Napa Valley wines have a well known reputation for being rather pricey. When there is so much terrific wine to be had in California it is difficult to spend the high price tag to taste and to purchase. We were over on Howell Mountain to taste Jon Jones’s newest releases at Paravel and arranged for an afternoon tasting in Yountville at Elyse. Elyse’s tasting room … Continue reading Napa’s Elyse
It’s ten o’clock in the morning and we are sitting down to taste wine. We’ve returned to the Spire Collection just outside of Callistoga. I wrote about our first visit in the blog entry – Tasting in Napa. It will give you a gracious plenty on the background of the Spire Collection so I won’t repeat myself. It is a modern, tastefully appointed tasting room. … Continue reading Myriad & The Spire Collection
As you plan your wine adventures, this column could be helpful……. 3 tips for navigating Wine Country without a reservation Here’s wine reporter Jess Lander: We published an article on 25 Sonoma County wineries that don’t require a reservation on Wednesday, a counterpart to our June list of walk-in-friendly Napa Valley wineries. These articles represent a major pendulum swing in Wine Country toward a reservation-only system. … Continue reading Esther Mobley’s San Francisco Chronicle column this week…….
We headed to Napa’s Howell Mountain AVA which produces some of the very best grapes for Cabernet Sauvignon. Our appointment was at Neal Family Vineyards, high on the mountain in Angwin and a bit tricky to find. Alex Kefalos met us with glasses of the 2021 Rutherford Dust Vermentino (which we found to be excellent and a varietal you don’t often see in Napa Valley) … Continue reading Back on Howell Mountain
Sometimes you simply get blown away by the lengths to which people who love farming and grapes will go to build a winery and its surrounds. A perfect example is Hudson Ranch and Vineyard. They call it an Agrarian dream and yes, it is that and so much more. The ranch is 2000 acres in Napa Valley’s Carneros District. It’s a working ranch with 200 … Continue reading Hudson Ranch and Vineyards
Napa has a handful of wineries that are as old as the hills. Larkmead is one of those wineries. Its history is as remarkable as its wines. Larkmead is located on the valley floor just south of Calistoga. 110 acres of planted vineyards are on the property as well as facilities for making the wine, storage and wine tasting. It’s a gorgeous property. After a … Continue reading An Institution
When you truly enjoy wine and visit the wine country for decades it is hard to resist the desire to make it home. We did and we love it. However, some who move here plunge in a bit deeper and take on the challenge of wine making. Laurie & Dean Gray along with partner Steve Nordhoff did just that and started Riverain Vineyards in Rutherford, … Continue reading Riverain
We were on a mission to try Mending Wall’s Petite Sirah. It was our only appointment of the day while we were doing some trip planning in Napa. Our host was Amy and we will forever remember her for one of, and I truly mean this, best tastings we have ever experienced. Mending Wall wines are one of Thomas Rivers Brown’s many accomplishments. He makes … Continue reading “a winery built around the spirit of wine itself”*
It’s difficult not to be moved by the view when you drive to Howell Mountain. We’ve driven there twice since the 2020 fires and both times I was struck with a feeling of despair seeing the devastation of homes, wineries, and charred hills. Thankfully It’s all coming back. Sonoma and Napa residents, and winery owners in particular, are nothing if not resilient. For Jon and … Continue reading Paravel Pick Up
August 2020 – A Paravel UPDATE – We had the pleasure of having Jon Jones join us for a birthday dinner celebration in Santa Rosa. Jon brought his wines to pair and share making the dinner and the evening one exceptional event. Jon poured his 2019 Mendocino Poor Ranch VYD Old Vine Zinfandel Rosé while he told us the fantastic story of how he discovered … Continue reading “Music to your Mouth”
John's Wine Cellar 