It was dinnertime and after a long and satisfying day of exploring wine country, we realized that we really didn’t make any dinner plans for the night. We were staying in the small town of Yountville and on this particular evening in May, there was a noticeable chill in the air. Walking a short distance to Bistro Jeanty for some French comfort food sounded like the perfect plan. French chef and owner Philippe Jeanty opened this restaurant in 1998 and it’s no surprise why this place still thrives to this day with the locals and tourists. The food and atmosphere here is just so satisfying and cozy.

It has been a little over 7 years since we dined here last and everything seemed to be exactly as we remembered, a welcoming Parisian style bistro with delicious traditional French menu classics. We recommend making a reservation with the request of sitting in the front dining room where you’ll get the feeling of eating at a bistro in the city of lights. We also suggest from the menu the Coeur de Laitue, Soupe à l’Oignon and Boeuf Bourguignon…soooo good!

For us, Bistro Jeanty is one of those places that gives you that feel good vibe. Once you step inside, you will instantly be taken away with the aromas, comfort, and charm that Bistro Jeanty offers. Definitely a fulfilling experience to say the least!

Cheers!

Bistro Jeanty’s heavenly Soupe à l’Oignon.

Coeur de Laitue…butter lettuce salad with mustard vinaigrette.

Nice rustic touch serving the Boeuf Bourguignon in a mini dutch oven.

Mmm!

Until next time.

Bistro Jeanty

www.bistrojeanty.com

6510 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599  (707) 944-0103

Hours: Monday – Sunday 11:30am-10:30pm

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Redd Wood

Another huge highlight from our last trip to Napa Valley was a visit to Robert Foley Vineyards. Just when #R4HM was coming to close, we and two other couples were ever so lucky to get invited for an exclusive private tasting and tour of Robert Foley Vineyards. Yes, please! We couldn’t believe how this rare opportunity just fell into our laps…and just a few miles down the road from where we were at. All of Bob’s wines are just so aromatic, fresh, and they speak their region. And not only that, they all come in at a great price point. If your travels take you to Napa Valley, think about experiencing the wineries on Howell Mountain and give the fantastic wines and good people of Robert Foley Vineyards a visit…you will not be disappointed!

Pulling into Robert Foley Vineyards we knew we were in for something very special.

The tasting room right inside where all the winery’s operations take place, casual and wine focused.

We started with the 2013 Robert Foley (Napa Valley) Pinot Noir Carneros Hudson Vineyard, a grape varietal Bob is not really known for but he should be, this is top notch Pinot Noir! A Cal-Burgundian style with a great balance of fruit, earth, and acid.

The 2013 Robert Foley (Napa Valley) Merlot blends the perfect balance of mountain fruit from Howell Mountain and valley floor fruit from Calistoga. Bob still produces some of our favorite Merlot from Napa Valley.

While tasting their flagship 2012 Robert Foley (Napa Valley) Claret, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot (sourced from Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder and Calistoga), we imagined ourselves at a high-end restaurant pairing this with some delicious dry aged steaks!

100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Atlas Peak and Calistoga, the 2012 Robert Foley (Napa Valley) Cabernet Sauvignon demonstrates classic Napa Valley style Cabernet.

An extremely rare grape that is produced. Bob’s 2014 Robert Foley (Napa Valley) Charbono has got to be one of the best out there. If you haven’t tried it yet, you should.

Bob’s example of producing a wine with absolutely no rules. Well maybe one rule…to have fun making it! Yep, a blend of 32% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Petit Sirah, 10% Petit Verdot, 10% Syrah and 9% Charbono is inside this bottle of the 2014 Robert Foley (California) Red Wine The Griffin. Mmm!

Time to tour the caves with our #R4HM friends! (@_drazzari, @carorouse and @wigglesmalibou)

The caves of Robert Foley Vineyards.

Just one of the many French oak barrels.

Barrel samples! These futures are going to be great.

Cheers from Winery Explorers!

P.S. A big thanks to Shannon for making this day happen and for being such a wonderful host. You rock Shannon!

