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 WHY WE ARE DOING THIS? We love wine! To say we are passionate
about Napa Valley wine is an understatement. We spend most of our waking hours,
even while at work, talking about, thinking about, buying and tasting wine.
We can’t get enough, and this madness has been going on for 20 years.
Over the years, all of our friends, those close to us and those casual, those
who love and collect wine and those who know only that wine comes in three colors,
red, white and that funny colored stuff in between, have come to us for secret
Napa Valley wine recommendations. Whether desiring to buy an exceptionally good
Napa Valley wine or Sonoma County wine as
a present, or to spend no more than $10 for a bottle ... |
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 RATINGS AND THE ALMIGHTY DOLLAR First and foremost, we are
absolutely passionate about wine. We love to drink quality wine. We have been
buying wine for over 20 years, predominately Napa Valley Reds and Sonoma
County reds. While we
are collectors, we buy wine to drink and share with our friends and California
wine club members. We do not buy Napa wines or Sonoma wines as an investment. We’re on virtually
every mailing list for cult and impossible-to-get wines. These Napa and Sonoma
County wines cost about as much as a small country, and we constantly question
our sanity about purchasing them—while we’re drinking them ...
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 WHY WE LOVE PINOT NOIR If you
love red wine but always lament that it is so hard to match
the right red with many foods (say any white fish, most
salads, anything spicy), then you need to be drinking Pinot
Noir. For years, when dining I would generally open two
bottles of wine, a white and red, drink the white with the
first course and the red with the entree. While this
certainly works, truth be told, much of the time, I'd rather
drink only ...
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 IN SEARCH OF THE PERFECT WINE Searching for the perfect
Napa wine
always reminds me of The Perfect Storm: despite all the trial and error, planning
and preparation, you still never know what’s going to happen. Recently,
I was dining in San Diego with my friends Dan and Maria from Texas. Dan is a
serious Bordeaux collector and doesn’t like to drink young wine. He can
drink great wine at its prime because he’s been collecting long enough
to have a cellar full of first and second growths, dating back to ...
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 IT'S ALL ABOUT THE GRAPES Ever wonder why Napa Valley wines
are so expensive? Could it be because of the cost of Napa valley real estate? How about
the cost to plant and manage a vineyard in Napa Valley or Sonoma County? How about the cost for a wine maker
and to make the Napa wines? How about special taxes? Do you think the cost of distribution
is a factor? Yes, to all of the above. Each item is pricey. And, it all adds
up. All of the great California Cabernets come from Napa Valley. That includes
Harlan, Araujo, Screaming Eagle, Bryant, Colgin, Grace, Beringer Private Reserve,
David Arthur Elevation 1147, Shafer Hillside Select, Opus One, Dominus, Phelps
Insignia, Vineyard 29, and ...
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 NEW WORLD vs. OLD WORLD What is a New World and Old World
wine, and why do you care about this distinction? Our California wine club
believes the answer is simply a matter of determining what you like to drink.
Old World wines are those made in Europe while New World wines are made everywhere
else. That means Napa Valley, the rest of the States and Australia are all New
World wines. The singular difference you may notice from Old World vs. New World
red wine is ...
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 FRIENDS AND ATMOSPHERE How many times have you attended a
wine tasting, munching on water crackers, wondering how the wine you’re
sipping might actually taste with your favorite food? Or, for that matter, any
food? And how many times have you enjoyed the company of good friends in a pleasant
setting, and noticed that a wine you may have thought was good, or very good,
turns out to be great or outstanding? Why is this? Enter the effect of friends
and ...
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 THE MYTH OF AGING WINE
After years of collecting fine
Napa Valley wines and Sonoma County wines, I’ve learned a
very expensive lesson. Contrary to popular belief, most red
wines do not get better with age. There, I’ve said it! In
the last two years, I can’t begin to count the number of
bottles of wine I’ve opened that were past their prime and
no longer enjoyable to drink. Recently, I opened up a 1995
White Cottage Cab. This wine, from an excellent vintage, was
just a little over 10 years old. It should have been at its
prime...
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