12 posts
2021 Trujillo Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($96) Michael Trujillo arrived in Napa Valley in 1982 from his family’s farm in Colorado. He grew up helping his father year-round in the fields, and learned early on about how soil, climate, pests and cr...
2017 Frank Family Napa Zinfandel ($38) Rich Frank, the founder of Frank Family Winery, developed a passion for wine, particularly Bordeaux and Italian wines, during his extensive travels as the former President of Disney Studios. In the 1980s, he di...
Michael Trujillo arrived in Napa Valley in 1982 from his family’s farm in Colorado. He grew up helping his father year-round in the fields, and learned early on about how soil, climate, pests and critters affect living, growing plants. After three d...
Ultraviolet Sparkling Rosé ($24.99) This Ultraviolet sparkling rosé is from Poe Wines, in Napa, which was founded by Samantha Sheehan in 2009 after being inspired by the wines she tasted in Burgundy and Champagne. Their goal “is not to replicate Bur...
2018 Sinegal Napa Cabernet Sauvignon ($79) I recently had the opportunity to share a bottle of Sinegal Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. And, Wow, this one is amazing! Even at it’s young age. Sinegal Estate is a family-owned winery in Napa that is situated ...
2017 Hess Collection Lion Tamer Cabernet Sauvignon ($60) This Hess Lion Tamer Cabernet Sauvignon is from Napa Valley. It a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petite Sirah and 8% Malbec. It’s aged in 33% New French and American oak barrels for 20 m...
2015 Z. Alexander Brown Uncaged Pinot Noir ($12) This Pinot Noir sources its grapes from Monterey County, Napa County and Sonoma County. Not a bad set of sites for growing Pinot Noir! The back label states “…wines that offer big and bold flavors, y...
I recently had a friend return from doing some wine tasting in Napa. While he said he enjoyed the wine, he did complain that it was windy and cold. And, he said he was told that the wind helped the wine. So, he asked me “How does wind affect a wine?”...
Wine Enthusiast Magazine, February 2018 Last time we looked at the factors that make a wine more capable of bottle aging. And, somewhat surprisingly, there are very few wines that actually hold up well in the bottle, even with proper storage. So t...
2014 Hess Collection Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon ($65) Wow! Napa turns out great Cabs, and this is one of them. This blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Malbec and 3% Petite Verdot yields a bold yet somehow delicate collection of dark fruit fla...
2015 Hess Collection Allomi Napa Cabernet Sauvignon ($32) At this point, one would assume that a 2015 Napa Cab is a bit too young to be at its peak. And, while that may be so, this Cab is already terrific. With aromas of plum, fig and raisin, and it...
2015 The Hess Collection Napa Valley Estate Chardonnay ($22) This week’s feature is The Hess Collection’s 2015 Napa Valley Chardonnay. This wonderful 100% Chardonnay features flavors of apple, white pear and a slight touch of tropical fruits and a v...