I liked their style and especially the Cherryblock Reserve which at $75 was a great blockbuster of a Cabernet. Should cellar very well. I even liked their Merlot (!) which was exceptional value at only $24.

Good tasting rooms and affable hosts.

In the centre of Napa there is the Napa Wine Merchants which hosts Gustavo Thrace. I had tried one of their wines before coming to Napa and I was keen to try some of their other range as they were incredible value. The 03 Cabernet was really very good and at only $38 got the best value red for the whole of the week. Coupled with the discount offered for joining their wine club the price including shipping came down to just over $30 a bottle. My only regret was not having more storage at home.

Acacia was a bit of a disappointment. The tasting was held in the fermenting room and the smell was almost overpowering which detracted from the tasting. Crude wooden tables and an over enthusiastic host didn?t help. The wines were average and rarely reached the peaks we had expected. The best wine was the 05 Beckstoffe Pinot although this was overpriced at $85 compared with the more robust Etude Temblar.

We longed for a quality Pinto maker and were not disappointed in Etude. Unfortunately when we arrived they were expecting a bus load of wine Journalists and we got shunted off into reception to do a less formal tasting. It didn?t however detract from their great tasting Temblar Pinot Noir. A great full bodied Pinot with loads of strawberries and cherries in a classic US Pinot Style. At $60 it was well priced and should cellar well. The cheaper Carneros Pinot at $40 was one of our top 5 value wines. One low point however was their Pinot Rose, one has to ask why, but at $20 it won?t break the bank for the BBQ.

Jessup Cellars was a small retail shop in the old part of Napa and was a real treat. The tasting room was good and the host very knowledgeable and reacted well to our tastes and preferences. These smaller operations often reveal the best value wines in Napa and people should try to get at least two or three of these in during their trip. The two wines which for me were excellent were the 02 Cabernet and the 96 Zinfandel. The 02 was a solid balanced wine with a hint of mint on the nose but full of dark red fruit. The wine was $55 and represented a good value wine. The 96 Zinfandel ($55) however was at its peak, with spicy but mellow tannins structured with blackberries. I was told I bought the last case so an apology in advance but it probably goes to show how good the award winning 04 Zinfandel will be in a few years time.

Cliff Lede was recommended to us the previous day while we were on our tasting tour. It proved to be a good recommendation as we found a delightful Champagne Style (Diva) wine which at $40 was more in keeping with the European Brut style with the nutty autolysis and yeasty flavour favoured in France. This style is hard to find in Napa as most Sparking Wine is remarkably sweet despite having the Brut label. The host was efficient and the tasting room really good. Not sure about the expensive art gallery attached though! I also noted the 04 Stagecoach Cabernet as being noteworthy.

Right next door to Chimney Rock is Clos du Val. It was interesting to see potentially how quality control and wine making skills can change the quality and taste of wines. These neighbours produced two contrasting styles with the Clos du Val coming a distinct second to Chimney Rock. The only wine worth mentioning was the 2001 Cabernet Reserve, but at $95 I would recommend going next door and getting Chimney Rocks better offerings.

One of the cult favourites in Napa due to the idiosyncrasy of the tasting style of Del Dotto.

You embark on a tour involving tasting about 16 wines direct from the barrel, no mean feat. Our host was Damien who had tasted with us at Nickel and Nickel. He was a great host and very competent. The tour however, I felt was designed to sell volumes rather than quality and only one or two of the 16 were worth the relatively high prices. My favourite was the 9 Oaks a unique Cabernet matured in barrels made from 9 different oak trees.

The locals call this vineyard amusingly Del Blotto and if we had swallowed all 16 wines I can see why.

Chimney Rock was the starting place for day three, what better way to start the morning with such sumptuous wines. Although all around the $100 mark they were pure quality productions. The 01 Cabernet was a delight, full of dark fruit and toasted cherries. It was balanced and will benefit from further cellaring. It got one of highest marks of the week and was ?only? $80. Compared to others at similar prices it was head and shoulders a winner. Nice tasting room and knowledgeable host made the visit one of our favourites.

Peju a chateau style building in the same areas as Opus, Cakebread and Turnbull. The wine tasting room was impressive, not so the host who was somewhat forceful and condescending to start off with. The tasting room was popular and the wines were OK. The merlot was somewhat flat and uninspiring and the best of the tasting was the 06 Chardonnay

Turnbull is a smaller vineyard close to the famous three.(opus, N&N, Cakebread) The tasting room was compact and the hostess was knowledgeable and friendly. The wines were good solid Napa wines, nothing really exceptional but wines I would be more than happy to serve up at any dinner party. Our favourite was the Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc which had a remarkable peachy overtone mixed with honey. They also let us taste an experimental Cabernet Franc which was very good but as yet unreleased. One downside to the tasting room was the background smell of perfumed retail goods which did detract from the tasting.

