Blog Archives

Love That Mountain Fruit

Look, the region is called Napa VALLEY. You’d expect there’s plenty of good stuff at low elevations. But I’ve always been excited by the uppermost regions, which I first explored at Cain and Smith-Madrone on Spring Mountain. So I was excited to be invited to a tasting of wines from Antica Napa Valley, located on Atlas Peak. [More]

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Freemark Abbey Cabernet Bosché is a Napa Valley Classic

I’ll admit that I spend my wine days and nights in New York chasing the obscure. Bring me all your wonderfully weird wines! Sometimes, though, this is at the expense of the classics. Case in point would be the Freemark Abbey Cabernet Bosché. I had the pleasure of tasting this wine with Ted Edwards, director [More]

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Loving the Clos du Val Napa Valley Merlot

Seeing “Napa Valley Merlot” on a wine label may cause some snap judgements, but Clos du Val is making (and has been making) one of my favorite expressions of this grape. And not just a favorite Napa Valley Merlot, but a favorite Merlot, period. What are the myths about Merlot? Bland and boring. And what [More]

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I Love Weird Wines: Terra d’Oro Teroldego

Terra d’Oro Teroldego Originally uploaded by jamesonf I was visiting Trinchero in Napa and my guide picked up on my penchant for the unusual and esoteric. It’s not often that I am rendered speechless in surprise, but when she brought out a Teroldego from California, I was floored. Very tasty stuff, too. One of the [More]

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Napa Cellars/Folie a Deux: Who Knew?

My experience with these brands can be pretty much summed up with three words: Menage a Trois. That wine is a machine when it comes to sales in a grocery store. It kills. So when I was invited to a tasting at Napa Cellars/Folie a Deux in Oakville, I was expecting crowd-pleasing juice. Scanning through [More]

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Sinskey Rosé Was Made for the Deck

Easily the top domestic rosé, the Sinskey is 100% Pinot Noir. It is dry, elegant, and has real Pinot Noir character. If you see it, buy it.

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