Casa Nuestra

"Casa Nuestra" means "our house" and, true to the name, this family-owned winery goes for a casual, comfortable feel. I first tasted their wine a week ago at the Mustard, Mud, and Music festival and I liked both the Symphony (a varietal you don't see often around here, despite the fact that it was created at UC Davis. This is only the third one I've tried, the other two being at Volcano Winery at Volcano N.P. in Hawaii, and at Maple Creek / Artevino Wines in Anderson Valley) and the Tinto (a "field blend" of various varietals grown on the same field and harvested and processed at the same time together). I've also passed the winery, located on Silverado Trail north of Deer Park Road, on various occasions, but have never visited.

After dealing with the utterly unfriendly pretentiousness of Cade Winery up on Howell Mountain, the laid-back vibe here is a welcome change -- their flyer says you can "bring your dogs... or your goats!" and, indeed, they have two goats on the property, Nava (a total ham, as long as you're feeding) and A.P. (who has started to catch on and learn from Nava). This was also the site where the opening scene of the Elvis movie Wild in the Country was filmed in 1961. The owner of the property is a big Elvis fan, but didn't know this little piece of trivia when he bought the grounds, so he's pretty excited about that and you can find all sorts of little Elvis memorabilia and kitsch in the tasting room.

As for the wines themselves, they are pretty decent. They do not try to be anything they are not, and the pricetags are accordingly reasonable -- most are in the $20-$30 range, with a few in the $30-$40 range. As far as I know, there's no tasting fee, and we got a discount (10 or 15 percent... I never actually checked) for being local Napa Neighbors.

The reds are very drinkable, but personally I find them a little bit sour or acidic for my tastes (but Sarah is more into that); we did end up buying a 100% Carignan ($32) because that is a grape you don't see every day and it had a nice inky, berry-filled flavor to it, sort of like a halfway point between merlot and syrah. It was also from Contra Costa county, which is another thing you don't see every day (maybe because it doesn't have the brand-name cache that putting "Napa" on the label does).

However, I feel their whites shine even more -- as already mentioned, I like the Symphony which is a hybrid of Muscat and Grenache Gris varietals which tends to make a semi-sweet wine with hints of tropical passionfruit, honeysuckle, and pineapple tones. Casa Nuestra's (from Lodi grapes) is true to this, and is $20/bottle. Casa Nuestra also makes a good off-dry riesling; often, these types of rieslings have a biting acidity or tartness to them, but this one ($22/bottle) is just light, smooth, and refreshing. It goes down like water.

Merryvale

Before going to Pizzeria Tra Vigne, Sarah and I decided to pop into Merryvale. After all, why not? It's right there across the street, we were already early for dinner, and they were open for tasting.

Being a midweek weekday in the middle of the off season certainly shows here -- we were the only customers in the tasting room... kind of a strange feeling with a tasting room as large and spacious as this. Something about the whole setup here -- the large building, to its location right in St. Helena off of Highway 29, the fountain out front, the top 80's New Wave hits mildly playing in the tasting room -- all says "typical commercial Napa Valley winery" to me.

Having said that, the experience was still enjoyable. Our server, Kai (Ky?), was a no-nonsense sort of guy who looked like an ex-rugby player for New Zealand or perhaps a character in a Guy Ritchie film... he was laid-back but professional and answered any questions we had (such as whether it was normally such a ghost town, which I'm assuming is not the case on summer weekends!)

The wines were somewhat more interesting and memorable than I expected (because I had no expectations); for example, their syrah is from Carneros. For those who don't know, this is fairly unusual -- Syrah/Shiraz tends to be a warmer-climate grape, and Carneros is known for its cool-climate atmosphere, being closer to the San Francisco Bay and cooled by its breezes and fogs. Not surprisingly, this Syrah was different than many others I've tried... not as plummy and smoky, more light and almost somewhat citrusy, with flavor profiles I would much more expect from a white wine, like hints of orange blossom.

Pizzeria Tra Vigne

There is a restaurant in St. Helena called Tra Vigne. I pass it every day on Highway 29, and considering my love of good Italian food (and the fact that it is extremely hard to find good Italian food), I've always been curious. I've heard it's good... it has a fairly established reputation, with associated "Tra Vigne" cookbooks and whatnot.

