Every Monday, discover new wines, regions, and ways to understand this fermenting sea.
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Munching Vidal Blanc on Keuka Lake, New York
Tag Archives: Napa Valley
St Clement Vineyards Napa Valley
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
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Tagged cabernet, California, drink, Napa Valley, St Clement, wine
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Beringer Napa Valley Winery Visit
After Freemark Abbey (here) and Raymond Vineyard (here) yesterday, our 8th wedding anniversary Napa Valley trip heads to iconic Beringer Vineyards.
We shoot up the 29, rain phasing in and out, twiggy vineyards in various stages of pruning, grassy greeness everywhere:
Raymond Vineyards and The CIA Greystone Conservatory Restaurant
Unlike storied Freemark Abbey (read our visit: here), Raymond Vineyard opened with the Napa bandwagon of upstarts in 1970. Roy Raymond did begin by marrying into and working for Beringer in the 1930s. Since then, five generations of Raymonds had created elegant serious Cabernet, Chardonnay, and dessert wines. Continue reading
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Tagged cabernet, California, chardonnay, CIA, drinks, Napa, Napa Valley, Raymond Vineyards, wine
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Freemark Abbey Napa Valley
In 1980, Ted Edwards took the helm as winemaker. Most fields suffer a musical chair game of aspirational people climbing ladders, hopping from jon to jon. Yet Ted has stayed at Freemark ever since.
When Jess Jackson bought Freemark in 2006, they wisely kept Ted in control. KJ also saw that Freemark needed restoration. The original 1890s Lombarda cellar looked in rough shape. The tasting room seemed dark and small. So, with 40 million dollars, work is underway to expand and overhaul the stone cellar into a premier tasting palace and restaurant with two Michelen starred Japanese cuisine winemakers. Continue reading
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Tagged Cabernet Sauvignon, California, drinks, Freemark Abbey, Napa Valley, Ted Edwards, travel, wine
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Caymus Vineyards, 40th Anniversary, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California 2012
Three generations and forty years on, Caymus lucked out with 2012. The vintage seemed completely tailored to their style. Up and down Napa Valley it was sunny, dry, and not drought-ridden as recently. All their lazy grapes got to stay on the vine (usually they drop lesser fruit).
Now Caymus likes a late harvest. More time lowers acids and tannins but risks rot, damage, or excessive alcohol. But weather allowed them to wait until Halloween to pick (madness in California). Their grape haul doubled 2011’s. So much ripe Cabernet resulted that they didn’t have to blend others. 17 months in half new barrels, mostly French with some from Missouri. Continue reading
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Tagged 40th Anniversary, Cabernet Sauvignon, Caymus, Caymus Vineyards, Napa Valley, Wagner, wine
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WAYWARD WINE 