Robert Foley Vineyards

www.robertfoley.com

1300 Summit Lake Drive Angwin, CA 94508  (707) 965-2669

Tasting by appointment only Wednesday – Saturday at 10am, 12pm, or 2pm.

Click here for more specific details.

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#R4HM

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Corison Winery 2016

First of all, you may ask yourself what the heck does #R4HM mean? Hashtag R4HM is an annual wine event hosted by 4 wineries, Retro Cellars, Robert Foley Vineyards, Red Cap Vineyards and Robert Craig Winery whose names all happen to start with the letter R and who all reside on Howell Mountain in Napa Valley, hence the hashtag letter-number-letter sequence R-4-H-M. This event is genius…a brainchild by marketing director Michael Nguyen of Red Cap Vineyards. His idea was to get wine Instagram friends together (who would probably never ever meet in person) and have them all meet face to face at an event where everyone would actually hang out and get to know one another, all while learning and tasting wines from these rockstar producers.

May 11, 2017, marked the “3rd Annual #R4HM” and through Instagram alone, we and other IG friends were ever so lucky to get a personal invite!

Every year, each of the four wineries take turns hosting the #R4HM event on their property and this year it was held at the legendary Dunn Vineyards hosted by Retro Cellars. When we arrived at 11am, we could see the party was already going on outside in front of the Dunn house. Michael came out to meet us and we were quickly poured glasses of rosé and introduced to everyone. Michael MC’s this event and let us tell you that he has this thing down! The event ran so smooth and without ever missing a beat. After mingling and getting to know everyone, we headed over to our table and sat down. Each person introduced themselves. Getting the chance to finally see and meet the person behind their Instagram account was just so cool! A groundbreaking idea for an event…kudos to Michael! Then it was time for the winemakers to speak and taste wine! This is where the day started to get really intriguing.

One of the main reasons we started wine blogging was not only to share our winery or wine country experiences, but also to share the opportunities that we’ve had to get to meet the people behind the scenes. Hearing the winemakers and owners speak their story at #R4HM while tasting their outstanding wines was just fascinating. We each were given a newly released wine to sample and a library wine from each winery as well. The addition of the library wine was a thought out idea and sure made the whole tasting experience that much more exciting.

• Mike Dunn, son of legendary winemaker Randy Dunn, spoke first. It was so engaging to hear stories about his childhood, his carer, and his Dad while being on the property where it all happened. This guy is a 100% hard-assed wine maker mountain man…but don’t let that fool you, he’s also one super nice guy. We tasted the 2012 Retro Cellars (Howell Mountain “Elevation” Petite Sirah and the 2003 Retro Cellars (Howell Mountain) Petite Sirah. Since his father pretty much mastered Cabernet Sauvignon, Mike’s choice to produce Petite Sirah from Howell Mountain was definitely a wise and great one. Using his Dad’s old world wine making techniques, this wine obviously speaks the Dunn style and also the terroir of the land. Hardly any Petite Sirah’s are produced in the area, so this wine is an excellent alternative to Cabernet Sauvignon.

• Second up was Bob Foley. We tasted the 2013 Robert Foley Vineyards (Napa Valley) Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2007 Robert Foley Vineyard (Napa Valley) Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Bob is no stranger to the Napa Valley, he’s been working in the wine industry since 1977. The wonderful aromas and flavors that emerged from his Cabernet Sauvignon sure show off his experience and expertise. Top notch stuff! Bob also makes a rare and delicious Charbono too.

• Red Cap followed. Owner Tom Altemus spoke first and it was so heartfelt to hear about how he and his wife Desiree bought vineyard property on Howell Mountain to pursue their passion and dreams…and boy we are so glad they did! Then Winemaker Rudy Zuidema spoke about the wine making techniques and we raised glasses of the 2013 Red Cap Vineyards (Napa Valley) Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2010 Red Cap Vineyards (Napa Valley) Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon to our lips and took some sips. Beautiful!

