Winery Highlights

In the last week, 3 friends and I decided to fill our time out of the kitchen visiting wineries. It is a great deal for CIA students. We are normally comped on tastings and given industry discounts on purchases. When we express interest in wine knowledge and education they are more then willing to answer all questions and take us on special tours.

*****A fact we learned throughout our touring is that California wine law states a wine can not be named a single varietal with out using at least 75% of one type of grape.

Duckhorn- Great wines, but disappointed in the tasting room. I like a tasting environment that allows tasters to interact with pourers. At Duckhorn we sat at a round table and rarely saw our pourer. She was more like a server then a source of knowledge. Staff was friendly but not extremely knowledgeable. We were given their 2005 Howell Mountain Napa Valley Red, 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007 Merlot, and their 2009 Sauvignon Blanc to try. We were aware of their 2008 Anderson Valley Migration Pinot Noir ($26), so we asked to try that as well. So happy we did because it was one of the best I have had yet. Their grape crop caught on fire and instead of throwing them out they made the wine. the minute the scent of the wine hit my noise I was transported to a camp fire. It has well balanced tannins and a smokey taste that pairs well with its fruity flavors.

       Duckhorn Pinot Noir Tasting Notes

Twomey- I did not find there wines to be a  favorite of mine. Their red varietals I was served had a lot more tannin then I enjoy and were highly acidic. Where the wines faulted the staff excelled.  The women who did the tasting with us was extremely nice, and gave us lots of tips on living in the valley. She was also a good aide in helping to train our amateur palettes.

Alpha Omega- Beautiful grounds accompanied our wine tasting with Eric, a worker at Alpha Omega and huge soccer fan. We tasted their Chardonnay. It is an oak barrel Chardonnay that is extremely buttery in both taste and smell. Next was their Rose. It takes away from every cliche that has ever been given to a Rose. Light and refreshing like it should be, but not overly sweet.  Next was their Cabernet Sauvignon and their Proprietary Red. I loved their red. It is full of lavender. Once again we requested another wine to try that was not being offered. It was their Sauvignon Blanc. At first taste it was too sweet for me, as it was described having cotton candy and carmel flavors, but I let it open up and it became a lot more palatable. Surprisingly one of my favorites of the day. 


A friend I was with shared with Eric that her Boyfriend played in the World Cup for the U.S. team. After lots of excitement and soccer talk he introduced us to his wife, Mandy, who works for the Miner family vineyard. Mandy offered to set us up with a tasting at her vineyard for another day. 

Miner
Miner- Wow, Mandy really came through. We received star treatment. Constantly filling our glasses, we were given a tour by their sommelier Gaby of the cave, fermentation room, harvesting area, chemistry lab, kitchen and received 2 barrel tastings (AWESOME experience).  It was very interesting to taste the difference in their 2007 Cabernet from the bottle to their 2009 Cabernet from the barrel. The barrel wines have a raw unfinished taste. Gaby shared with us that both the grapes and the barrel give a wine their tannins and a good wine will have a perfect balance of the two. From the barrel the tannins were not yet balanced, and therefore not as enjoyable. We offered to volunteer our services during their crush, which I will hopefully get to write about in a few months. My favorite wine at Miner is their 2006 Oracle ($90). After tasting it they were nice enough to pour us an extra glass to drink on the patio. 

Top Left: Fermentation vats

Top RIght: Cake Bread Barrel room

Bottom Left: Walking through the cave

Bottom Right:  Wine Chemistry Lab 






Robert Sinskey- Our first food and wine pairing was done here, and I don't think I can ever respectfully dine out again and order a glass of wine that will not pair with what I am eating. The chef did an amazing job of choosing fatty foods to pair with their acidic wines. A sip of wine, a bite of food, and another sip made our mouths aware of the changing characteristics in the wine. When not comped the pairing cost $25, but they have a great deal avaialble where the cost is lowered by $15 after the purchase of 2 bottles of wine.

Regusci- We did not have a lot of time to spend at Regusci do to a 3:20 appointment at Cake Bread, but the time spent was delicious. My favorite white served is the 2008 Chardonnay ($28) and my favorite Red is their 2007 Regusci Estate Merlot ($40). Rich in lavender, chocolate, and cherry it is a winner with me.

Cake Bread- As good as everyone says. After a long day of tasting I unfortunately could not appreciate it as much as I wish. Cake Bread does their tastings a little different then the others. There are set reservation times and you are put in a group to have a tour around the grounds. We ended in their barrel room, where we tasted 6 varietals. At the end of the tasting, they offer to wrap up your glass so you can take it home as a souvenir. My favorite cake bread wine tasted is the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc. It is very light and fruity.