St. Supery is a lovely and unpretentious winery. They have a great variety of both whites and reds, and even a rose which is nice and dry,not sweet. Their Virtu and Elu are white and red blends, respectively, which are different each year, but are always interesting.
n 1997 Saxon Brown was launched, named for the willful heroine in Jack London’s Valley of the Moon. The winery gained instant recognition for its flagship “old vine” Zinfandel and Semillon from heritage field-blended vines originally planted Italian immigrants. The winery also produces a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as Pinto Noir, Syrah and Zinfandel from Parmelee-Hill Vineyard, Syrah and Syrah Rose from Flora Ranch, and Semillon from Cricket Creek (Alexander Valley).
This unique, non-traditional white wine blend was created to offer full-flavored fruit and enough complexity to match the creative dishes being offered by today’s generation of chefs. Conundrum can be served with every course from appetizer to dessert, and pairs beautifully with spicy foods and full-flavored Asian cuisine.
The "conundrum", or puzzle, of this wine is in guessing which grapes make up the blend; a combination that includes Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Muscat Canelli, Semillon and Viognier. Conundrum is a true California wine, with grapes sourced from Napa, Monterey, Santa Barbara and Tulare counties. Winemaker Jon Bolta began to craft the style for Conundrum in 1988.
Napa Valley's Dolce Winery is the only winery in North America that is solely devoted to producing a single, late harvest wine. It is one of the few wineries in the world willing to make such a commitment, sharing a common philosophy with the great Sauternes producers of Bordeaux. Dolce cellar is located within the caves of its sister winery, Far Niente, in California's Napa Valley. Visitors to the winery are welcomed with a hosted tour, followed by a tasting of current and library vintages. By its nature, Dolce is a rare wine that cannot be produced every year. Dolce is made when a natural, beneficial mold called botrytis cinerea attacks the grapes on the vine, while evaporating the water content and concentrating the sugars, acids and flavors. The inaugural 1985 vintage yielded only six barrels, and production grew to nine barrels in 1986. The 1987 vintage was not fine enough to be bottled and 1988 was so warm that no botrytis formed and the grapes were never harvested. The 1989 vintage was the first commercial release of Dolce and it was introduced to the market in 1992. Visits are by appointment, only.
Foursight Wines is located on a beautiful piece of land and it is one of those wineries that just transform you to another place. Plus the staff is incredible there. Family run and friendly dogs. Fine Pinot, yummy DRY gewurz and a wide range of wines to sample. The pours are generous, repeated and free. Hard to find at retail level, this is a must stop in the Anderson Valley.
The atmosphere of the tasting room is simple but modern. You can tell that they put their real energy into the wines. It's a nice stop with the Jimtown Store right next door where you can pick up a tasty sandwich and sit out back looking over the vineyards. When it comes to the people and service, you really get a feel that this is a family run operation. Stephen Hawkes the owner/farmer/winemaker is there every year at the barrel tasting to share the experience and crafted love that goes into these amazing red wines.
We tasted three pinot's a syrah and two cabs. The three pinot's were from the same vineyard in Sonoma but from three different blocks. Three distinctly different wines. All very Burgundian in crafting but with that amazing Sonoma Coast fruit. My favorite style...French winemaking but with CA fruit!
The Syrah was amazing. Once again, very French. Northern Rhone in crafting but with Bennet Valley fruit.
The Cabs...well, they were quite simply amazing. Two totally different wines from two different AVA's.
Rare wine specialist and wine auctioneer Fritz Hatton founded Arietta in 1996 in partnership with winemaker John Kongsgaard and his wife Maggy. The partnership was born of a shared passion for fine wine and classical music. The vinous inspiration for Arietta was an extraordinary 2.3 acre block of Cabernet Franc on the Hudson Ranch in Napa/Carneros. The fruit from this block of Cabernet Franc serves as the core of the Arietta Red Wine.
Artwork by Wine Artist Agata Zaborowski – Agata Art Gallery
Nestled on the Northeast border of the Temecula Valley sits Doffo Winery. Founded in 1997 by Marcelo Doffo, it is one of a few micro-boutique wineries in the region and the only one built around the former site of a Temecula historic landmark schoolhouse. Situated on 15 acres of rolling vineyards, the winery possesses a unique combination of old world and warm family charm. It is also home to MotoDoffo, the family's private collection of over 100 racing and vintage motorcycles.
We have ordered Ruston wines several times w/ no problems directly from John himself. We were hoping to stop by his place again this March when we are back in town but he hasnt returned any emails! I have seen their wine now on LOT 18 at reduced prices which makes me wonder......
Too bad...their bordeaux blend is as good as it gets in napa for $25!