• Lastly, CEO of Robert Craig Winery Elton Slone spoke (winemaker Stephen Tebb was unavailable). We tasted the 2014 Robert Craig (Napa Valley) Howell Mountain Cabernet Savignon and the 2008 Robert Craig (Napa Valley) Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Elton shared some hysterical stories about the Robert Craig wine he made in ’08, but there was nothing funny about this wine…very impressive stuff!

Not only was #R4HM educational, there sure was a lot of laughter to be had! It was very entertaining watching the winemakers ask questions to each other. It’s no surprise every winery has a great story, but there was just something special hearing these people on Howell Mountain speak their passion and seeing the genuine respect they all have for one another.

After Elton was done, Michael announced it was time for lunch! Not only was this a good idea (wink,wink) but the food we smelled for hours made our stomachs growl. First up, Mike Dunn made Raclette on his homemade steel fire pit. He scraped the melted cheese off onto a baguette for everyone and let us tell you that this was one divine bite! After the appetizers concluded, it was time for some whole animal cookery from the Napa Valley Heritage Company…undoubtedly the best whole roasted pig we’ve ever had! Super moist with just the perfect amount of seasoning + smoke to make the meat the star. This company takes pride in raising their own animals and boy it sure makes a difference and shows in the flavors. They pulled the meat right there on the grill and we put it inside some slider rolls, then topped it with their Carolina Sauce and Napa Cabbage Slaw. Sure made for some insane little sandwiches! The Spicy Celery Remoulade and Smoked Trotter Molasses Beans really completed this delicious and unexpected meal.

After lunch, Elton pulled out a special bottle of 2013 Robert Craig (Napa Valley) Howell Mountain “Robert’s Block” Cabernet Sauvignon and made sure everyone got a taste…oh my!

And just when we thought the event was all over…the surprises kept coming. Mike Dunn announced he was taking everyone into the caves of Dunn Vineyards for some barrel sampling. Yep! Everyone was super excited for this one. We’ve learned wines can taste non-integrated and over-oaked at a barrel sample, but we can assure you this was the furthest thing from that. The unreleased wines that we tasted were so integrated and refined, honestly one of the best barrel samples we’ve done.

This experience was one we will never forget! Not only did we get to taste some of the best wines from Howell Mountain, more importantly the connection with people we made will last forever. A huge thanks to Shannon from Robert Foley for giving us the opportunity to attend this very special event!

Now wine lovers, take note. Everyone invited to #R4HM will not be invited the next year, a whole new group of crazy wine Instagrammers will be. If you haven’t already, we suggest you get involved and connect with this community. Give a little love and support…they will gladly give it back! Who knows, you may be the next chosen one? Hopefully there will be an alumni party!!! And be sure to give these 2017 #R4HM Instagrammers a follow…

• @robertfoleyvineyards
• @redcapvineyards
• @robertcraigwinery
• @retrocellars
• @thehowellmonk
• @mikeadunn
• @howellmntman
• @winelovermom
• @rudyzuidema
• @eltonslone2
• @_drazzari
• @terroir_matters
• @rick.gayle
• @mrtyrich
• @wigglesmalibou
• @carorouse
• @rhythmandbuzz
• @craig_ploof
• @sommthing
• @heybeerman
• @dunnintern
• @justinbrilman
• @rodriguez197
• @jcristaldi
• @wineryexplorers

Cheers!

Speaker 1: Mike Dunn

Speaker 2: Bob Foley

Speaker 3: Rudy Zuidema

Speaker 4: Elton Slone

The lineup.

Raclette!

Napa Valley Heritage Company whole animal cookery.

Elton splashing glasses with this special bottle.

Caves of Dunn Vineyards.

Barrels of Dunn Vineyards.

Barrel sampling!

#R4HM Dunn cave tour.

Mike Dunn giving Michael Nguyen a tasty sample.

Retro Cellars

www.retrocellers.com

1955 Summit Lake Drive Angwin, CA 94508  (707) 965-1042

Robert Foley Vineyards

www.robertfoley.com

1300 Summit Lake Drive Angwin, CA 94508  (707) 965-2669

Red Cap Vineyards

www.redcapvineyards

891 Ponderosa Drive Angwin, CA 94508  (707) 965-1145

Robert Craig Winery

www.robertcraigwinery.com

625 Imperial Way #1 Napa, CA 94559  (707) 252-2250

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Napa Valley Wineries

Redd Wood

While planning our recent visit to Napa, we decided we would actually stay in the town of Yountville this time…something that we have never done in the past. The thought of having the freedom to wine and dine all within walking distance to so many award winning restaurants and tasting rooms was just what we were looking for on this trip.