However, it's a typical Napa affair, requiring a little bit of planning -- a reservation and the willingness to spend some money. On the other hand, Tra Vigne has a sister restaurant right next door, a very casual affair: Pizzeria Tra Vigne. Pizzeria Tra Vigne bills itself as a casual spot, a locals joint... and the weird part is, this is true! It's hard to find local, casual spots that are still, at the same time, classy and have a little bit of sophistication.

But here we are: it's a weeknight and I showed up fairly early for dinner after Sarah offered to pick me up from my work, and this was on the way home and we were hungry. No reservation needed, we walked in and picked a table. By the end of our meal, the place was teeming with plenty of local families bringing their two or three boys each (how are they all boys???), who proceeded to wolf down slice after slice and bowls of pasta, to boot.

The focus here is, of course, pizza... thin-crust, brick oven Neapolitan style pizza, to be exact. And these pizzas have pretty reasonable prices. In addition, there are some interesting salads as well as a few other casual Italian fares: fried calamari, pasta, etc.

The typical toppings are all available, but what stood out to me are the special ones -- the one that most caught my attention was the "funghi" with crimini, shiitake, and beach mushrooms with fontina cheese and truffle oil... however, once I saw the "Positano" I knew that would be the one we'd have to get: crecsenza cheese, sauteed gulf shrimp, scallions, and fried lemons. Sarah is a lemon fanatic. It was pretty good -- the fried lemons on top are definitely what kept it interesting, though my curiosity for the funghi is still there for a return visit...

We got a large but, being a thin crust pizza, didn't know if that would be enough (it turns out that it definitely would have), so we also ordered a "piadine" as a starter. These piadine are like salads, but served on an oven-baked flatbread (basically, the pizza dough without anything on it). We got the Rocca, with roasted turkey, applewood bacon, field greens, feta, red onion, and cilantro aioli. It's a pretty nice alternative to a salad when you want more protein (from the meat) and more starchy bread (always good).

I'm not a big fan of big families with kids running everywhere, so I didn't really dig that vibe, but the food was good, the atmosphere casual, walk-in ability nice, and prices reasonable, so I'm sure I'll be back.

Olivier St. Helena

Olivier is a local French-themed olive oil and condiment shop located on Main St (Hwy 29) in St. Helena. (On a recent visit to Northstar-at-Tahoe for some snowboarding, I noticed they also now have a shop right there at the Northstar base camp, as well as a little bistro!)

The ambience is light and airy, provencal-type decor and colors... warm yellows, olive green, lots of artisan cookware, etc. A small, cozy atmosphere that is only made more enticing my plenty of sample trays out for dressings, dipping oils, barbeque sauces, various condiments/dips, vinegars, and four large copper kettles of various varietals of virgin olive oil.

This was not my first time here, but it is always changing -- some things stay the same, but their line of sauces and dips seems to be ever-expanding, with most recent additions being barbeque sauces and salad dressings. On my first visit, the things that really stood out were the arbequina olive oil -- a particular strain of olive which has a somewhat floral flavor less grassy and a little more honey suckle than your typical store-bought extra virgin -- as well as the white bean and sage dip, which was possibly the best and most addictive bean dip I had ever had, but unfortunately they changed up the recipe and it's not nearly as good now (they took out the lactic acid and replaced it with lemon juice, added additional parmesan... the flavor is a little more tart and not nearly as wonderful as it was 2 years ago).

Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen

In St. Helena, there is a little restaurant tucked off the beaten path -- that beaten path being Main St/St. Helena Highway (Hwy 29), the main artery right through town.

This restaurant is run by Cindy Pawlcyn, best known for her mid-valley restaurant "Mustards Grill", but also owner of Go Fish in St. Helena. It can be found one block east of the main road, off of Railroad Ave., more or less right behind the Cameo Cinema. Hence the name: "Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen"

This restaurant has a different vibe than either Mustards or Go Fish (which, in turn, are very different from each other). It goes for the same "classy meets casual" vibe that the other two attempt, and it feels closer to Mustards than to Go Fish. However, Mustards was always more of a "scene" -- after all, you have to actually make an effort to go there (due to its location) and for that reason, if nothing else, it feels more formal.

Backstreet Kitchen feels like more of a locals hangout -- in fact, when I was there that's all it was... the bartender knew people coming in by name, everybody seemed to know what was going on with everybody else. This is the local diner, Napa Valley style.

