I just received the latest shipment from Hall, one of my favorite wineries up in Napa. These wines are currently available at a pre-release discount.
2006 Hall Napa River Ranch Merlot (Reg $50, currently $45) **Only available until May 31st
2006 Hall T Bar T Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon (Reg $45, currently $40.50)
Looking forward to trying them again and will post tasting notes once done, as my tasting room notes from the last visit are a bit fuzzy, and not admissible in court. As a personal rule, I generally disregard my notes from any winery visit after 430 pm, or after my 4th winery visit of the day. The descriptive phrases I use at that point in the day then tend to be heavy on "mmmm" and "good stuff!", with the occasional "NG" for No Good.
Hall Wines Website
The wine club notes also had a recipe for Triple Berry Syrup, using their Merlot, that sounded too good to pass up.
1/2 bottle Napa Valley Merlot
2 cups Mixed Berries (Blueberry, raspberry, blackberry)
1 3/4 quarts maple syrup
1/2 cup sugar
Reduce Wine, Sugar and Berries, until you have 1/4 cup liquid and berries.
Add syrup and blend with hand mixer until smooth.
Strain through fine mesh strainer. (personally, i'd skip this and leave it chunky)
Allow to cool and serve, over french toast, waffles, pancakes, or fresh fruit crepes.
Mmmmmmmmmmmm.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
My Favorite Napa Wineries
There are so many...where do I start?! I should probably make a real website, but I think I'm just going stick with a blog and do a Napa Part 2 as I discover more favorites, so please bear with me. More detailed winery reviews to follow. For now, I'll nutshell it.
Rt 29, Heading North from Napa to Calistoga:
Trefethen - Large tasting room and list. Try the Dry Riesling ($22), it really does go with all types of food...asian, thanksgiving, fish. Also not too sweet for a Riesling, and great on its own.
Beaulieu Vineyard (BV) - Large tasting room(s) located separately from their vineyards. They usually have some value priced sample packs for sale, as well as a reserve tasting room where you can try their high end wines like the George Latour Reserve. Tapestry is a hearty red blend that I always like to have around. They, like other tasting rooms, tend to have some wines that are generally not available in stores or at restaurants. So pick those up, and get the Tapestry at Trader Joe's.
Alpha Omega - New winery on Rt. 29 in Rutherford- gorgeous facilities and patio that feels like you're lounging in a Crate & Barrel type catalog photo shoot. Excellent variety of Reds - try the Proprietary Blend ($74)... and Whites- a non buttery, un-oaked Chardonnay named Beth ($34), and crisp light Sauvignon Blanc ($34). Open until 6!! With a super friendly tasting staff that stayed late and poured for us with smiles.
Hall - Modern tasting room facility, great staff, delicious wines, especially the higher end cabs. Also has a patio for sipping outside. There are also some inside tables as well where groups can sit and taste, and look up at the funky red glass sculpted bubbles dangling from the ceiling.
Louis Martini - Their cabs surprised and impressed me, and I ended up joining the wine club. . Personally, i think their 2005 cab is one of the best values in town at $25. And for special occasions, try their Monte Rosso Cab ($85). If you like Muscato, try the Amabile.
Storybook Mountain - This family knows how to make great Zinfandel. And the property is spectacular, especially in autumn. $34 for the regular Zin, $55 for the Reserve.
Silverado Trail side, up towards Calistoga:
Benessere - The best cal-Italian style wines I've tasted at accessible prices. I honestly really dig their entire line-up for everyday drinking, but if you like big super tuscan style reds, don't miss their Sorridente ($45) and Phenomenon ($60) blends. They also make a creamy Muscat di Canelli ($18) and a Frizzante version ($25). Tasting room is on the smaller side, but was top 5 in service.
Vincent Arroyo - Spectacular Petit Syrahs and red blends made by a great guy with 2 of my favorite dogs in town. Get on his mailing list, as most of his wines sell out a year in advance. You'll pat yourself on the back when you get your shipment.
August Briggs - Excellent Pinot Noir (around $40), but i think it's sold out for this year. So instead pick up some of their Monte Rosso or Two Moon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ($55), which I thought were much better than many of the $85 cabs floating around Napa. His nephew, Jesse, recently started the Romililly label, also with a Pinot Noir ($35).
Failla - Go here if you you want to taste great Napa Syrah, and Pinot Noir, among other wines. Tasting room is in a quaint yellow country house with a cozy wooden interior. Winemaker Ehren Jordan is also responsible for some fabulous Zinfandel, under the Turley label, and has some great stories about starting your own winery.
