On the wine trail, Part 1

I wake up to piles and piles of tasting notes, brochures, and scattered thoughts about all the stories I intend on sharing with you about our adventures in search of elegant, old world style wines and tasting huge well known, expensive wines of Napa Valley (and Mendocino) and our impressions.

Mendocino is all Pinot Noir and abandoned barns and farm country

Victor, my roommate, partner in epicurean crime and fellow harvest intern and I have spent this fall in search of different and unique, trying hard to get off the bold, fruit forward Cabernet path that is distinctively Californian and search for passionate wine makers with a palate for more acidic, complex and subtle French wines.

Chateau Montelena known for beating out French chardonnay in the 1976 Paris tasting surprised us with their delicate Zinfindel and Cabernet Sauvignon. We chatted with the cellar workers and saw their old school methods and the use of old barrels (as opposed to new oak) which make for a subtler and more expressive wine

As harvest quickly came to an end, we took advantage of our industry status, receiving royal treatment and free tastings everywhere we went-- we have spent the last week on the wine trail. So, enjoy some pictures from the trip, as I sit out in the mid-November 70 degree weather and sort out all these notes and stories to tell...

Chateau Montelena's award winning bottle

In the caves at Schramsburg. Sparkling wine in its second fermentation to sit in this cave for up to six years, untouched.

In the caves at Quintessa: a biodynamic, organic winery that I adore and will write a separate blog about the experience

Quintessa

Quintessa's vines, on of the most peaceful, serene locations of Napa Valley

Opus One-- the Mondavi/Rothschild creation far exceeded my expectation. The property and wine were both elegance and smooth (though the price point was way too high at $190 a bottle)

End of harvest vineyards...the season comes to a close