To be honest, it was a little bizarre. I am a "local" but do not live or work in St. Helena, so I was as much a stranger and tourist there as anybody else could be... not that I felt unwelcome. I showed up for an early dinner at 4:00 (hours are 11:30 to 9:00), so there were only a few people in there... which is good, because they were understaffed due to snow on the mountains preventing some of the employees from "driving over the hill" as they say. [Yes, we have gone from 80 degrees a week ago to snow, hail, and cold rain today]

The decor is sort of Beatrix Potter/French cottage meets jazzy diner... I imagine this is what you'd get if Dr. House, MD decided to live in Giverny. A long chrome counter serves as both a bar (a full bar but also with an emphasis on local wines) and eating counter, which comes in handy for days like today when requesting a "table for one", and the rest of the restaurant is cozy seating areas with small white tables. In a way, this feels more comfortable than either Mustards or Go Fish... light and airy, perhaps a bit feminine but subtly done and not overboard.

I couldn't decide what to get from the menu... I wasn't in the mood for any of the large plates, but I was hungry and wanted some variety. I debated between the duck burger with shiitake mushroom ketchup (a popular choice, as I saw the man next to me order it and directly after someone came in to pick up a carryout order of the same thing), the mushroom tamales (the one "large plate" I considered), a rabbit tostada, and the "Backstreet Fry" of calamari, red onion strings, fennel, and okra. I decided on the last two -- I'm always curious to try fried calamari and see the variations and how well it is done (which can vary wildly from amazing, crisp, and succulent to horrible, like chewing on fishy leather shoelaces).

Of the two dishes (which were much larger than the "small plates" I had thought they might be), the rabbit tostada was more exciting -- it looked delicious, it smelled delicious (I can't put my finger on the aroma given off by the toppings) and it tasted delicious, with plenty of rabbit meat cooked just right in just the right amount of sauce, though a little on the spicy side but I like that.
This is not to fault the Backstreet Fry -- it, too, was very good, with a nice balance of the different ingredients. The calamari was extremely tender, fresh, and juicy -- on par with the great fried calamari at my favorite St. Helena restaurant, Market (a block away). I like fried onion strips, but was more excited by the okra and especially the fried fennel, so I wish there had been more of those in lieu of some of the onions.

I was extremely full by the time I finished all that, so no room for drinks or dessert, but I'll be sure to come back at some point with Sarah. They also have special "Supper Club" events every Wednesday and Thursday, food specials that revolve around a monthly theme. The theme for this month is Indian-and-Portuguese inspired foods; tonight they had a vegetable sambar (curry and rice), a special lentil soup, and a lamb vindaloo or something like that. I was just thinking recently how much Napa could use more Indian/curry options at the restaurants, so this was refreshing to see, but I wasn't in the mood today... maybe I'll check the menu out in a week or two -- I can't afford to do this on a regular basis; my bill for two small plates and water came to about $30, and also unfortunate is that CBK does not have free corkage like Market does (I believe it is $15 here).

Freemark Abbey

Today I got a phone call from Sarah, saying she was finished work early and wouldn't mind driving up to Calistoga to pick me up. Considering this (and being just after 4 pm), I figured this might be a good opportunity to stop into a random winery on the way home. There are several well-known ones right off of 29 which I have never even tried -- Grgich, Markham, Freemark Abbey, Behringer, Sutter Home, etc.

We headed south from Calistoga and decided to pull into Freemark Abbey -- we knew of this one because it is located right next to Silverado Brewery, a brewpub where we ate a few years ago (and have never been back, because it's just not good.) We walked up to the tasting room, a little self-conscious because there was only one other couple in there -- for some reason it always feels a little strange to have practically undivided attention from the pourer.

It felt stranger when I told her that I was a teacher in Calistoga, and she informed me that she had worked in the district for 16 years, until retiring a few years ago. So she started talking to me about several people she knew (my coworkers and some others I know from the high school), and telling me that she had really been a wine server all along, on the side, even when she was teaching (which she did in both St. Helena and Calistoga).

