Bacchus & Beery Wine Blog

Sep 192010
 

Caymus Cabernet Vineyard

Donna and I began Sunday morning at the Napa Valley Coffee Roasting Company located a couple of blocks off Main Street in St. Helena. The coffee shop has a great old house feel and was full of locals. The late harvest and cool summer seemed to be hot topics of conversation.  The coffee was excellent, possibly the best soy latte I have ever had, as were the pastries. I had an oatcake that while it may not sound too exciting was delicious. After Donna devoured her Asiago cheese bagel, we were once again ready to start our day with a 10AM wine tasting. Hopefully, you see what tough duty being a wine blogger can be, being stuck in a beautiful place, with great people and amazing wine. It is not for the weak or faint of heart. Continue reading »

Sep 162010
 

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Wineauxs Unite!…

It appeared that the momentum behind the ludicrous H.R. 5034 had waned, but just this Monday retiring Congressman Delahunt of Massachusetts re-filed HR 5034, aka the C.A.R.E. Bill, with some minor changes. He is also asking that the bill be heard before congress adjourns this year. The rumor is a hearing may be scheduled as early as September 29th. Why the rush? Doesn’t Congress have bigger problems than your wine club shipment?

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Sep 152010
 

Saturday was intended to be a bit of a down day for us but even so, the calendar began to fill quickly. Today like most mornings began with a 10 AM tasting which brings me to a Donna quote, “one of the best things about wine country is that you can start drinking wine at 10 AM and no one judges you ;-).” Continue reading »

Sep 122010
 

Day 3 – Guilty Pleasures Day

This day the theme was Guilty Pleasures because both Donna and I got to pick out long time favorite vineyards to visit. For Donna the choice was easy as she is addicted to the lush, rich and creamy flavors of Rombauer Chardonnay (The favorite drink of Cougars everywhere). For me, we ventured up Howell Mountain and through the quaint town of Angwin to visit the Dunn family of Dunn Vineyards – Howell Mountain Cabernet fame.

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Sep 112010
 

Emertus Pinot Noir Grapes Approaching Harvest

If you  look at a map of Napa and Sonoma it appears that the trip between them is just a short hop from one wine country to another. The drive from Napa to Sonoma can take 45 minutes to an hour through beautiful winding mountain roads. The two areas both make great wine but in many ways that’s where the similarities end. One person told me to think of Napa as Las Vegas and Sonoma as Reno. The description isn’t far off. To me Sonoma is very reminiscent of the Napa I first visited 27 years ago. The countryside has much more of a rural feel and the folks seem much more casual and relaxed.Our first stop was Emeritus Pinot. Continue reading »