Remember the movie Bottle Shock a few years ago? This is the wine that was in it, and has a big role in the history of wine in this country. Most people hear Chardonnay and think big and oaky – which is what most California Chardonnay is at this point. But that’s not how it … Continue reading »
Forget Cosmo’s. Sex and the City also had tons of Champagne, a few bottles of wine, and Big even wound up moving to Napa. Oh, and look whose glass is empty? Miss that show. Continue reading »
Straight up I’m going to tell you it’s over $400 so just know that going into this post. That said, it’s one of those wines that’s so EFFING good you’d feel like it was worth it. grape: Cabernet producer: Dana (pronounced “dahna”). It’s the owner’s nickname, which means “generosity” in Sanskrit. And the lotus flower on their labels represents … Continue reading »
In the 50s, Jack Cakebread had a car repair business, Cakebread’s Garage. But he’d also studied with photographer Ansel Adams and, in 1972, was hired to take wine country photos for a book. While snapping pictures in Napa, Jack visited some old family friends and wound up buying their property. Cakebread Cellars was born. Now it’s an iconic … Continue reading »
Forget about football and beer. Everyone needs to be all in on wine for game day. Know who agrees with me? Rick Mirer, ex quarterback for the Seahawks. He’s been making wine in Napa for the past five years. Love football, love wine, love anyone who can bring the two together! Here’s what he told me … Continue reading »
“My father was a classic gentleman.” This is what Bernard Portet said about his dad, who was the technical director at Château Lafite in Bordeaux back int he day, while we tasted his wines. Well, the grape doesn’t fall far from the vine. Bernard is French, charming (obviously), and a Napa legend who has made amazing … Continue reading »
It was obvious the Giants were going to win the World Series for two reasons: 1) Their name is the Giants, and all Giants rule sports. 2) They celebrated with the better bubbly (Mumm Napa versus the Tigers’ non-alcoholic Fre Brut). This was a no-brainer sweep. I do wish journalists would stop saying these teams … Continue reading »
We’ve got our World Series, people! Who’s more excited than grapefriend? Well, a lot of people. But I AM excited to have our final champagne showdown (even though technically most teams have celebrated with sparkling wine, not Champagne, but I digress…). Seems that our bubbly baseballers are pretty loyal to their brands. When the Tigers … Continue reading »
The whole week in Napa and Sonoma was awesome, but here were a few moments that were extra awesome. 1 drinking Cab Franc next to the vineyard where it came from We drink a lot of wine. But really it all comes down to one thing: a grape. People talk a lot about how that … Continue reading »
Visited lots of wineries last week. One that stood out was Cliff Lede (pronounced “lay-dee”). Had already tasted and loved the wine, but the place is cool too for a bunch of reasons. the double hearts When you walk through the entry room, you enter this great garden with these double hearts by Jim Dine. … Continue reading »
