Napa Valley, Mountains and Hillsides
In mid April I attended the second part of the Tour of Napa Tasting held at the Dallas Country Club. This presentation was provided by the club sommelier, Aaron Benson. He has had extensive travels in the Napa region and has become quite the oenologist of that part of California! Before tasting the wines he spoke about that night, I knew each one would be amazingly delicious!
And they were!
And they were!
Listed below are the wines we tasted and a link to the website of each winery where you can discover for yourself the beautiful region of Napa Valley, California.
The reception took place in the ballroom where Aaron greeted us with a nice 2012 Cade Sauvignon Blanc, ($44). Cade Winery is located on Howell Mountain and is the first LEED Gold Certified estate winery in Napa, which is an environmental responsibility and commitment to preserve the land on which the winery is built.
Howell Mountain is known for producing the finest Cabernet, and this Sauvignon Blanc is amazing!
The second wine Aaron offered guests was a 2011 Pride Merlot, ($60) from Pride Mountain Vineyards. This luscious Merlot from Spring Mountain is described as a Cab Lover's Merlot. It certainly is delicious in my opinion!
I found a seat at the back of the room with a sweet couple whom Don and I have come to love being around. They asked me to sit with them since Don hadn't arrived yet. On the table at each setting was a placemat of the wines we would be tasting along with six wine glasses already poured for tasting. Aaron began his slide presentation about the Napa vineyards he had visited while we tasted each wine. He is a walking book of knowledge about wine. I can ask him anything and I have never stumped him yet! He knows what we like and always surprises us with great unheard of wines to try.
Our first wine was a 2008 Black Bart Syrah Stagecoach Vineyard ($65) from Krupp Brothers. Don and I had met Dr. Jan Krupp last spring during a Krupp Brothers wine dinner at the DCC. This wine is 98% Syrah and 2% Viognier, and has a beautiful dark garnet color with blueberry, vanilla, ripe raspberry and toasted oak flavors. Delicious!
The next wine was a 2009 Cade Cabernet Sauvignon ($80), from Howell Mountain. Chocolate, mint, vanilla bean, and currant flavors are revealed on the palette. This is a luscious wine worth every penny.
Going around the placemat, our next wine was my very favorite! It was a 2008 Spring Mountain Vineyard "Elivette" Meritage ($125). This winery dates back to the 1870's and has a very interesting history. Elivette is a classic Bordeaux wine from a 19th century vineyard on the eastern slopes of Spring Mountain. Aromas of dark berry fruit, cinnamon spice, and dry cocoa. Soft and elegant flavors of raspberry jam, black cherry and espresso with a long, slow finish. Superb! I couldn't get enough of it!
The next wine was a 2011 Barnett Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon ($75). We met the Barnetts at the DCC last fall at a private wine dinner featuring their wines. Lovely people and amazing wines. What's not amazing from Napa, right?
This is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petite Verdot.
The next wine was a 2010 David Arthur Vineyards "Meritaggio" Blend Pritchard Hill ($65). Their website is currently undergoing renovation, so I couldn't find out specifics about the wine. I can't remember everything I taste, so I always rely on the website to help me. I did make note that they originally only produced Chardonnay and still make a very limited amount. I do remember how fantastic it was though!
The second wine Aaron offered guests was a 2011 Pride Merlot, ($60) from Pride Mountain Vineyards. This luscious Merlot from Spring Mountain is described as a Cab Lover's Merlot. It certainly is delicious in my opinion!
I found a seat at the back of the room with a sweet couple whom Don and I have come to love being around. They asked me to sit with them since Don hadn't arrived yet. On the table at each setting was a placemat of the wines we would be tasting along with six wine glasses already poured for tasting. Aaron began his slide presentation about the Napa vineyards he had visited while we tasted each wine. He is a walking book of knowledge about wine. I can ask him anything and I have never stumped him yet! He knows what we like and always surprises us with great unheard of wines to try.
Our first wine was a 2008 Black Bart Syrah Stagecoach Vineyard ($65) from Krupp Brothers. Don and I had met Dr. Jan Krupp last spring during a Krupp Brothers wine dinner at the DCC. This wine is 98% Syrah and 2% Viognier, and has a beautiful dark garnet color with blueberry, vanilla, ripe raspberry and toasted oak flavors. Delicious!
The next wine was a 2009 Cade Cabernet Sauvignon ($80), from Howell Mountain. Chocolate, mint, vanilla bean, and currant flavors are revealed on the palette. This is a luscious wine worth every penny.
Going around the placemat, our next wine was my very favorite! It was a 2008 Spring Mountain Vineyard "Elivette" Meritage ($125). This winery dates back to the 1870's and has a very interesting history. Elivette is a classic Bordeaux wine from a 19th century vineyard on the eastern slopes of Spring Mountain. Aromas of dark berry fruit, cinnamon spice, and dry cocoa. Soft and elegant flavors of raspberry jam, black cherry and espresso with a long, slow finish. Superb! I couldn't get enough of it!
The next wine was a 2011 Barnett Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon ($75). We met the Barnetts at the DCC last fall at a private wine dinner featuring their wines. Lovely people and amazing wines. What's not amazing from Napa, right?
This is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petite Verdot.
The next wine was a 2010 David Arthur Vineyards "Meritaggio" Blend Pritchard Hill ($65). Their website is currently undergoing renovation, so I couldn't find out specifics about the wine. I can't remember everything I taste, so I always rely on the website to help me. I did make note that they originally only produced Chardonnay and still make a very limited amount. I do remember how fantastic it was though!
The last wine Aaron presented was a Montagna 2010 "Tre Vigneti" Cabernet Sauvignon ($52) from Pritchard Hill. This is a dark ruby red wine with flavors of baked cherry, licorice, and milk chocolate. Yummy!
That's the end of the Tour of Napa, Pt. 2. We enjoyed great food, awesome wine, good friends and fellowship, and a night out!
Thank you Aaron Benson for the fine job of sharing your travels with the patrons of the DCC. We can't wait to hear where you travel to next time!
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