Napa Valley wine tasting in winter
Post-crush is a busy time for the vineyards in Napa, but as December begins the crowds disperse and wine tasting is relaxed and festive. We planned two days in Napa – day one we had only one appointment, so we were able to visit a couple of favorites before and after. St. Clement has a wonderful property and tasting room up the hill. Vine Cliff has a new tasting room off property from the vineyard in St. Helena – so of course we needed to go see it.
We have visited St. Clement before and enjoyed tasting at the main house as well as up the hill in the Winemakers Lounge Club Room. Both locations are great, but the lounge has a large table which our party was fortunate to taste at this trip. Kareem guided us through the varietals and had a great amount of information about each wine.
2012 Oroppas: This bold red spent 26 months in French Oak and you can definitely tell. Although released recently, we enjoyed the fruit forward flavors and smooth finish of cocoa. Several of us purchased bottles and will be putting them away for quite a few years to let them realize their true potential – great wine for a future celebration.
Our friends who are wine club members couldn’t join us this trip, but we didn’t want to miss a visit to their new St. Helena tasting room. Having been at the vineyard location and the caves many times, we weren’t sure what to expect of such a metropolitan location. The tasting room is warm, inviting, comfortable, and classy. The fireplace, large tasting bar, couches and sitting areas all make this a nice place to end your day of wine tasting.
2013 Chardonnay – Los Carneros: The notes on the tasting menu say that this white wine is ‘perfect for any occasion and pairs well with everything’ – we agree. Slightly buttery and oaky at the end, the apple and pear flavors come through at the start. Having had this varietal before from Vine Cliff, we did have a pretty high expectation and were not disappointed.
