More on great wines that I can’t forget. We started this in the last blog with my list of the 15 wines that I want to drink again. These are wines that stand out in my memory. Most were tasted at the winery and perhaps some of why I like them is because of the atmosphere or the day. Any way we are back with 5 more of those wines and today we begin with
Grgich Hills if I remember correctly was only the 2nd winery we visited in Napa. The experience was good and informative (when I say informative you can read: Robin liked the people in the tasting room!). We left with a split of the Fume Blanc and directions to Gott’s Roadside with directions to pair with the Ahi Burger. It was raining and we were in the tent with tables behind the place and I was very happy. Perhaps I was just really hungry, perhaps it was that I love ahi, perhaps because I was just learning about pairings and the guidance made me a little giddy. At the time I only new a little about Mike Grgich (like that when you watch bottle shock…he was the winemaker behind that historic wine!) and I knew nothing about Joel Gott. This was a memorable wine for me, I think, due to the place and time in my wine education.
The tiniest tasting room on the planet is in Los Olivos, CA and I have waxed poetic on this place quite often. So yes…the atmosphere and the people play a big part in why I love this wine. But this one I will go on the record for saying, even if you take all that away, I would still be enamored by this wine. I love bold Pinots with smoke, meat and barnyard. This Pinot on the other hand was elegant and delicate and smelled of violets. I was completely taken off guard and transported. I adore this wine and cherish the experience of this tasting.
So this wine we did not taste at the vineyard! I love Tablas Creek and we have been there twice and are very proud to be wine club members, but this particular wine was given to me as a gift from a friend. I cannot thank Laurie and Al enough for giving me this glimpse into Vermentino. This simple Italian white is not fancy but really fulfilling. We make sure to pick up a bottle whenever we visit now.
We stumbled upon this vineyard at the recommendation from someone in another tasting room. The property is lovely as you can see by the vineyard view. They are on a hilltop with chickens running free and a lake on the property. Terry Hoage played footbal at the University of Georgia in the 80’s and then played 13 seasons in the NFL as a free safety. They moved to Paso to build a home and put in a small vineyard for landscaping. That evolved into a love for growing grapes and then making wine. The tasting room was elegant and the staff well educated on wine. This was the last wine we tasted that day and we left with a split that I covet in my wine cellar. I’m afraid to drink it! I don’t want it to be gone!
It’s a struggle to get me on the Petite Sirah bandwagon. I find it often inky and sometimes cloying. Our tasting at Vino Robles included the cheese pairings and that might have set me over the edge. It was heaven. I know it is here in a previous blog post, but we had a cheese with coffee and lavender that was stunning and this Petite Sirah was gorgeous. Was I affected by the elegant surroundings, by the informative and friendly staff, by the gorgeous cheese, by the comradery with other patrons during our tasting? Perhaps, but I still want to drink this wine again.
Stay tuned for the last 5 of my wines I can’t forget in the next post!