Like many wineries, Freemark Abbey offers more than one tasting menu -- I almost always start with the most basic or low-end tastings, unless there is something particularly interesting or unique on the higher-end or more specialized lists. In this case, the Classic Tasting ($10, but free for Napa Neighbors and up to 3 guests) included a choice of 4 tastings from: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Viognier, Merlot, Syrah, Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Of that list, the ones that are the most hit-or-miss for us are Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot, but we always try to give them a shot anyway because sometimes there are excellent examples of those varietals. The convenient thing about tasting as a couple in a situation like this is that you can each get 4 different tastings and take sips out of each others glasses, resulting in really being able to taste the whole menu, which is what we did. I came in expecting to be most impressed by their reds, but to be honest I don't even remember much about what they tasted like. So they must have all been okay, but nothing remarkable. I can almost always remember wines -- even years later -- if they are remarkably good or remarkably bad.

We were also poured a tasting of their dessert wine, a late-harvest botrytised riesling. We tend to like botrytised wines -- and a lot of people do, but I'm sure it's not a flavor for everyone. Botrytis is a fungus, also known as the "noble rot", which afflicts the grapes and dehydrates them, concentrating the sugars and sort of turning the grapes into raisins but also imparting a somewhat musky flavor to the wine. Drinking rotten, moldy grapes might sound disgusting, but keep in mind this is very similar to the process used in producing some of the finest, most flavorful cheeses out there. Weird, yes... but delicious.

Unfortunately, botrytised wine (listed as "dessert wine" as it is sweet and slightly syrupy) comes at a premium. Because the conditions have to be just right, and small batches are made, and the grapes yield less juice, botrytised wine (often riesling) is harder to find. The bottles tend to be priced accordingly, and this one a very fine example but happened to be $45/bottle -- and, like most late-harvest and botrytised wines, "a bottle" is actually a half-size bottle, 375 mL.

Sarah immediately said yes, and we ended up purchasing both a 2009 Viogner ($27) and the 2008 Edelwein Gold Late Harvest Riesling ($45). Although we were given a slight discount (seemed to be about 10%), this purchase was still a source of some contention for me, because this late-harvest Riesling ends up being the equivalent of a $90 bottle of wine. Although we occasionally purchase $75+ bottles of wine, we don't do so regularly or on a whim.

Still, it is a rare one to fine (and, according to the website, is sold out) and was a fine example of it, with flavors of honey suckle and orange zest. More expensive than I'd prefer, to be sure (I've had decent late-harvest riesling for $26/bottle, and amazing late-harvest semillon for $35/bottle), but I'm sure it will be enjoyed on a special occasion.

Dinner and a Movie in St. Helena: Cameo Cinema and Go Fish

I love going to the Cameo Cinema in St. Helena. It is such a charming little theater with a healthy dose of character. Being so quaint, it fits right in on St. Helena Highway (the main street through St. Helena), and I appreciate their efforts to mix up the movies a bit, considering they only have one screen. They tend to choose dramas and Oscar-buzz-worthy films, sometimes a few weeks or a month after they come out in other theaters. It's hit or miss whether you want to see what they happen to be playing any given week, but when you find one you like you have to go quick because they rotate the movie out each week. They also occasionally play some special indie and art films, or broadcast performances like opera and ballet, plus occasionally they work in an extra children's movie on the weekends.

It's possible that my appreciation for this theater is because it is really the only one in Napa Valley. There is actually a larger, multi-screen one in Napa (the Napa Cinedome) but its quality is so awful and atmosphere so dismal, that you're really better off not even going at all. The only other large, multi-plex theaters are located in Fairfield and Santa Rosa.

However, even if there were other theaters around, I think I would have a soft-spot for the Cameo... It is small, cozy -- not too many seats, they all have a good view (no stadium seating though), and there are nice love-seat style two-seaters in the back, perfect for a date. Plus they have good snacks and refreshments. My gf had been wanting to see Black Swan -- and we are both fans of Darren Aronofsky -- and it happens to be playing this week at the Cameo, so it seemed like an opportune time for a date! (to be honest, I would have preferred seeing True Grit, but it was playing last week when she was in NYC).

I won't say much about the film here... I don't even know what there is to say. I can say it's definitely not Aronofsky's best work. I guess I was sort of left scratching my head. But not for long, because we had also made a dinner reservation at Go Fish, just down the street on the southern outskirts of St. Helena.

