Napa Bound documents my travels to Napa Valley wineries and how I felt about each one. I will provide a personal assessment that describes my perception of the winery. I will also include other wine-related posts, such as what I have opened, wineries from other areas, storage tips, etc. Please enjoy this blog responsibly.
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Saturday, November 9, 2013
October 5, 2013 – Wines for a block party
I know … I’m a fast becoming wine snob.
At the block party, my neighbors gracefully offered me a glass of the
wine they had brought out to share. It
was a 2011 Forest Glen Merlot, which they bought for under $4. I tasted it and was surprised that the wine
performed better than most of the 2011 red wines I had tried the day before at
my favorite wine store, each selling for $15 to $25. I provided the next bottle (and the two after
that) to share the kind of wines that I enjoy.
Of course, I drew from my party wine stack, but even those wines are
hand-picked for their quality-to-value delivery. Each bottle was well received by my
neighbors. Here is what I opened:
2010 Artezin Mendocino
Zinfandel: This wine has good body and excellent balance, nice structure, and properly
restrained Zinfandel appeal. And at $12
a bottle, I’m wondering why I bought only three.
2009 Provenance Napa Valley
Merlot: Needless to say, there was no comparison between this wine and the Forest
Glen. This Merlot is structured,
complex, ripe, and well composed with a good finish. The Forest Glen was tasty, balanced, and
simple (but nearly elegant).
2009 Savannah-Chanel Santa Lucia
Highlands Pinot Noir:
The poor folks at the winery probably felt this fruit-bomb Pinot Noir would
never come around, so they cleared it out at 2/3 the original price. For $14, this was a fun Pinot Noir in its
youth. Now it is developing some
sophistication and the fruit is taking its proper place, which is really making
me appreciate having bought a whole case of it.
I’m not yet at the point where I don’t want to share it, but getting
close.
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