You can?t visit Nape without noticing the impressive Opus landmark. An amazing structure combining classic architecture with ultra modern form. The tasting room was austere and there were only one wine to taste at $30 a glass. As this was the 03 vintage it seemed folly to taste it so young. We had already tasted this fairly recently and I rated it at a 92 point wine. It is a solid cabernet with ripe cherries and blackcurrants. Instead we purchased a case of Overture, their second wine which at $75 remains good value compared to the $$$ Opus One if you can get it.

Nickel and Nickel was an appointment only stop and we were ushered into a drawing room and given a nice glass of the 05 Chardonnay. There was a short introduction then we set off into the courtyard where a long time was spent extolling the virtues of barn building and how many millions they have spend restoring their barn. Mmmmm wonder where the millions came from?..we soon found out! The tasting room was excellent and the array of wines excellent. What came across was the almost fanatical attention to producing eclectic wines all with different flavours but none which were truly complex. I found the wines overall to be somewhat shallow and one dimensional. I guess this comes from the single grape single vineyard style. I would have preferred to see some better complex wines. Ironically their best wine, in my opinion, was what they called Lightning Strike and this was an error wine where a wine was blended accidentally. My pencil written note for this was ?great error should do it more often?!

I?d always liked their Cabernet wine in tastings and was looking forward to trying their other offerings. We were not to be disappointed. After a short tour we were led to a comfortable tasting room with our guide who talked us professionally through the wines. They were certainly excellent. Best of the bunch was the 04 Cabernet and the Sauvignon Blanc.

The 04 Cabernet is classic deep USA Cabernet with great black fruits (blackberries, ripe cherries and a hint of leather). The beautiful light Sauvignon was classic gooseberries and straw with a hint of old world mineral after taste which was really very refreshing and light. The only black mark I had to note about the Cakebread experience was the poor retail area which I hope was a temporary setup. It reminded me of a garage sale area!

I was actually very disappointed. None of the wines really impressed and the host was not really interested in discussing the wines or seeing what our tastes were. I suppose it was the end of a long day for him but left us with a bad impression. The best wine was the Trailside Cabernet but at $85 was overpriced for what was only an average wine scoring in the region of 84 points.

The caves are impressive, having been hewn out of solid rock and which provide storage to over 3000 barrels in perfect conditions. They only produce one wine and the grapes are all grown onsite. It is a blend of predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenere also showing. It is really a great wine and on tasting gave primary red fruit nose with blueberries, cassis, ripe tannins, vanilla, palate is dark fruits, oak & chocolate. This was the complexity I sought at Phelps but found it here at Quintessa. At $130 it presents better value than Insignia. They also let us taste a ?93 non produced version of the wine and this showed how this great wine ages. It?s a pity it?s not available as it had mellowed into a true US Cabernet with deep dark fruit.

A delightful family owned vineyard about half a mile from the main road. The tasting room was well prepared however we did all of our tasting outside which seemed strange. The first wine was their new 2006 Sauvignon Blanc and this got us off to a bad start. The wine was unbalanced and too acidic, leaving a curling of the tongue in its wake. It was strange they elected to produce this wine when their forte is Cabernet Sauvignon but apparently the winemaker liked Sauvignon Blanc. The tour took us around the gardens of the house, which although very beautiful didn?t really allow for serious tasting as there was limited seating. Without doubt their strength was the Cabernet and the 2004 Estate Cabernet was very good, if a little overpriced at $130. Dark black fruit and relatively soft tannins produced a balanced wine. I didn?t share their view on the complexity, but that was probably because the tasting was being held outside with other associated distractions.

In Stewart Dorman we found a really enthusiastic and skilled Pinot winemaker. The location was a bit hard to find but I?m glad we persevered as it was well worth the trip. Why Adrian Fog, well apparently it is named for Strength and the style of weather needed for great Pinot. Stewart assures me that the wines are best drunk ?as close to a full moon as possible?, who were we to argue! Undoubtedly the best wine was the Two Sisters 2006 which had great depth and finish. We even got to barrel taste some of the Pinot clones which was a great experience. Adrian Fog is truly great product from a modest and enthusiastic Pinot winemaker.