After arriving into Yountville from a full day of traveling, we sure were famished! We knew that we wanted something nice, yet casual for dinner. For years we have known about the “Italian-inspired eatery” Redd Wood but just haven’t had the chance to try it. It had always looked inviting and now was the time to give it a try!

It was a short walk from our hotel down Washington Street to Redd Wood. It was dusk and the air was just perfect. After passing by the culinary gardens of The French Laundry, we then quickly reached our dinner destination. Upon arrival we were informed that there had been a power outage in the area and that they would only be able to serve us pizzas and salads. For us, that sounded perfect!

We sat at a table by the window and were taking in the rustic, yet sophisticated setting of the dining room. Concrete floors, dark woods, leather booths, and Edison lights stranded over the open bar that added a cozy charm to the room.

Time to order…

Warm Olives: An assortment of marinated olives including one of our faves, Castelvetrano. And they actually stayed warm throughout the entire dinner!

Chopped Salad: Fresh, crisp and tossed with an addictive light and tangy dressing!

2014 Groth (Napa Valley) Hillview Vineyard Chardonnay: Nice minerality, citrus and acid notes to cleanse the palate between bites. 

Fresh Mozzarella Pizza: This Neapolitan-style wood fired pizza was so delicious!

And here’s where it gets funny. The very next evening after a day on the wine trails, we sat and contemplated what  we should have for dinner. Well, believe it or not, we enjoyed Redd Wood so much the night before, we actually decided to go back again for night number two! Yep, that’s right…with all the amazing restaurants in Yountville, Redd Wood just sounded so good again and we were hoping to try some of their pasta dishes this time since we weren’t able to the night before. The Cacio e Pepe pasta was divine…so creamy, peppery and cheesy!! We added a chopped salad on the side again and switched gears and had some beers. It was another delicious meal at Redd Wood. We were so happy that we went back and got to experience the restaurant in full effect, no power outage this time!

Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe: Creamy, peppery and cheesy!

Cheers!

Redd Wood

www.reddwood.com

6755 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599  (707) 299-5030

Sunday – Thursday: 11:30am – 10pm

Friday – Saturday: 11:30am – 11pm

We are about to depart on another adventure to Napa Valley this week and we can’t help but reminisce about our last visit…one stop in particular was one that we will never forget. What turned out to be a mistake on our part, turned out to be one amazing tasting!

Our day started out like any other when we stayed at The Cottages of Napa Valley. Enjoyed a yummy breakfast from Bouchon Bakery that was delivered to our porch that morning and coffee from the french press. We were fueled up and ready to head to Howell Mountain and visit Robert Craig Winery. We all know that Napa Valley has many amazing wineries on the valley floor, but if you ever get the itch like us to explore off the beaten path, then Howell Mountain might be what you are looking for.

Up the mountain we went. The closer we got to Robert Craig, the more we felt like we were going on a camping trip rather than wine tasting. But passing by familiar named wineries and catching views of gorgeous hillside vineyards along the way, those feelings quickly changed and we knew we were heading up to something very special.

We buzzed at the gate when we arrived at the winery, no answer. Hmmm…buzzed again. We eventually heard a voice on the other end asking if he could help us. “We’re here for our 12 o’clock appointment,” Dave said. We were buzzed in and headed up the driveway. We were greeted by a guy who asked us who we were here to see? He was unaware of any wine tasting appointment for the day and he said that usually someone would be here and have everything set up. But without any hesitation he invited us in and introduced himself as the winemaker, Stephen Tebb. He grabbed some wine glasses, poured us some wine and said, “let me make a phone call and see what’s going on?”