Most of these tasting rooms are open to the public, but call ahead for Storybook and Failla. We love Alpha Omega because they are open latest. So hit up a place that closes at 4 or 430 then head over to Alpha Omega until 6 before dinner.
Also - all of them waived their tasting fees if we made a purchase. So be sure to support the Napa wine industry while visiting, and your tastings will be free. Or almost free...make sure you tip the staff if they go above and beyond.
Rt 29, Heading North from Napa to Calistoga:
Trefethen - Large tasting room and list. Try the Dry Riesling ($22), it really does go with all types of food...asian, thanksgiving, fish. Also not too sweet for a Riesling, and great on its own.
Beaulieu Vineyard (BV) - Large tasting room(s) located separately from their vineyards. They usually have some value priced sample packs for sale, as well as a reserve tasting room where you can try their high end wines like the George Latour Reserve. Tapestry is a hearty red blend that I always like to have around. They, like other tasting rooms, tend to have some wines that are generally not available in stores or at restaurants. So pick those up, and get the Tapestry at Trader Joe's.
Alpha Omega - New winery on Rt. 29 in Rutherford- gorgeous facilities and patio that feels like you're lounging in a Crate & Barrel type catalog photo shoot. Excellent variety of Reds - try the Proprietary Blend ($74)... and Whites- a non buttery, un-oaked Chardonnay named Beth ($34), and crisp light Sauvignon Blanc ($34). Open until 6!! With a super friendly tasting staff that stayed late and poured for us with smiles.
Hall - Modern tasting room facility, great staff, delicious wines, especially the higher end cabs. Also has a patio for sipping outside. There are also some inside tables as well where groups can sit and taste, and look up at the funky red glass sculpted bubbles dangling from the ceiling.
Louis Martini - Their cabs surprised and impressed me, and I ended up joining the wine club. . Personally, i think their 2005 cab is one of the best values in town at $25. And for special occasions, try their Monte Rosso Cab ($85). If you like Muscato, try the Amabile.
Storybook Mountain - This family knows how to make great Zinfandel. And the property is spectacular, especially in autumn. $34 for the regular Zin, $55 for the Reserve.
Silverado Trail side, up towards Calistoga:
Benessere - The best cal-Italian style wines I've tasted at accessible prices. I honestly really dig their entire line-up for everyday drinking, but if you like big super tuscan style reds, don't miss their Sorridente ($45) and Phenomenon ($60) blends. They also make a creamy Muscat di Canelli ($18) and a Frizzante version ($25). Tasting room is on the smaller side, but was top 5 in service.
Vincent Arroyo - Spectacular Petit Syrahs and red blends made by a great guy with 2 of my favorite dogs in town. Get on his mailing list, as most of his wines sell out a year in advance. You'll pat yourself on the back when you get your shipment.
August Briggs - Excellent Pinot Noir (around $40), but i think it's sold out for this year. So instead pick up some of their Monte Rosso or Two Moon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ($55), which I thought were much better than many of the $85 cabs floating around Napa. His nephew, Jesse, recently started the Romililly label, also with a Pinot Noir ($35).
Failla - Go here if you you want to taste great Napa Syrah, and Pinot Noir, among other wines. Tasting room is in a quaint yellow country house with a cozy wooden interior. Winemaker Ehren Jordan is also responsible for some fabulous Zinfandel, under the Turley label, and has some great stories about starting your own winery.
Most of these tasting rooms are open to the public, but call ahead for Storybook and Failla. We love Alpha Omega because they are open latest. So hit up a place that closes at 4 or 430 then head over to Alpha Omega until 6 before dinner.
Also - all of them waived their tasting fees if we made a purchase. So be sure to support the Napa wine industry while visiting, and your tastings will be free. Or almost free...make sure you tip the staff if they go above and beyond.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Finally! Time for my Wine Blog!
It's long overdue, and will admittedly be a work in progress, as I have heaps of info from recent past Napa and Australia trips to compile, but I've got to start somewhere, sometime, and the motivation struck me today, so here we go. I love wine. seeing it grow, drinking it, smelling it, finding the perfect glass for the meal on my plate. All that Sideways crap. I'm in the process of getting a Professional Wine Certification at the Culinary Institute and have been toying with opening a wine bar. In the meantime, I'm getting myself further educated, traveling and drinking wines around the world, and then attempting to remember it all. So that's where this blog comes in. Check back here for Tasting Notes, Winery Reviews, Wine Region Restaurant and Accommodation Reviews, Wine & Food Pairing Tips, and other wine related topics. Thanks for stopping by, stay classy, and Cheers!
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