A retail style tasting room with loads of goodies for sale, thankfully this didn?t detract from the wine tasting. The wines were very aromatic in general with distinctive flavours associated with each one. It was easy to identify the grape varieties and they represented good solid wines. With pricing ranging from $20 to $50 they won?t break the bank but the higher priced wines faced serious competition on quality from similar priced wines.

Woodenhead?s winemaker was previously at Williams-Selyem and the quality shines though in these delightful wines. The tasting room is really comfortable with simple settings and a real knowledgeable host in Zina. The wines all exhibit delicate flavours and complex noses which just test your nose and palette to the extreme, was that rose petals I got just then? Mint, surely not and so it goes on. What Woodenhead have achieved here was to set out their stall in what is a unique brand of aromatic wines which are in contract to the fruit forward nature of the traditional Napa Sonoma blockbusters. It works. Highlight for me was the 2006 Russian river Pinot where I found the roses!

Opulent tasting rooms on the top of a mountain. Spectacular views of the redwood forests layered with mist in the early morning. Art sale in the tasting room, expensive glasses, fantastic views......oh yes and what about the wines? Well this is where the plot ends, it would appear that the name Gary Farrell has been bought by new producers and they have omitted to retain the winemaker or quality control. Higher priced wines but nothing really impressive. The best was ironically from grapes grown in the Roccioli vineyard. Now I ask myself, would Roccioli send his best grapes to a competitor? I think you have the answer.

A city centre tasting area with some bizarre names for wine labels such as 4Play, 3-Some blend and ?05 Climax. I?m sure there is some psychological reason why these names were selected but I just didn?t get the message. The wines themselves were generally good although I do have a concern that blending 6 major varietals into the ?05 Climax was something of a late night ?let?s try this? kind of wine, which on reflection wasn?t such a good idea. Still with nothing over $50 it won?t break the bank but I can?t imagine sitting family or guests down to a bottle of 4-play!

I really don?t know why we went here, this was the ultimate commercially run operation, the wines were lower end of the market fizzy wines and did nothing to impress or excite our taste buds. That said it is one of the leading sparkling wine producers on the West Coast but I can only assume the price point is the attraction at about $20. I?ve just remembered the Korbel refinery was on the way to the magnificent Redwood forest, now that WAS worth a visit.

In the middle of the countryside lies Moshin, distinguishable by its 8 foot hummingbird art sculpture made out of golf clubs and other pieces of scrap metal. The wines were very well balanced on the whole and demonstrated good quality control and ?clean? wines. The ?06 Russian River Pinot and the Late Harvest, made from the rarer Malvasia Bianca attracted our high scores and the rest scored comfortably in the high 80?s with the Pinots getting the highest marks.

Impressive building set back off the side road in Sonoma. The tasting room was a dedicated room with ample room for two or three groups. We tasted a complete range of wines around the $50 mark and were impressed with the ?06 Velvet Sisters. The 2006 Malolactic Chardonnay also impressed and should last well in the cellar.

Alderbrook has a stylish tasting room with a dedicated bar style area for tasting. The shop contains a full selection of previous vintages. The ?05 Wagon Wheel Zinfandel and ?03 Zinfandel Port shone as the best of the wines put forward. The hostess was friendly and keen to show us the complete range as well as discuss the wines on offer.

Situated on the main road the Martinelli tasting room was cluttered with the wine tasting almost being a second thought. I got the impression the host was bored and not interested and the wines reflected that attitude. A disappointing selection with nothing really standing out as exceptional. They were all priced in the $45 area. Better wines are to be found for these prices.

What an amazing place, steeped in history and still maintaining its traditional roots. I recommend going if only for the tour itself, it has that family, homely feel to it and the wines are excellent value. Pick of the crop was the ?06 Napa chardonnay which just shouted pineapple chunks! The whole place came across as great family affair and we had a very enjoyable time climbing in and out of the old wine vats.

Siduri is run by Texas winemakers with an obvious love of the Dallas Cowboys, all the vats are named after their stars! My guess is that the wine was designed around the Texas style of wine which is a brasher taste and mixes really well with the barbeque flavoured foods in the Lone Star State. The wines exhibited higher tannins than I would have expected and on most occasions these overpowered the fruit. The Clos Pepe ?06 was the flagship of the range but at $53 would not be my first choice.

