Displaying items by tag: Napa Valley

Mike Chelini in Stony Hill Cellar    photo by Alex Rubin

By Dan Clarke

Fred and Eleanor McCrea planted Chardonnay at their weekend retreat in 1947.

This alone would qualify Stony Hill Vineyard for a special mention in Napa Valley history books.

1998 Opus One

Opus One

Napa Valley

Alcohol: 13.5%

Suggested Retail: $265 for the current release (2012). An internet search shows prices around $320 for the 1998.

2014 Sauvignon Blanc

Cakebread Cellars

Napa Valley

Alcohol: 13.9%

Suggested Retail: $25

“Sauvignon Blanc sometimes seems like the forgotten varietal. It’s not as pervasive as the ubiquitous Chardonnay, nor as trendy as Grüner Veltliner was a few years ago or as Albariño might be today. What a shame. It’s too good to miss.

Peter Mondavi flanked by sons Marc and Peter Jr.By Dan Clarke

February 22, 2016 - This morning brought the news that Peter Mondavi died on Saturday. The patriarch of Charles Krug Winery and CK Mondavi wines was 101 years old at the time of his passing.

I had met him a couple of times, but knew him more by reputation than personal contact. When you work around the wine business for any length of time, you get some sense of who the giants of the industry are.

2014 Fumé Blanc

Robert Mondavi Winery

Napa Valley

Alcohol: 13.5%

Suggested Retail: $20

"The Robert Mondavi Winery has made a lot of their 2014 Napa Valley Fumé Blanc (54,528 cases). That’s a good thing because it tastes great and will expose many consumers to this style of wine.

Sommelier Christopher Sawyer (left) and his teammate work on their blends of the 2012 vintage two years ago

TASTE News Service, February 14, 2016 - Raymond Vineyards Proprietor, Jean-Charles Boisset, Director of Winemaking, Stephanie Putnam and Thane Knutson, Assistant Winemaker, recently hosted 10 hand-selected sommeliers from across the country to participate in the seventh annual Sommelier Selection Blending Session. The sommeliers were selected for their depth of knowledge and experience, and together they represent some of the best and brightest sommelier talent in the nation.

Dr. Paul Thomas and Robert Chang of the American Truffle Co. are flanked by Chefs David Barzelay, Frank Tramonto, Ken Frank, and Stefano Ciotti 

By Betty Teller

January 28, 2016 - What do a former lawyer turned chef of an underground restaurant, an Italian chef who began his career as a teenager, and a well-known restaurateur have in common? They were the exciting guest chefs for the 2016 Truffle Festival.

2004 Cabernet Sauvignon

HALL Wines

Napa Valley

Alcohol: 14.5%

Suggested Retail: $55 (current 2012 vintage)

“This week’s ‘Pick’ is a wine you’re not likely to find. Pictured is an etched bottle of a 2004 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon presented at the 2007 groundbreaking for the new HALL facility in St. Helena (the company spells its name in all caps). Many wineries have been built in California in the last couple of decades, and many have celebrated grand openings on their completion. Few of them have attracted media and friends of the owners to celebrate just the plan to build a winery, but it’s different when a world-renown architect is employed.

2012 Brut Rosé

Domaine Carneros

By Taittinger

Carneros

Alcohol: 12.3%

Suggested Retail: $37

“Good sparkling wine is appropriate for celebrating the new year. It’s also appropriate for just celebrating life in general and is a treat too frequently thought of as only for special occasions.

“Sparkling wine is the generally accepted term that encompasses all wines containing bubbles, from pricey top-of-the-line imports through the cheap stuff served at all-you-can-eat Sunday brunches. Most California producers have agreed that the word Champagne refers to products that come from a particular part of France and should no longer be appropriated by wineries outside that region. Wonderful as wines from Champagne are, they’re no longer necessarily superior to their California counterparts.

Kerry, Tom and Cooper 

TASTE News Service, October 4, 2015 -- Veteran winemaker Tom Eddy and his wife Kerry officially opened their new Calistoga winery just in time for the 2015 harvest. Fifteen years after moving up valley to Calistoga from Napa, the Eddys succeeded in completing the initial phase of the winery caves on the estate where they’ll now produce the eponymous Tom Eddy brand. “We’ve been persistent and committed to our life’s goal of having our own facility,” said Tom, “and now that this small cave and winery are a reality . . . we pinch ourselves at the cave entrance every morning.”

The winery site sits at the top of Napa valley on the Napa/Sonoma County line. “It’s incredible that we can live up here in the forest and make wine too!” commented Kerry, reminiscing about her 30 years in the wine business.