Celebrating Four-Legged Friends with Some of the Best Wines I Ever Drank

Wine Reviews and Ratings

Some nights just call for an incredible roster of wine… Within the past couple of months, our closest friends, who happen to live just down the Living Napa Cabulousstreet, lost their two sweet dogs, “Wile E” (yellow) and Sullivan aka “Sully” (brown and white) to old age. When Sully passed yesterday, we collectively knew it was the right time to grab some of our most special wines from the cellar. We took time to look at old photos and share funny stories about these furry boys in their youth and turned the night into more of a celebration. Both wine enthusiasts, we opened four bottles and toasted to great pets past and present, a delicious meal and good, lifelong friendships. Together, we pooled four mind-blowing bottles from the West Coast of the U.S. and Australia. I love Napa wine because it’s what I know. I do enjoy opening my palate to wine from other areas in an effort to continue to broaden my knowledge and appreciation.

Wine Reviews and Ratings

I think I could even go out on a limb to say these were four of the best wines I’ve ever had:

  • Lewis Cellars 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley – The tone of our night was set with this beautiful, fruit-forward wine, produced by former pro race car driver, Randy Lewis. It’s a complex 100% Cabernet with grapes from Calistoga and Oak Knoll.  It began with aromas of cocoa, black fruit and spice and included flavors of oak, anise and chocolate. This vibrant wine had elegant supple tannins and a dramatic finish. Rating: 4.63 Continue reading Celebrating Four-Legged Friends with Some of the Best Wines I Ever Drank

Napa Valley Wine Reviews and Ratings

A Tale of Two Mountain Wines

One of the many things that intrigue me about wine is how the geography and environmental conditions of grapes can influence its “personality” so greatly – even within the same region. Mountain-sourced wines are especially known for their structure and ageability due to the stress the vines endure during the growing process. In higher elevations, rainfall drains to the valley below, making these grapes much more concentrated. To our benefit, this produces truly unique and complex wines.

Heading into New Year’s Eve, we opened two drastically different Napa Valley mountain icons.

Wine Reviews and Ratings
  • Vieux-OS 2009 Old Vine Zinfandel (Black Sears Vineyard) – Schrader Cellars produces this full-bodied wine from 35-year-old Howell Vieux-OS 2009Mountain vines. Zinfandel is known for its spice and bright fruit but this one really stood out for its pepper notes. Wine tasting can be a fairly subjective experience, but everyone in my group paused and commented on the pepper domination. I also noticed subtle hints of blackberry and oak. I have to call out that this wine is available by invitation from Schrader or through specialty channels, but figured some of my readers may be cellaring this and curious to know how it’s drinking currently.  Rating: 3.5. Continue reading Napa Valley Wine Reviews and Ratings