Fantastic setting with comfortable seating area looking out over the vines and hills at Quail Hill. The wines were excellent although pricey ($70 Chardonnay and $100 5 Sisters Pinot). I found the 5 Sisters and the Quail Hill to be dominated by oak which really detracted from the underlying fruit. It will be interesting to see if these stand up to cellaring and the tannins mellow.

Already a star in Sonoma, Merry Edwards provided a perfect setting for the breakfast tasting. It?s always hard to start off first thing in the morning but this vineyard made our job a lot easier. Individual tasting room and a perfect host meant that we were soon appreciating the finer points of the wine. Their ?07 Sauvignon Blanc stole the show for me, a great combination of pineapples, pears and minerals with a great oily finish. With a $27 price tag this was one of our top ten value wines.

Arista has one of the most tranquil settings for wine drinking you could imagine. The Japanese gardens to the rear of the property just make the whole experience almost surreal. We sat and ate lunch there with one of their great wines and the time just flew by while we gazed over the distant mountains covered in snow framed by Japanese maple trees. The Arista wines traditionally score well in blind tastings and the ?06 Russian River Valley was noteworthy in its great finish. Friendly staff and a friendly setting - what a perfect combination.

We stopped at J Vineyard by accident as the nearby Rodney Strong was suffering a water failure. So it was an unknown quantity. It proved to be a revelation. The carefully branded and stylish design was appealing and the wines gave us a glimpse of how good Pinot can be when treated well. We loved the Robert Thomas Pinot and the tasting flight was well structured and demonstrated by a knowledgeable host who made us feel most welcome.

Another vineyard which has links to ?The Whitehouse? . You have to say that these people up there in Washington do have impeccable taste. We loved the ?07 pinot and managed to get hold of 6 bottles each. When we asked about joining the ?A list? we were told it was about a 7 year waiting list. Oh well let?s hope it comes down to 6 with the recession. They also showed a very solid Sauvignon Blanc which was crisp and elegant with great balance.

The Twomey tasting room was moderna nd impressive with views ver the valley.
The Twomey range has always been synonymous with quality, being associated with Silver Oak. The host was perfect, knew her wines and was keen to talk and share her knowledge. I was lucky to pick up one of the last 2005 Pinots which have been stored away for a rainy day. Great quality and a reasonable price. The ?99 Merlot was definitely the best wine, and even for a non merlot drinker I was secretly impressed. (Please don?t tell anyone!)

If ever there was a more rustic setting then I would be amazed. This for me was a great experience, no pretentiousness and good solid down to earth wine making based on fully organic growing. The ?06 Zinfandel was the star wine and at $34 was good value and should mature beautifully as it has good balance. The wine tasting table was on old bowling alley lane!! Well worth a visit. They also have the most magnificent dogs !

Initial Report

Disappointing wine tasting area as it resembles a cloakroom attendant?s counter. I got the impression that the whole tasting experience was scripted and was recited parrot fashion as there appeared little interest in selling us wines or even extolling their virtues. The wines didn?t represent good value and nothing noteworthy was presented.

Follow Up
I was contacted my the owner who expressed concern at my observations and revealed that the individual had in fact left their employment shortly after. I re-tasted the wines and accept that my judgement was indeed clouded by the experience and the wines were most acceptable especially the Syrah/Tempranillo Blend.

In the middle of nowhere really, with a shared rustic tasting room. It was deceptive from the outside and quite pleasant inside. Ranged from $35 to $58 with a high point being their ?06 Rued Chardonnay. They provide grapes for some of the top end producers and their range is satisfactory if not that impressive.

Served at the Whitehouse is their claim to fame and you can see why! The champagne style wines gave a broad range of flavours enough to satisfy most pallets from the sweeter US favoured styles to the older yeasty French dominated styles. The flooding on the road meant we had a considerable detour to get to the tasting room but it was well worth it. The host Damon was great, knew a lot about the wines and wine making in general. The tasting area gave great views over the nearby valley and added to the rustic setting and tasting experience. Their still wines (chardonnay and Pinot) were also very good quality and the star surprise for me was the T-T BDX 3 (strange name, good taste)

This was a smaller tasting room off the main road with a great range of wines. The host was very knowledgeable and keen to show off all the wines. All-in-all a good experience. Nothing stood out as exceptional although perhaps that is a bit unfair as they were all very drinkable. They also had one of the largest cats I have seen for a long time!!

