Author Archives: waywardwine

About waywardwine

Follow Wayward Wine (WSET3) to tour the world's exciting vineyards, breweries, and distilleries, while discovering new drinks.

Black Stallion Winery Napa Valley

Posted on March 29, 2016 by waywardwine

Our Napa Valley tour keeps rolling. Our morning snuck around Pine Ridge (read here). Our mid-day got blasted by Lewis Cellars’ monster wines (read here). By now, our palates feel numb. Our teeth look black. But ever the professional, high-functioning alcoholics, we head South on the Silverado Trail to Black Stallion.

Past the big metal horse, the winery campus feels vast, dry-scaped with olives and citrus, and recalls a mission. Here 32 acres served as Silverado Horseman’s Center until 2007, when it became a winery. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Black Stallion, Cabernet Sauvignon, California, chardonnay, drinks, merlot, Napa Valley, travel, Viognier, wine | 4 Comments

Tasting at Lewis Cellars Winery Napa Valley

Posted on March 24, 2016 by waywardwine

We leave the vast caves and hobbit-infested knolls of Pine Ridge (read here). Already late and marginally sober we bolt south. Stags Leap AVA flattens into the vine-plain of Oak Knoll. We blast past the winery, turn around and pull up a long drive to the innocuous, tall, grey, free standing building with a big L on it: Lewis Cellars.

Inside, white wash and windows feel like a Southern tea room. We sit with two other couples on a long table.

Lewis owns no vineyards. They started sourcing grapes in ’89 as Oakville Ranch Winery. A car crash in 1991 ended Randy Lewis’ 23 year Formula 1 and 3 career. So he turned to completely to wine. Being Napa, it did not hurt being rich. Today they make 6,000 cases, 1/3rd of which are Chardonnay… Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged cabernet, California, chardonnay, drink, grapes, Lewis Cellars, Napa Valley, Negociant, photography, travel, wine, Wine Cellar, wine maker | 3 Comments

Visit to Pine Ridge Vineyards in Napa Valley

Posted on March 21, 2016 by waywardwine

We start another day of our Napa Valley tour at Pine Ridge Vineyards. Somewhat new to Napa’s scene, in 1978 Gary Andrus founded Pine Ridge in Stags Leap AVA. His goal: to recreate Bordeaux. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged cabernet, Cabernet Sauvignon, drinks, Napa Valley, Petite Verdot, Pine Ridge, Travel and Tourism, wine | 6 Comments

St Clement Vineyards Napa Valley

Posted on March 11, 2016 by waywardwine

Charmed but challenged by Beringer (read here), we roll up the 29 to St. Clement Winery. Another lovely Victorian home awaits us at the top of a terraced vineyard.

St Clement WineryFar from San Francisco, North, at the narrowest, windiest (and today, wettest) gap in Napa Valley, Fritz Rosenbaum built his home in 1878.

Fritz gilded the Gilded Age, thanks to fancy mirrors and stained glass sold to San Fran (as well as the Beringers…$6,000 of their $28,000 was Fritz’s stained glass). This was in the bathroom: Continue reading →