So many wineries, so little time.

In my continued effort to visit every winery in the Napa Valley I was in wine country last week for a few days. This trip did take a rather large detour to Amador County. This is because I had never visited the area and I received the most generous offer from Terra d' Oro Winery to put my group up for a couple nights. Amador was not even on my radar for a visit simply because I did not think there was much out there to see. I was wrong! It is a beautiful country side without the crowds and congestion of Napa and Sonoma. While Terra d' Oro does offer all the major varietals in their line up, it is definitely Zinfandel country. The majority of their vineyards are planted to Zinfandel, the grape that thrives best in that part of the state and has seen success since the gold rush.

We did taste through all the wines they offer and while we enjoyed everything, there was one variety that beat out the big Amador Zins: Barbera! All four of us seemed most impressed with the Barbera. Possibly because we get to try all the others frequently and have not had a great deal of opportunity to taste this most refreshing wine. The wine-maker/tour-guide who spent the day showing his facilities, vineyards, and wines was most generous to send us up to our house for the weekend with more wine than we could possibly finish. I did notice when packing for our next leg that the Barbera was indeed all gone. Look for Terra d' Oro Barbera and Montevina Barbera (secondary label) next time you visit Glen Lake Wine and Spirits.

 The final day and night of the trip found us back in Napa Valley. After a couple snow falls and some really dismal weather in Minneapolis the past couple weeks, arriving in this lush valley was a sight to behold. Green trees, flowers, and rows of vineyards that still had grapes hanging. Ah! I'll be remembering the images while shoveling snow for the next six months.

Our first stop was Grgich Hills. Where we actually saw Mike Grgich hanging around the front of his winery signing bottles and chatting with his customers. Next we headed up Howell Mountain to visit O'Shaughnessy. This hard to find, hidden up a mountain winery was breathtaking. It is a small operation that only produces Cabernet and does it well. They spared no expense building the winery and cave that includes a spectacular tasting room. Our final stop of the day was the new Trinchero facility in the heart of the valley. This winery was recently completed and built as a tribute to the Trichero family patriarchs. A very inviting and comfortable facility that again spared no expense. I recommend stopping at Trinchero for a tasting next time you visit Napa. Make sure to try the Cabernet Franc; it is one of my favorites.

 Heading back to the Sacramento airport we found ourselves thirty minutes ahead of schedule and approaching Chandon. A sip of bubbles seemed an appropriate way to finish off this most relaxing and enjoyable trip. When we found our way to the tasting room it was absolutely packed with visitors. We thought our luck had run out, but I decided to give it a shot and found a most polite and helpful staff member. After explaining that I do sell their wine but did not make an appointment for a visit, he took us to a private tasting table and offered us the finest sparkling wines they produce. Well done Chandon!