Tag Archives: Napa Valley

P2 Day Tour Howell Mountain Napa Valley Spire Wine Collection

Posted on April 25, 2016 by waywardwine

Let us continue our completely undeserved tour of Napa Valley’s Spire Collection: Kendall Jackson’s cream of the buttercream of the creme fraiche of the crop. A Monday or so ago, Wayward Wine posted our morning visit and ridiculous picnic at Mt Veeder in Napa’s Southwest (read here).

Plump on mountain Malbec, local cheeses and charcuterie, we pop back into the company Mercedes and roll North across the valley. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Anniversary, bakery, cabernet, California, Howell Mountain, merlot, Napa Valley, travel, wine | Leave a comment

P1 Day Tour of Cardinale: Mt Brave Mt Veeder Spire Collection Napa Valley

Posted on April 11, 2016 by waywardwine

Buckle your seat belts. We continue our tour of Napa Valley. After a palette-staining day at Pine Ridge, Lewis Cellars, and Black Stallion, a single day visit to Cardinal sounds lenient. Yet Cardinal is the tip of an ice berg. It provides locus for hospitality services of the Spire Collection: the creme on top of the cream of the crop of Kendall Jackson’s holdings. Wines and wineries that rarely make it to your local shelf huddle under this empire’s gilt umbrella. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Cabernet Sauvignon, California, Cardinal Winery, malbec, Mt Brave, Mt Veeder, Napa Valley, Red wine, wine | Leave a comment

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 →