Go Fish is a seafood restaurant owned by Cindy Pawlcyn, who is best known for her Mustards Grill restaurant right off of 29 in the Oakville area, although she also runs "Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen" right behind the Cameo theater. I've never tried Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen, but my gf (and her family) and I have been big fans of Mustards for a long time, and we had never tried Go Fish. Add to that that she likes sushi -- which is what Go Fish is known for -- and it seemed like a good fit [not as much for me -- I don't like sushi because I can't stand the seaweed. But they also have hot fish dishes, which I'm a fan of]

This restaurant does not hold a candle to Pawlcyn's Mustards restaurant. Whereas Mustards has a very cozy, casual vibe, the atmosphere at Go Fish is rather sterile. We liked the little cushioned alcove we got to sit at, it was very comfortable and was a nice setup. But the open spaciousness, uninteresting decor, and stark white lighting just feel too corporate and impersonal.

The waiter was a friendly enough guy, and was attentive without being overbearing. The food was hit or miss -- we had gone there because my girlfriend is a big fan of sushi (I am not because I can't stand the seaweed, so I appreciated that there were other options on the menu including hot fish dishes which were the main draw for me). My girlfriend ordered the "lobster roll" sushi roll, a special for the evening with tempura shrimp, crab salad, tobiko, avocado, and meat from half a lobster tail on top (not cheap at $33, though). I ordered the crispy duck salad followed by a Sole Almondine (sole in brown butter with toasted almonds.)

The crispy duck salad (with frisee, toasted pistachios, currants, and a generous portion of duck) was delicious and my gf enjoyed her sushi roll well enough (I took a bite and didn't really like it because I couldn't discern any of the different flavors). However, my sole almondine was awful. The freshness seemed okay, and the cooking/texture was fine, but it was WAY too salty. So salty that I couldn't even eat it. I ended up sending it back to the kitchen (this is the first time in my entire life that I've ever done this at a restaurant) and getting some fried calamari instead, which was good -- definitely fresh and tender and cooked right, but the inclusion of fried olives plus pine nuts, currants, and toasted garlic slivers which just sort of sat under the calamari was strange, it just didn't really work. I think I've been spoiled by the calamari just up the street at Market, which is much better.

We considered wine but the list was way too pricey and they charge $15 corkage (unlike Market up the street) so we didn't bother.

I'm glad we gave it a try, and I appreciate the accommodating service and the no-problems fix of the dish I sent back, but I probably won't return here... unless I have a guest who is really craving sushi (although there are still 2 Japanese/Sushi places I need to try in downtown Napa)

Franciscan Estate Winery

Today was my first day back at work after the winter break, which felt strange because it's a Friday but coming back to work like this made it feel like a Monday.

Whether it was the "Monday blahs" or "TGIF", it seemed like a good time to hit a new winery on the way home along St. Helena Highway (Hwy 29), so I decided to stop into Franciscan Estate (located in St. Helena, sort of at the border of Oakville).

Franciscan is a fairly well-known name in Napa; they've been around for a while (over three decades) and I believe they are currently owned by the same group as Mondavi <-- a lot of wineries in Napa are either consolidating into larger groups or getting bought up by huge distributors, sometimes based overseas such as in Italy. I guess this is the way America is going... a trend toward mega-huge oligopolies. The same thing is currently happening with ski resorts in Tahoe (being swallowed up by chains that also own slopes in Colorado)... but I digress. It is still refreshing to see that, as well-known as Napa has become, and for as much of a business/industry it definitely is, there are still mom-and-pop family-owned wineries, and there are still artisans who are in it more for the craft and the art than for money.

After visiting Franciscan, I feel they are one of the establishments that have found a happy medium between the two: they may be large, established, and well-known... but they still seem to take pride in their product and their image. I had never visited this tasting room before and, to the best of my knowledge, I had never even tried any wines from Franciscan, despite seeing it on several occasions at stores and restaurants.

I had their "classic" tasting flight, which consisted of one white (2009 Chardonnay) and three reds: 2007 cabernet sauvignon, 2006 merlot, and 2007 magnificat, which is a blend of cab, merlot, with a little malbec and petit verdot. Before I go any further, I have to explain why I went with this particular tasting, and indeed why Franciscan was the winery I chose for today. The bottom line is that I think Napa valley prices have gotten out of hand... especially their tasting fees. I first visited Napa nearly 10 years ago, and even then people would gripe about the "expensive" tasting rooms -- which ranged from $5 to $10 tasting fee, on average; this was pretty expensive compared to Sonoma, whose tasting rooms didn't exceed $5 and were often free. Five years later, the average tasting fees were still often $10, but sometimes $15 and even as high as $20.

