in the valley, but Dr. Palmaz's invention of the heart stint, is certainly unique. The ultimate gravity fed wine process is on display and not sure how much that plays into the final product, but the wine does not disappoint. We had an amazing Cabernet among others and the group was also impressed with the label design, which to me was a first. Next time your in the valley, try to get into this place, you'll love it!