We’ll be posting a couple of entries about our experiences in the Napa Valley region.  We tasted lots of wine, but we tended to stay away from the big guys like Coppola, Berenger, Sterling, etc.,  Not that we had anything against these wines, but Coppola wines can be sampled and/or purchased at any wine shop and supermarket in the country.  We decided to optimize our stay in Napa and opted to focus on small, boutique wineries that offered limited-production, quality wines (and knowledgeable staff!)  Most of the wineries that we visited tended to produce less than 5000 cases of wine; needless to say, these were not wines that could be purchased at the local wine shop or Safeway!

I’ll break up my experiences into “favorite” or “best” categories, and today I’ll feature our tasting room experiences:

Best Tasting Room Experiences:

Envy Wines: Comfortable tasting counter complete with bar stools.  Michael, our tasting assistant, expertly guided us through the full range of wine offered on the Vine Haven, Envy, and Carter labels.  The Carter wines are considered premium wines and routinely score in the 90s in Wine Spectator; they are also quite expensive so if you consider a splurge here, have a special occasion in mind.  We even got a barrel tasting of the upcoming Merlot.  The wines were also excellent.  My own favorites were the 06 Sauvignon Blanc, 05 Chardonnay, and the 06 Petit Sirah.  Paul also favored the 06 Petit Sirah as well as the 05 Merlot.

Limerick Lane:  Located in Sonoma, this winery is a must try for anyone looking for California wines that are more balanced than some of the bigger fruit/oak bombs found at other California wineries.  Only four wines on the tasting menu, but all were exceptional.  The 06 Orsi Vineyard Pinot Noir is done in a classic Burgundian style—soft, approachable and nuanced with strawberry/cherry flavors and velvety tannins.  It was my immediate favorite until I tried the 05 Zinfandel.  Lots of fruit and spice here without  a punch in the mouth—well balanced that could be sipped or enjoyed with food.  Paul starred the 06 1023, a blended red wine that offers a denser color and intensity with a long finish.  Our tasting was also accompanied by expert commentary from the associate who conducted our tasting.  We learned that the secret to Limerick Lane’s award winning wines is the complexity and intensity provided by grapes grown in various Sonoma vineyards.

Sawyer Cellars: This was actually the first winery that we visited and is located in the vaunted Rutherford Appellation.  Sawyer is a family owned operation, and we even got to meet owner Charles Sawyer.  Though three wines were listed for tasting, our tasting assistant offered two extras—a vibrant Rose and a very complex 04 Cabernet Sauvignon.   Sawyer Cellars grows all of its own grapes on 50 acres of land.  It only produces 4200 cases of wine.  Paul’s faves were the classic 06 Sauvignon Blanc with its citrus and flinty flavors and the 04 Estate merlot.  Though young, it exhibited big cherry and earthy flavors.  I tended to favor the complex 04 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.  Dark currants and berries here with nice tannins. We learned that its complexity was the result of cabernet grapes picked from four different lots on the property.  It also earned 90 points in Wine Enthusiast and is considered a classic.