Hello everyone. Am I the only one using this Bulletin Board. I'll keep the posts coming, and hope you all jump in soon!
I was in Napa this weekend giving a talk to an alumni group from Midwestern University in Chicago. I had little time for tasting but did get an opportunity to taste at some of my favorite cellar doors.
Robert Biale Vineyards
2006 Black Chicken Zinfanel
2006 Stagecoach Vineyard Zinfandel
2006 Monte Rosso Vineyard Zinfandel
The Monte Rosso is fantastic and very special - full of everything RBV has to offer, heavy fruit, sharp tannin, and substantial alcohol, all very handsomly balanced. My favorite of the three - but all were wonderful.
2006 Royal Punishers Petite Sirah
A stout full flavor Petite Sirah, as good as it gets!
V. Sattui Winery, St. Helena
There is a circus-like environment in the regular tasting room, but I've had a VIP gold card for years that gets me in to the cellar for serious tasting. This visitor friendly winery (great for novices) produces the gamut of inexpensive decent wines to really top quality serious red wines. The top cabernets tasted, ie. 2005 Morosoli Vineyards, and 2005 Preston Vineyards were superb, but will need years of rest before the tannins soften. I suspect it will be worth the wait! The 2005 Mt Veeder Cabernet is softer and approachable now. It is superb and a good buy at $38. The generic Napa Cabernet (2005), is on sale for the holidays at $28 a bottle, and is also very good.
I have always appreciated the Sattui Zinfandels as well and found the 2006 Ramazzoti Vineyard Zinfandel superb, with buckets of fruit in each sip to be the best. I did not taste the Howel Mountain Zin, which historically has been their most outstanding Zinfandel, and is in limited quantities.
Their new Petit Sirah is all excellent, and a bargain at $28.
Dario (used to be Darryl)Sattui sells his wines only at the winery, but has a excellent on-line program for ordering direct and shipping to your home or office. Here in Arizona it has finally cooled, so, it's shipping weather.
Nice holidays to all. See you in Walla Wall in July ('09).
Please let everyone know what you have been enjoying lately on this bulletin board.
Cheers!!! |
