Nov 7, 2017
“I really, strongly feel that I want there to be some character about the fire in the wines. This is part of the vintage, and it’s going to be a part of my life, remembering this event. In 10 years, if I sit down and have a bottle of that smoky Cabernet, I want to remember the vintage…At the same time, I don’t want the wines to be disgusting.” If there we ever more authentic words from a true grape…
Oct 13, 2017
In moments of disaster, there are always people who step up and go well beyond what could well be expected of them. At 4:11am on Monday Morning, Sarah Stierch, a wine writer located in the town of Sonoma, set out on what has and continues to be a heroic effort to keep her community members informed during what is surely the most trying moments of their lives. At 4:11am on that early morning Sarah sent out this message via Twitter: Westside of…
Oct 4, 2017
A little bit of hell broke loose in Napa Valley recently. And the devil still seems to be on the loose. In 2016 a group of “environmentalists” who seem to be bent on rolling back the wine industry in the Valley gathered enough signatures to put an “Oak Woodlands Preservation” initiative on the local ballot. It was an onerous piece of legislation that would have essentially removed property owners’ rights to plant new vineyards in the Valley because five-inch wide…
Oct 3, 2017
This is the week the Professional Golf Tour comes to Wine Country in the form of the Safeway Open being played at Silverado Country Club in Napa. By all accounts, it’s becoming a more and more popular stop on the top professional golf tour based on its location and the hospitality of the Silverado Country Club. Equally alluring is that it occurs in the middle of harvest. In honor of the Tour coming to Napa this week and the deep…
Sep 8, 2017
Richard Mendelson’s newish book, “Appellations Napa Valley” is a fantastic tome. Written in a personal, first person voice that reflects Mendelson’s vast experience with the development of the Valley’s various sub appellations as well as his obvious and genuine affinity for this part of the world, the coffee table-style book is a unique and necessary addition to the Napa Valley Wine bibliography. However, the subject of the book brings up an important question that has been asked before: Do Napa…