Currently, the average tasting fee seems to be $20-$25. This is ridiculous, for multiple reasons:

1. The average salary of people has not gone up 100% in the past few years. The COLA (cost of living) adjustment hasn't gone up 100%, and in fact has gone down the past couple of years while salaries have stagnated. So how can you justify raising costs of something 100%? It's absurd. Maybe it reflects the fact that Napa caters to the rich.. and the rich are getting richer. But nobody else is.
   
2. I understand the reason for charging a fee -- for one, it discourages people from treating Napa Valley like an open bar and just hopping from free tasting to free tasting like a total hobo, meanwhile just getting trashed and not spending a penny. I don't blame the wineries from wanting to discourage this and make sure they don't lose money by pouring free wine for everybody. However, $5 -- or $10 max -- seems quite sufficient for this purpose.
   
3. Additionally, what is the purpose of having the tasting rooms? Ostensibly, it is not to serve as wine bars, but to serve as wine education and to allow people to try the wines to see which ones they would want to buy. For that reason, it seems to me that any tasting fee should be applicable/refundable upon purchase of bottles of wine... after all, they claim that is the purpose. So I find it really irresponsible, disrespectful, and greedy to charge a $20 and then not even allow that to be refunded or applicable to a purchase. Just as it would be disrespectful for customers to be slovenly winos and treat the valley like a sorority party, it is just as disrespectful to expect potential customers to spend such high funds when they don't have any idea whether your wines are any good. The way I see it is that if you have any faith in your product, you will realize that people will just have to buy it once they taste it.

Having said all this, many wineries do comp the tasting with purchase, but often the purchase requirement is pretty large (half a case or hundreds of dollars). There are, surprisingly, still some wineries in Napa Valley that don't charge tasting fees, though they are scarce. If I recall, Heitz Cellar and GustavoThrace (co-owned by Gustavo Brambila, who was represented in the movie "Bottleshock") are two that didn't have a tasting fee last I checked. Frank Family was another free one with pretty good wines, but I notice they recently started charging $5. I believe that's the same story at V. Sattui. As for Franciscan, they currently charge $15 tasting fee, but they are one of many wineries that are part of the Napa Neighbors program, which often means complimentary wine tasting for locals. It's a great program and it ensures that I visit those wineries first and foremost on my list -- and often end up buying their wines, so they are making out better than the people who refuse to be part of the Napa Neighbors. Still, this doesn't make me any less peeved about the excessive tasting fees, on principle alone.

I went in with no expectations, though I think I had heard through word of mouth that some people liked the cabs, so I figured the reds would be better. All of the wines were decent... I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed the Chardonnay. I have to preface this by saying I am one of the people who does like oaky, buttery (generally caused by malolactic fermentation) chardonnays. A lot of people complain about this style in Napa Valley, but I think that's mostly because it is often simply done poorly. With a heavy-handed approach, it ends up tasting like rancid apple cider with a heavy dose of smoky wood mulch thrown in. In other words, this style can be pretty disgusting. However, with finesse and balance (as rare as that may be), I love it -- and I would say this equally applies to the crisp unoaked or Chablis-style wines, which can be just as bad (or good).

Franciscan got the balance right... a decent amount of fruit up front, opening up to a little bit of mushroomy minerality, with noticeable but not overbearing oak, and a wonderful, round and creamy mouthfeel. As for the reds... they were definitely representative of the Napa Valley reds (cabs and merlot) big, deep, rich, slightly tannic though the tannins were a little more mellow and the wines a little more balanced than many are. I'm not a fan of "big, huge cabs" or chewy tannins, and fortunately these wines were drinkable, but not as smooth as some local cabs I've had. Then again, I was tasting the low-end ones, and their price-point was 1/2 or 1/3 the cost of those other superior cabs I've tried (such as Chimney Rock and Caymus). They also poured a "Mt. Veeder" 2007 cab -- this was a smaller production from the vineyards at higher altitude on Mt. Veeder. The difference in flavor was remarkable, with a richer fruit flavor and mellower tannins.

I ended up buying a bottle of both the 2007 Mt. Veeder cab ($40) and 2009 Chardonnay ($18), the latter of which I couldn't help but pop open tonight with dinner... it was just too tempting, and it paired perfectly with my peasant's meal of lentil soup and grilled cheddar sandwiches!