We grabbed our glasses and headed out to the patio to look at the beautiful view in front of us. Howell Mountain is absolutely breathtaking! Beauty as far as the eye can see. Grapevines rowed up between tall mountain pine trees and a stillness in the air that brings a sense of peace and calmness…absolute heaven!

Stephen returned with a few wine bottles in hand, food to nosh on and of course some bottled waters. He said, “well guys it turns out your appointment was actually at our tasting salon in Napa, but since you’re here let’s taste some wine!” Over the next two hours Stephen shared his stories behind the wines with us. We laughed, shared similar swim team stories about our kids and of course sampled lots of delicious Robert Craig wines! Stephen presented us with one divine line-up:

2013 Robert Craig (Sonoma Coast) Gap’s Crown Vineyard Chardonnay
2013 Robert Craig (Napa Valley) “Affinity” Cabernet Sauvignon
2013 Robert Craig (Mount Veeder) Cabernet Sauvignon
2010 Robert Craig (Howell Mountain) Cabernet Sauvignon

Wow…all stunners! Running the gamut from the Burgundian style Chardonnay to the bold and balanced mountain grown Cabs was beyond gratifying. Bottom line…winemaker Stephen Tebb was an amazing host! He could have easily turned us away this day, but instead he graciously invited us in and shared his passion with us. What was an impromptu tasting on Stephen’s part turned out to be an experience for us that we will simply be forever grateful for!

You can visit Robert Craig’s tasting saloon in downtown Napa by appointment to sample all of their exceptional wines. They do offer tastings up on the mountain, but reservation availability is extremely limited.

We highly recommend tasting Robert Craig wines anyway you can and we wish upon you the crazy good luck we had this day!

Cheers!

Robert Craig Winery.

2013 Gap’s Crown Chardonnay!

Happy camper!

2013 Robert Craig Affinity!

Gorgeous property!

The ruling lineup!

Barrel sampling with winemaker Stephen Tebb!

Howell Mountain small clusters.

Robert Craig Winery

2475 Summit Lake Drive, Angwin, CA 94508

Robert Craig Tasting Salon

625 Imperial Highway #1, Napa, CA 94559  (707) 252 2250

Open daily by appointment:

Monday – Saturday: 10am to 4pm

Sunday: 11am – 4pm

On our recent trip to NYC, we enjoyed an amazing lunch at Lupulo. It was such a cool spot to dine at, we absolutely needed to tell you about it! It’s no secret the big apple is filled with a zillion delicious restaurants, but after dining here, Lupulo is now added to our list of faves! Great ambiance, fun atmosphere and outstanding modern Portuguese comfort food that would appeal to anyone!

Our friend, Johnny Iuzzini recommended we go to his friend chef George Mendes‘ restaurant Lupulo for lunch while in New York. We had previously met George last June in Aspen. Dave’s band The Spazmatics had the pleasure of playing the ultimate party for Food & Wine Classic. Always a good time with this group of chef’s and wine lovers!

We started with some Portuguese wine, a 2015 Prova Regia Reserva Arinto, new to our palates and very good! The crisp and clean Arinto was a great compliment to all the food we were enjoying. Our menu consisted of the following:

2015 PROVA RÉGIA RESERVA Arinto

CLAMS “BULHÃO PATO Manila clams, vinho verde, garlic and cilantro.

RED SNAPPER “CRU” Served raw, coconut milk, kaffir-lime broth, fermented serrano pepper, benne seeds.

MUSSEL SOUP Coconut-curry, chorizo, vadouvan spice.

WOOD-GRILLED AVOCADO TOAST Black-eyed peas, cherry tomatoes dressed with olive oil and coriander.

CHICKEN “PIRI PIRI” Cooked over the wood fire, basted with its spicy marinade, charred corn salad.

PASTIÉS DE NATA Portuguese egg custard tartes.

WOW! What a lunch! Every dish was pure delight. To this day we keep talking about it, the Red Snapper “Cru” in particular…phenomenal!

After lunch, we again had the pleasure of talking with chef George Mendez. He sat down with us and we got a little more insight about the restaurant and how ridiculously expensive it was to have a wood burning oven in New York City! George insisted that we needed to have dessert. He said we had to try the Portuguese custard tartes from his childhood. These little things were delicious…divine custard with a little sprinkle of cinnamon!

