Jul

7

tasting-room.jpgWe chose to visit Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, in Napa Valley’s picturesque and low-key Stags Leap District, primarily due to the winery’s historic role in the famous Paris tasting of 1976.  We had expected throngs of tourists and tour buses, given the winery’s significance in California wine history.  Fortunatey for us, since we’re really not much for big crowds, our preconceived notions about the winery proved wrong: even upon arriving, we found ourselves admiring its seeming peacefulness and serene setting.  We noticed, for example, that lush vegetation shielded the parking lot from traffic on the main road, and up the shady hill toward the winery’s main buildings, we caught a glimpse of a couple of cozy teak benches surrounded by shady trees.  We were immediately impressed. 

bench-shaded-by-trees.jpgAs we made our way into the slightly dark – but charming – wooden tasting room, we had no trouble getting through to a staff member with wine ready to pour.  Although I still am curious to know what a glass of the $175 Cab would have tasted like, we opted for the cheaper of the two tasting menus ($15 vs. $40), which included a few whites, a Merlot, and a Cabernet Sauvignon.  While we did not end up purchasing a bottle of anything, we liked (surprise, surprise) the Cab the best.

We were delighted that our visit to Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars was gratifying on more than just a historical level.       

www.Cask23.com
5766 Silverado Trail
Napa, California 94558
(707) 944-2020

Jun

30

pine-ridge-winery.jpgWe 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 villa from the outside with its pastel-colored stucco walls and colorful flowers decorating the entrance, clings to the foot of steep vine-covered hills, each with layers of trees that climb from base to peak and gently follow the hills’ contours.  

The tasting room itself was airy and modern, with large-tiled floors, wood-panelled, curved tasting bars, and pale-yellow and stone walls.  We were presented with an option of two tasting menus, one for $15, which included Rose, Chardonnay, and Malbec, amongst others, and another for $25, which included four different styles of Cabernet Sauvignon.  We recommend shelling out the extra $10 for the latter menu, which would allow you to experience high-end and extraordinarily high-quality Cabernets without having to drop, $55, $80, $85, or $100 respectively. 

We left Pine Ridge Winery and, indeed, the Stag’s Leap District (which is located in a region that we had always associated with tourism) feeling as though we had discovered a gem.  Of course, given the winery’s fame, we are by no means the first to have experienced this feeling!

www.PineRidgeWinery.com
5901 Silverado Trail
Napa, California 94558
(800) 486-0503

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