A Day in Napa……………

Nothing like starting your morning off with a 10 am tasting. We drove up Spring Mountain and began our day in Napa at Keenan Winery.

Keenan farms sustainably and in 2007 switched to 100% solar power for its facilities and homes on the property. The day we were there the winery was busy bottling using a mobile bottling contractor.

We were met by Amy, an engaging associate who got our morning off to a good start – pouring the 2013 Spring Mountain Chardonnay, a 2011 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon which I personally loved, and a 2011 Merlot Cabernet – Mernet Reserve. Amy has family in Sarasota so we exchanged some stories and news during our tasting.

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Orin Swift was our next stop in downtown St. Helena. Their tasting room is on the main street.

David Swift Phinney began making wines in 1998. He can easily be referred to as a global winemaker as his products, delicious wines, are produced from grapes grown in California, Spain, France, Italy, Corsica and Argentina.

Orin Swift wines sell out fast at the tasting room. You can taste many of the sell outs which can be helpful, in the event you can find an outlet that still has them on the shelf to purchase.

Katie Gorham was our host. Katie grew up in the St. Helena area and plans to make it her home after finishing her education. She was comfortable showing off the wines and introducing us to a few of the wines we had never had the opportunity of tasting before.

The 2012 Trigger Finger (sold out) was a big favorite of ours. It is 100% Grenache and all of us tasting agreed it to be outstanding – very special! According to the website the 2013 vintage is sold out as well.

The 2012 Papillon was another unavailable wine except in large formats We grabbed a magnum after tasting it. It is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc.

A Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 2012 Mercury Head was yet another amazing wine. At $95 a bottle, this wine is probably not considered outrageously priced for a Napa cab. It is made from 100% cabernet sauvignon grapes and, it too, was sold out in every format.

The tasting room is a visual treat. It is modern and quite eclectic. The hosts are friendly and have created a bit of a party atmosphere in the room.

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We took a long lunch at Tra Vigne. Their courtyard is a beautiful place to relax and explore exceptional italian fare. I dream about their Mozzarella “Al Minuto”and heirloom tomatoes!