Our lunch at Lupulo was an exceptional experience. Stop by if you’re in the city. Thanks George for the great hospitality! See you again in June!

Cheers!

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Jump on the School Bus made our day of wine tasting an amazing adventure! From our first conversation with Darin, we knew this was the right company to provide transportation for our group of 12, celebrating David’s 50th birthday.

We talked with Darin about our ideas and plans for the day. Being that he knows the area so well, he was able to set up one of our wine tasting appointments for us. Once we confirmed all the details for the day, Darin provided us with a timeline of what our day would look like. He made the whole planning process seamless and he was so easy to work with.

When the big day arrived, Ron was assigned to be our driver. We were renting a house in Santa Ynez for the weekend and Ron had no problem driving the bus up the long hill to the property, turning it around and lining it up perfectly for our group to take photos. On a side note, you get to chose what quote/saying you’d like on each side of the bus making it extra special for whatever event you’re celebrating. For us, when we told Darin we wanted “You’re blowin’ it!” and “We’re blowin’ it!” on the bus, he laughed and said, “awesome!” For our group of 12, this was a nod to our dear friend Matt, who is no longer with us. But on this day…we knew he was.

Onto the bus we go! The bus is decorated with lights all around and ready for you to plug in your device to the music of your choice. When the “DJ” in our group chose Van Halen’s “And the Cradle Will Rock” as his first song at 11 in the morning, we all knew it was gonna be a good day!

Before we headed to our first stop, Demetria Estate, Ron stopped by Panino sandwich shop in town for us to get boxed lunches for later in the day. The scenic route that Ron took to Demetria was so beautiful and his personal points of interest were very insightful. Once we arrived to the winery, it was pure enjoyment for our almost 2 hour stay there. Ron came around a few times to take pictures of the group and kept us hydrated with bottled waters (good thinking, Ron!).

Up next stop #2…Saarloos & Sons. We had an appointment with Keith Saarloos to do a tour of one of his vineyards. Ron got us there and then on to Los Olivos for some tasting room visits. We had dinner planned for that evening at Sides Hardware & Shoes.

Darin had made arrangements for Ron to be with us the entire day from start to finish. He got us to all of our destinations safe and sound and allowed all of us to thoroughly enjoy ourselves. After dinner, we requested on last stop… El Rancho Market, and of course Ron agreed without any hesitation. As we rode back to our house with Oasis on the radio and all of us singing to “Wonderwall”, we knew that the day we had planned with Darin and Jump on the School Bus was absolutely perfect in every way! Mission accomplished!

Thanks again Darin, Sierra and Ron for making David’s 50th birthday celebration a day that we will never forget. You guys ROCKED it!!!

Cheers!

And so it begins.

…and it’s on!

Ron capturing the fun at Demetria Estate.

Jump on the School Bus at Demetria Estate. Good thing no one is driving!

Cheers!

Enjoying the beauty of Demetria Estate.

Vineyard tour with the one and only Keith Saarloos.

Jump on the School Bus at Saarloos & Sons El Camino Real Vineyard.

Jump on the School Bus

www.jumpontheschoolbus.com

Darin or Sierra (805) 331-2301

A huge, huge, thanks to Keith Saarloos from Saarloos & Sons for taking time out of his day to give our party of 14 a personal vineyard tour and a private tasting. He didn’t have to due to his broken rib pain…but he did.

By far one of the best wine tasting experiences we’ve ever experienced. This man pours his heart and soul into what he does, especially the pride he possesses that they farm the vineyards and produce the wine. Keith is extremely knowledgeable about what he does so we learned a lot about their vineyards, and also learned a lot about his family. Each bottle tells a fascinating family story relating to that varietal and vintage, and hearing it come from the horses mouth sure made it that more special. He made us laugh, he made us cry…and he made us cry with laughter!

