Day 7

Before leaving Russian River, we stopped to pick up two final tastings in the region at La Crema and Williamson. La Crema is a pinot noir found at home so we tried the reserve. It was good but I've had better on this trip.

Williamson is a small production house owned by an Australian couple. They paired the tasting with food which made this a bit more special. We liked their Bordeaux style blend a bunch. We now own one.

We took this opportunity to ship our first full case back home. Fortunately, the local UPS store accommodated us.

From Healdsburg we traveled finally to Napa. Initially it looked much like the Russian River Valley but it was somewhat greener and more mountainous. First we stopped at Domaine Carneros, the US house of Taittinger sparklers. Very polished, very posh, nicely done tastings served to you in flights under umbrellas outside. For all of the upscale treatment and polish, I found the pinot noir and bubbly uninspired.

Next came Hess which is a bit off the path. At home we often partake of the Allomi Vineyard cab so we tried the reserves here. Come to find out, Allomi is the best choice at Hess.

Domaine Chandon is the US house for Moet & Chandon. Large tourist stop here with plenty of polish and attractions other than the bubbly. We cut through most of it and went right to the tasting. The reserves here are quite nice and we were treated quite well by the staff. We took away a pair of flutes with their logo.

Now for the good stuff. The sign read "Rutherford city limits" so now it was time for the big cab. Peju was first. Big polish but big wine to match. They offer one white but we declined. Instead, "Ritchie" a.k.a "The Man" poured generous portions of everything he had. This included several bonus tries of reserves off the menu. Much pride in these wines. We walked away with a large large cab and a CO2 auto-wine opener. This new opener is probably the slickest little item I've seen. I will demonstrate it for some of you in the future. Yes you will want one.

Ah yes, Elizabeth Spencer. Outstanding little shack. They purchase all grapes, growing none. After the usual menu tasting, the shopkeep took note that I was jotting much into my notebook and left the building to retrieve a bottle from the cellar. This, the 2004 Cab Reserve, IS the new standard by which all of YOUR cab purchases should be made. We paid a heavy price for it and into the cellar it goes. This shall be a special occasion bottle for us. Sorry no samples, but you can read my notes.

Checked into the Napa Old World Inn shortly thereafter. Nice place, quite full of guests. Coffee 24 hrs a day, need I say more?

Dinner was uneventful, actually forgettable. The spa tub and the "J" bubbly topped off the night.