We were thoroughly pleased with our visit to Pine Ridge Winery, in Napa Valley’s Stags Leap District, last Sunday — the location was gorgeous, the tasting room’s atmosphere lively, the pourers friendly, and the wine, exquisite.  As we pulled into the winery’s parking area, we were struck by the unique beauty of the setting.  The tasting room, which resembles an Italian […]

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This is the kind of Pinot Noir that we love, with its gorgeous, light intensity, ruby color that masks a hefty body and bright, earthy aromatics.  The nose reminded us a lot of Beaujolais Nouveaux, with its unmistakable wet forest and berry scents, but that likeness ended when we sipped and felt the impressive, full-sized texture and palate-cleansing burst of acidity in our mouths.
Frankly, […]

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Below are the events that we recommend for this weekend and beyond.  Click on an event’s title to visit that event’s official web site.

California

San Francisco

Pinot Days 2008: June 28 - 29; see website for ticket pricing details.  Just a reminder, as reported in our June 4th “Don’t Miss” posting. 

Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara Wine Festival: June 28, 2 - 5 p.m.; $75.  A great […]

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On Sunday, we visited a winery in the Stag’s Leap district of Napa whose Cabernets were out of this world — we’re talking layers and layers of interesting scents, including coffee, tobacco, chocolate, caramel, smoke, and molasses.  The catch was, of course, a hugely steep price tag, which meant that we would return home empty-handed. 
On the bright […]

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