The Napa Valley is home to many outstanding wine varietals and styles, but one of our favorite themes for a day of tasting is to focus on sparkling wines. After years (decades?) of honing our tour list, we have arrived at a nearly perfect day of bubbles. First stop: Domaine Carneros!
Success in one field of endeavor does not guarantee success in another. In one case, though, success in the fast-paced, high stress world of Hollywood entertainment led to equal success in the mellow, measured world of Napa wine making. We’re talking, of course, about Rich Frank and Frank Family Vineyards.
As a day of tasting sparkling wine in Napa approached dusk, we knew how to maximize our next experience: the rustic outdoor tasting service at Mumm Napa! Rolling hills, winter-dormant grape vines and the lovely bubbles of Mumm Napa. A perfect way to toast the end of an amazing day!
Our final Napa wine tasting tour of the year was going strong. We transitioned from the refined elegance of Domaine Carneros to the modern esthetic of Domaine Chandon.
We were ringing out a great year with one last wine tasting tour through Napa. With our focus on tasting sparkling wines, we started our Tour de Champagne with the one winery that can’t be overlooked: Domaine Carneros.
Our last wine tasting tour of the year aimed to ring out 2016 in style with a selection of some of Napa’s finest. Our first stop: the Artesa Winery.
Over 100 years ago, a Frenchman showed his wife such an amazing view of Napa that she exclaimed, “beau lieu!” and a winemaking icon was born. All these years later, Beaulieu Vineyard, or BV as everyone calls it, continues to make a broad array of wines that are enjoyed worldwide.
Can you believe that rocket science can result in fine wine? Zero defects. so necessary when engineering rockets, can make a difference when making wine, too. Add in a dash of artistry, and results can be remarkable. This unusual hybrid of backgrounds and approaches came together to form ZD Winery. Blast off!
Combine ideal Napa winegrowing conditions, a multi-generational commitment to producing fine wines, and some Jeffersonian architecture and what do you get? Monticello Vineyards, of course!
The Napa Valley wine region is awash with picturesque wineries. A beautiful setting and intriguing backstory has become merely the price of entry for a new winery. To rise above the noise – to catch the eye of the discerning wine taster – that requires something that is truly special. When we arrived at the Andretti Winery, we knew that we had discovered something exceptional!
We love (LOVE!) visiting wineries and tasting their wine. Meeting the winemaker and staff, learning about their point of view, understanding the journey that the wine took on its way to our glass, it all adds to our enjoyment. Only rarely do we have a wine in our home that was not purchased in a tasting room. A holiday gift of wine was an unexpected chance to break out from our pattern. It gave us a chance to taste and learn about a new winery: Joel Gott Wines.