The wines were paired with cupcakes…wait cupcakes??!!! Yes, cupcakes! Wine snobs don’t knock it until you try it and don’t ask us why it worked, but it worked…and it worked well! The cupcakes are from Enjoy Cupcakes and they were insanely delicious. The wines paired beautifully and cleansed the palate perfectly. We started drinking wines from Saarloos years ago and they’ve gone from great to exceptional.

The energy in the tasting room was exciting. It was great to see the interaction of our family and friends with Keith and the impact he made on all of us. A compelling human being for sure. We always like stopping by when we are in town so we knew bringing our party to him would be fun, but the day exceeded any of our expectations by a million miles. Definitely a day that we will talk about and remember for many years to come.

Thanks again Keith.

Cheers!

On our return to the Napa Valley this summer, we both knew without even asking each other that a visit to Corison Winery would be a must…and it was…FIRST STOP! Some things have changed since our last visit and blog post in 2013, so we just wanted to make sure that you have the most current and up to date information on Corison Winery.

When we arrived, our awesome host Kendra took us to our table where we would again start our wine tasting inside the barrel room. Here was the lineup:

• 2013 Corazón (Anderson Valley) Gewürztraminer
• 2013 Helios (Napa Valley) Cabernet Franc
• 2013 Corison (Napa Valley) Cabernet Sauvignon
• 1999 Corison (Napa Valley) Cabernet Sauvignon

And it was at this moment where we would find out some new changes to Corison’s wine tasting menu that we wanted to pass along. They no longer offer the Corison Discovery Tastings, but now currently only offer the Corison Library Experience: Kronos Vineyard Tour & Library Cabernet Tasting.

What’s exciting about this wine tasting experience is getting the best of both worlds, tasting phenomenal wine inside and outside the winery. Every wine geek knows the smell of a barrel room can be very intoxicating, so setting the tone with some nice barrel room aromatherapy is always a good way to start a tasting for us wine lovers. After some time inside, our wine glasses were poured to take out to Corison’s Kronos Vineyard. A stroll through this beautiful benchland vineyard and sipping on some outstanding Napa Valley wine is an experience one doesn’t forget.

We then headed upstairs to the winery’s second level balcony to peer out at the breathtaking panoramic views of Kronos Vineyard, so beautiful!

Also, the price of this tasting did go up a pinch since our last visit, but we can assure you it’s still worth it. You will not get lost in any wine tourist shuffle here, this intimate experience is one-on-one and very personable. The wine, the beauty, the stories, and getting to know the people that make the wheels turn around here was again…pure joy.

Cheers!

Corison Winery.

Corison’s barrel room.

Kronos Vineyard view.

Corison Caberent Sauvignon grapes.

Nothing like being out in the vineyard.

Kronos Vineyard view from upstairs inside the winery.

Kronos Vineyard: You won’t see vineyards planted like this today where large tractors once roamed in between the vines.

Kronos Vineyard view.

Yes! The 1999 tasting incredible right now!

Corison Winery

987 St. Helena Highway, Saint Helena, Ca 94574  (707) 963-0826

www.corison.com

Open daily 10:00am – 5:00pm by appointment.

Corison Library Experience: Kronos Vineyard Tour & Library Cabernet Tasting $55 per person. One fee waived for each $300 purchased or Wine Club commitment. More information here.

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Last week we enjoyed a nice little heat wave at our house and with warmer temperatures we were craving a good “summertime” wine. It was the perfect opportunity for us to open the newly released 2015 “Stars Like Ours” Rosé from Tank Garage Winery (72% Pinot Noir, 22% Grenache Noir, 6% Syrah Noir). This winery is located in Calistoga, California, in a converted 1930’s gas station that now serves as their tasting room. Definitely a cool spot for some wine tasting.

The rosé was just what we were hoping it would be. Fragrant notes of white flower, watermelon and lemon zest play harmoniously with juicy strawberry & cream flavors. Dry and crisp with nice acidity…this one is as refreshing as it gets! Highly recommended for a hot summer day!

Cheers!

Tank Garage Winery

www.tankgaragewinery.com

2015 Tank Garage Winery “Stars Like Ours” Rosé: 3-pack $48