Drinking with the Big Boys

Today was all about the mountains. On our last trip out, we got off the Valley floor and headed into them thar hills and haven’t looked back since. The higher elevations, rockier soil, and cooler climates have all conspired to make some pretty special wines. It doesn’t hurt that things are quieter and a bit more laid back too.

First up was Howell Mountain and the Outpost Winery. These guys actually get some distribution in Ohio, but they are still fairly small production. They were only tasting three wines, and one of those was a barrel taste (basically this means that the wine hasn’t been bottled yet and is still living in barrels.) You could only buy this Cab as a future. The tasting room is beautiful and sitting watching the valley fog burn off while sipping wine wasn’t half bad.

From there we rolled down the hill to Cimarossa. It turns out our host here had a connection to Outpost. Based on this and other stories we’ve heard out here on previous trips, I get the sense that the wine community in Napa is a lot smaller than you might think and is really inbred. Anyway, finding Cimarossa is a bit of a challenge. The GPS took us over the hills, into private drives, etc, but we finally arrived. We were directed to park the car and our host had us pile in a 4x4 for a tour of the vineyard and a haul up higher on the mountain to their private tasting room. These guys aren’t playing around. With one blend and 3 single block wines, they are carrying some heavy hitters that really showcase what the changing microclimates and sun exposure can do for and to a grape.

We just had enough time to make it across the Valley and up Spring Mountain to a guerilla tasting. This vineyard is currently flying a bit under the radar, so I won’t name them. However, you can see the view we had here. Another group of amazing wines!

With our appointments completed for the day, we decided to hit up a place that was recommended to us yesterday. Back to Calistoga for Envy’s Petite Syrahs. Curiously, the winemaker here Mark Carter is also doing bourbon back our way under the Kentucky Owl label.

We then hit up Tank, by the same people who own/run James Cole. This is a fun joint and would be great for first timers and folks who really aren’t sure if Napa is right for them. They release 15-20 wines a year and never make the same wine twice. What  fun way to try new things, if you were part of their club.

Tomorrow is mostly Spring Mountain. I can’t wait!