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| Wine Country |
Having sold wine at the inn, we were able to hook up with several wineries for "trade" visits, thanks to Sam at Pine State Trading, our wine wholesaler in Maine. Wow, they just got better throughout the day, or was it the wine that just kept getting better throughout the day?....
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| Honig's solar array |
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Ballentine's tasting room "landscaping"
(Tom & Renee, this one's for you) |
Anyway, we began at Honig Winery for a vineyard tour, exclusive tasting and visit from Michael Honig, the owner. Wine at 10:00am is a very interesting way to start the day. It was a good start to some tours that did really seem to get better as the trip progressed. Honig is a sustainable winery, powering the operation almost exclusively with solar power. Their Sauvignon Blanc Reserve was really outstanding, but not a wine we can get in Maine.
Next, we were off for a tasting only at Ballentine on the recommendation of the innkeeper. Their "Block 9" Zinfandel was outstanding and opened our eyes to a red other than Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux.
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| Exclusive "Library" Tasting at Freemark Abbey |
Some regular guests at Noble House had gifted us a bottle of "Cab Sauv" (as they say here) from Freemark Abbey years ago and we never forgot how good it was and so, of course, we had to pay a visit there too. Once they heard we were in the trade, we were treated to a very expensive tasting of four of their library wines. These are wines that have been set aside from different vintages over the years (I believe that their library goes back decades) and which they make available to their wine club members only, at exclusive prices (i.e. $$$$) Who were we to refuse?!? If only we could afford what we fell in love with.
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| Jessup Vineyard's Cheese Plate |
By 2:00, with no lunch in our tummies and an appointment that included a cheese plate, we were quick to move on to our last stop of the day at Jessup Winery. This young start-up by a doctor-turned-vineyard owner, was a fantastic way to end the day. Our host for this last tasting was a young fellow with energy and, as always, a love of wine. Because our innkeeper set up the appointment, it too was complimentary. Woo whoooo!!! Jessup's tasting room is an art gallery with little private nooks where you and your host can converse about the diffident and ephemeral qualities of the wine. Blah blah blah. We say, "it's good - let's drink it" and so we did.
Back to the inn for our complimentary en suite massages. We felt like we had the golden touch for getting a lot of extras here in Napa. Anyway, didn't think I had that much wine, but it's been 25 years since the bed spun. OK - Note to self "spit more tomorrow."
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| Road north out of Napa |
Dinner at an Italian restaurant in downtown Napa was scrumptious. The funny thing was that we were seated right next to the same couple that we were seated right next to at Bouchon's the night before. Do do do do. We simply picked up our visit where we left off last night. He's from Detroit. She's from Hawaii.... Back to the inn for another good night's sleep.
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