Having visited Adrian Fog and come away on a high from the previous day we didn?t think we could follow that. Limerick Lane was an unscheduled drop in and, boy, were we glad we did. 4 wines of great style and quality mainly Zinfandel and Syrah varietals. Ross Battersby, the winemaker, was a perfect host who was keen to show us around and even tried to persuade us to swim in the bottle shaped swimming pool in February. We may also be British Ross but not that stupid !
The star of the show was without doubt the ?Furmint?. When I first tasted this it was so obviously Tokaji and wonderfully made. As an indication we bought every one of the Limerick Lane range including the Furmint.

This was probably the most disappointing winetasting experience of the whole trip. I was expecting great things of La Crema having liked their ?Standard Pinot? at $20. The shop however was a disappointment, the hostess was more interested in telling everyone about cookery rather than wines and the single vineyard wines just didn?t make the grade given the higher cost. The 2007 Anderson was the best but at $50 there are better wines available for the same money. My advice is to stick to the $20 Pinot and save your money for better wines.

Another city centre outlet off the main square in Healdsburg, I was impressed with their Viognier and Desert Syrah. We were fortunate to catch the last of the ?Chateau Labelled? wines which were being sold off at half price but even so at $22 for a good viognier it still represented good value. At $11 it was a steal! The tasting room is comfortable and spacious with plenty of light, it made tasting a pleasure.

In the middle of Healdsburg on the main street is the beautifully themed Toad Hollow retail outlet. Their wines are very reasonably priced and very suitable for everyday drinking. Their top of the range Rods Pride is an award winning wine and won?t break the bank at $40. Was put off by the vegetal smell associated with the McDowell Merlot but was assured it was ?normal?!! Wines are widely available across the states.

One not to avoid we were told but in all truthfulness it wasn?t that brilliant. It is a small boutique style tasting area, very dark and full of T-Shirts and goodies to buy. The wines were of good quality but I felt that they generally lacked the intense fruit favours which Sonoma is so famous for. Best of the bunch was the Peters Vineyard which was the more classic of the wines.

When you first find Teldeschi sitting on the top of a hill in a metal framed building it doesn?t look that appetising. Just goes to show how appearances can be deceptive and I suppose it?s rather akin to buying wine because of the label. Dan Teldeschi, the winemaker, is an genial host who went out of his way to tell us all about the wines and how he makes them. A great lesson indeed. He produces some great wines all at reasonable prices although some might say his choice of cap seals is eclectic!

Ed Sbragia was originally at Beringer and decided to branch out and make his own wines. Good decision! The tasting room and terrace offer great views of the vineyards and surrounding valleys. All his Zinfandels are named after family members; the ?05 ?Ginos? (Gino was the winemakers father) is the pick of the bunch. Classic peppery overtones in cherries and dark fruit are the dominant flavours. The only issue here was the multiple aromas in the tasting room created by candles and other such paraphernalia.

The bulk of Geyser Peak?s wines are for the mass commercial market but hidden from view are some fine single vineyard productions. I was pleasantly surprised with the ?07 ?Block Chardonnay? and the ?08 Sauvignon Blanc. They have a ?Reserve Tasting Room? upstairs and it affords views of their cellars and storage areas. Just as we were leaving the hostess asked us we would like to try one of their Tawny Ports and I?m glad she did. Butterscotch, milk chocolate and roasted hazelnuts produced from barrel aged zinfandel. All for $21, delightful!

It may seem rather strange to start a trip to the Russian River with a visit to a traditional Cabernet Sauvignon producer; there was a method in my madness. I know and love Silver Oak and their wines have something for everyone. I wanted to start the trip with a success and also to make sure we could concentrate on Pinots and Zinfandels from then on. The tasting rooms at Silver Oak were impeccable, the staff friendly under the guidance of Darla and very knowledgeable. We arrived in the pouring rain and walked into room with an open warm fire and some great wine. We started with the ?04 Alexander Valley, a US style 100% Cabernet Sauvignon which gave lashings of black fruit with a deep red colour. In contrast the ?04 Napa Valley was more French in style being a blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. In fact Silver Oak was so friendly that we went back there on the last day to buy some more!

I heard about MacPhail from a tasting in Wine Enthusiast where it scored highly. These wines were definitely in our top 10. Just great Pinot made by enthusiastic people which a good eye for quality. We tasted 4 Pinots all of which I would be most willing to serve at a dinner party (and most definitely will!) The MacPhail vineyard is just starting to get well known and should be a real force in Sonoma if they keep producing wines of this quality. I suggest you get on their mailing list as soon as possible. James MacPhail and Gabriel Rickets have really got their act together and will be up there challenging the best producers in no time whatsoever. The tasting bar was delightfully unique, being a pewter, riveted construction!