Napa Valley Wine Guide

Napa Valley is known for vineyards, wineries and wine. So I'm going to present to you a Napa Valley Wine Guide that will come in handy if you ever decide to take a trip to that part of northern California.

It's a lovely area that is fill with gently rolling hills, steep mountains and amazing micro climates that make it idea for growing a variety of grapes. The vineyards that grow these grapes can be found through out Napa Valley, so I don't think you can go wrong with any of them, if you're interested in wine.

If you think you would like to tour any of these wineries, why not contact them with the information I've given, and ask about their wine tasting tours. They will be able to provide you with the days, times and the price.

For those of you who live in California... make this a weekend get-away. For those of you who are visiting... add a wine tasting tour to your trip. Make your reservations then go enjoy yourself, because Napa Valley is just too beautiful to pass up.

The Hess Collection Vineyards
4411 Redwood Road
Napa, CA 94558
Phone: (707) 255-1144

The Hess Collection vineyards has been opened to the public since 1989, and in that time it has become well known internationally as a vineyard with excellent wine and a wonderful program for visitors. The grapes for their wine is grown in both hot and cool climates... from gentle slops to steep mountains, that can be seen through out Napa Valley.

This winery has discovered what is best for their vines, and will not hesitate to dedicate the time that is needed to produce the wines they are famous for, and because of this, they now have the advantage of developing programs that are specific to each of their ranches. They believe in getting it right by letting each ranch reach its potential so they can produce the best grapes possible.

Hess Select Monterey Chardonnay

Vintage: 2007
Blend: 100% Chardonnay
Appellation: Monterey, California
Release Date: 2009
Alcohol: 13.4%
Total Acidity: 0.72g / 100ml

The Hess Select Monterey Chardonnay is a delicious, medium-bodied wine that smells of citrus and tropical fruit. It's a clean, refreshing wine that has balanced acidity and a crisp taste of lemon, pineapple and green apple. The beautiful fruit flavors of this particular wine makes it pair nicely with fried calamari and basil aioli, cucumbers, avocados, macadamia nuts, halibut, scallops and goat cheese that is very lightly aged. The price for this wine is $11 dollars a bottle.

Rubissow-Sargent Wines
PO Box 450
Napa, CA, 94559
Phone: (707) 253-8605

Rubissow-Sargent wines got its start in the 1980s on a 45 acre farm that made its home on Mt. Veeder. The farm has the best of both worlds... they planted a vineyard on 18.5 acres, and the rest is dedicated to a ski slop, oak trees and redwood trees. This winery enjoys the diverse micro climate of Napa Valley, and because of this, the second generation owners are able to produce single vineyard organic wines that are delicious and easy on the palate. The price is $75 a bottle.

2005 Rubissow Cabernet Sauvignon

Vintage: 2004
Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon 92%, Merlot 6.5%, Cabernet Franc 1.5%
Appellation: 100% Mt. Veeder, Napa Valley - Rubissow Vineyards
Release Date: 2005
Alcohol: 14.5%
TA: 12/750 ml

This deep ruby colored red wine has a beautiful aroma of blackberries, anise, bay leaf and tobacco, while the taste is fruit, plum, blackberry and mocha with a hint of spice. It has very good acidity and is a well balanced delicious wine that goes very well with beef, desserts and chocolate.

Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards
23555 Hwy Carneros Hwy 121
Sonoma, CA 95476
Phone: (707) 996-7256

The vineyards of Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards has been growing on their 335 acre estate for 20 years. This vineyard happens to be the first house to produce a sparkling wine in the Sonoma Carneros area. This vineyard has a history connection to Spain that goes back to the 19th century. Their grapes are nurtured slowly to maturity in the micro climate of Napa Valley, and this makes for a delicious, well-balanced wine. The price is $15 dollars per bottle.

2008 Carneros Pinot Noir Rosé

Vintage: 2008
Blend: 100% Pinot Noir
Appellation: 100% Mt. Veeder, Napa Valley - Rubissow Vineyards
Release Date: 2008
Alcohol: 12.5%
Total Acidity: 0.62 g/100 ml

What better way to have dinner than with a delicious smelling Rosé of citrus, antique rose, cranberry, cherry, raspberry and watermelon. When you drink this wine, your palate will delight to the taste of citrus, cherry and strawberry. It is a dry wine, but it has a clear, crisp flavor that goes really well with summer dishes like steamed crab, grilled salmon, shellfish stews, chicken, sausage, fried calamari, steamed artichokes, cold leek soup and pizzetta.

Beaulieu Vineyard
1960 St. Helena Highway
Rutherford, CA 94573
Phone: (800) 264-6918 ext. 5233

The Beaulieu Vineyard was started in 1900 by Georges de Latour, a native of France. The vision he had for his vineyard was to produce wine that could equal or surpass the wines of France. Well he succeeded and became very popular when he decided to import rootstock from Europe that was resistant to Phylloxera. He also created more business by selling wine to the Catholic Church, and was even more popular when he was the only winery to remain in business during the Prohibition. You can purchase this wine for $22 dollars per bottle.

Beaulieu Vineyard Merlot, Napa Valley 05

Vintage: 2005
Blend: Merlot
Appellation: Napa Valley
Release Date: 2005
Alcohol: 14.2%
Total Acidity: 5.4 g/L

Beaulieu Vineyard Merlot, Napa Valley 05 is a luscious red wine with an aroma of plum, black cherry, mocha and spice. Its fruit flavor is well balanced with tannis that lingers on the palate. This makes the Merlot a wonderful choice for steak and mushrooms, roast duck with cherry sauce, lamb shish kebabs and cheddars that are very lightly aged.

Summers Estate Winery
1171 Tubbs Lane
Calistoga, CA 94515
Phone: (707) 942-5508

In 1987, Jim Summers started a 28 acre vineyard in Knights Valley. Even though their main grapes were Merlot, they also grew Muscat Canelli, and eventually they were able to produce a beautiful dark skinned red wine by the name of Charbono.

Rose of Charbono 2008

Vintage: 2008
Blend: 100% Charbono
Appellation: Napa Valley
Release Date: 2008
Alcohol: 13.1%
Total Acidity: 0.65g/100mL

Enjoy the tantalizing aroma of pomegranate with a crispness that flows into the taste of plums and blueberries. The combination of those two fruit in this wine will really compliment anything with tomato paste and garlic, sandwiches, pasta, pizza, shellfish and seafood.

I hope you enjoyed the Napa Valley Wine Guide, and I also hope you put this information to good use. If you would like to start making wine a part of your dinner plans, but don't know where to start, why not use this wine guide to give yourself a head start.