Mollydooker Wines

I was browsing in one of my favorite wine shops - also known as COSTCO - when I noticed a very attractive bottle of Australian Shiraz called Carnival of Love (94 points WS) by Mollydooker Winery. I confess I'm not the biggest fan of Shiraz but I was intrigued by this one. It was highly rated by Robert Parker and had an equally high price tag. I decided to pick one up for Thanksgiving Day.

To say that I loved this wine would not come close to expressing my feelings. It was simply fantastic but I'll warn you that it's not for everyone. This is the JAMMIEST wine I've ever tasted. It literally has a blackberry jam finish. It is also a very bold wine. If you're not a fan of big wines, you won't like this one.

I later picked up Enchanted Path (93 points WS) which is their Cab/Shiraz blend and it was also fantastic.

Mollydooker produces a whole line of interesting wines but their top of the line wine is called Velvet Glove Shiraz. I have not tried this one yet but it scored 96 points in Wine Spectator.

Another notable wine they produce is Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz which earned 91 points from Wine Spectator.

Elyse Winery

In what has become tradition, we stopped by Elyse to order our annual supply of Zin and to buy a few magnums to drink at dinner while we were in Napa. Hands down, my favorite Zinfandel is made by Elyse Winery. It's very small and off the beaten path but their wine is excellent. They also produce some terrific Cabernet.

My husband found an Elyse Cab on a wine list while at a business dinner in New York. He ordered it and it was a big hit with his colleagues.

This year we drank 2 magnums of Elyse's Howell Mountain Zin during dinner at Auberge du Soleil. Two of our dinner guests were French wine fans but they LOVED the Elyse.

Next time you're in Napa, make a point to stop by Elyse. You won't be disappointed.

Cakebread Cabernet Release Party 2012

We actually travel to Napa each February for the Cakebread Cabernet release party. The rest of the wineries we visit are scheduled around this party. As Cakebread wine club members, we are some of their biggest fans.

Cakebread really went all-out on their party this year. We've been attending this annual event for years but this was by far the nicest party yet. Their 2009 Cabernet was featured since it was the new release but this year they opened up the cellar and brought out some older vintages. The 2006 Benchland Select was incredible, as always. The 2004 Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon was very popular with several in our crowd. The show-stopper, in my humble opinion, was the Dancing Bear Ranch (Howell Mountain) Cabernet Sauvignon. This year's feature was the 2003 vintage. It was fantastic. My collection of Dancing Bear continues to grow.

Joseph Phelps

Phenomenal. That's the first word that comes to mind when describing, not just the wine at Joseph Phelps, but the whole experience.

Claude was our sommelier. He was the most interesting and knowledgeable person we've met in our many years of visiting Napa. We tasted the following wines:

2010 Sauvignon Blanc "St. Helena"

2009 Ovation Chardonnay

2009 Syrah

2009 Fogdog Pinot Noir

2008 Insignia

2006 Backus Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Our group was evenly split on whether the Backus Cab or the Insignia was the best. I came home with Insignia. You just can't beat Insignia - arguably the most famous of all California wines.

From their website:

"...the flagship wine, Insignia, is recognized as one of the world’s great wines. Twenty nine of 34 vintages have been rated ninety or more points by various wine publications. From 1990 to 2007, the average score from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate is 94.5 pts., with the lowest score still a fabulous 91. The 2002 vintage was “Wine of the Year” by Wine Spectator Magazine, and the 2007 vintage has been rated 98 points by Robert Parker and 96 points by Wine Spectator Magazine."

Kuleto Estate

Kuleto Estate is an amazing winery located high in the hills near Rutherford. It boasts one of the most beautiful views in the valley.

This was my first introduction to Kuleto wine and I was not disappointed. A lovely gal named Bree was our tour guide. We tasted the following wines, which were all very good:

2008 Kuleto Zin (bought several bottles)

2007 Syrah

2006 Danielli (outstanding, bought a bottle)

2010 Muscato

2009 Chardonnay (not too buttery)

2008 Pinot Noir

2006 Frog Prince Cabernet Sauvignon (very good)

A word about Danielli - it really is terrific.

Even veteran Napa visitors like us were incredibly impressed with Kuleto. Put it on your list if you're heading to Wine Country.

Realm Cellars - What a Find!

My dear friend Michael Garcia struck up a friendship with the owner of Realm Cellars. They met at Grailey's in Dallas. We scheduled a private wine tasting as our first winery stop when we arrived in Napa yesterday. This was my first experience with Realm wines and they are phenomenal!

We tasted the 2009 vintages of The Tempest, The Falstaff, The Bard and Farella. We also did barrel tastings of Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Cabernet and Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet.

Everyone had a different favorite. These wines were outstanding. I came away with several bottles of The Bard and I'm on the "wish list" for the absolutely amazing Dr. Crane Cab.

You know wine is good when you can't even buy it - you have to get on a wish list!

This is a small production winery that produces and bottles its wine at Chateau Boswell in Napa. Chateau Boswell is one of the prettiest winery building we've ever visited.

If you're a fan of small production, high end Cab, make a point to visit Realm Cellars on your next trip to Napa. Remember to make an appointment!

It's a Napa Time of Year

Time for our annual pilgrimage to Napa. I'll be reporting from the road so stay tuned...