During our save water drink wine trip, we only visited three vineyards in the valley. Other couples visited more while we were doing other sightseeing at the tourist traps down south.
2015.09.30, Wed: Yountville: Maison Fleurie; The French Laundry
The first tasting of the trip.
We met up with the gang at Wolf Family’s home on White Lane, with Karen, the wine maker for a private tasting. I lost my sandals – had to have my friend to call her from Bressler’s … just can’t take me anywhere – where the Birkenstock Cinderella came from.
The wine above was purchased by our neighbor a few years ago. We had it with a hot pot dinner after returning home from the trip.
Sauvignon Blanc 2014: we’ve this one in 2019. It tastes really nice, fruity and yummy. By now it’s no longer available on their site. 2017 however is available at $38: 50 cases produced.
Phaedrus 2013, nice name for a wine: 800 cases produced.
The precipitation or sediment in the wine.
We shipped two home:
32644
St. Helena, Napa CA 94574
After the Wolf Family, we drove over to the Bressler’s, at their home too. They didn’t set out to make wine. But at their housewarming party, someone said, their home site is an excellent fertile ground for grapes. The rest is history.
They’re small producer, making 500 cases of wine annually (3 barrels yield around 75 cases). We also get to visit their wine cellar, which is featured on many magazines. The story he told was: the builder of their cellar had no web site at the time and Mr. Bressler offered to barter.
The vine with white cup at the bottom is newly planted, to distinguish from the rest. The low tech tubs on the field. Repeat pickers have their fave rows.
They’re gladly losing money .. There are wineries that provide every step of the process but Bresslers hire their own manager and staff, enjoying the fun, the labor of love, along the way.
Mixing the wine is an important step in the long process. Oddly, the wineries don’t hire a focus group (like politicians to consumer products and commercials would do) to determine their wine, good to know. They rely on their own instinct.
1140 Main St
Napa, CA 94559
(707) 252-3292
Love their high ceiling and brick walls. Parking and bathroom, needs a little time to come by. This was a surprise, given the location, neither NY or SF.
Decent food and good service. Tap water needs to be required due to the drought. Come on, people, get real. I knew rain has not been frequenting this part of the earth, but how many carafes of water could prolong the dry weather?
I ordered the short rib. Soft and yummy, however, it somewhat reminds me of chunky Dongpo pork 东坡肉 but not as tasty as the Chinese pork. (I’m aware that I compare beef to pork.)
$35 for a 5-oz glass of wine posted on the board by the bar. It seems a bit too much: for that kind of wine (nearly $200 a bottle – in general, 750 ml bottle could pour little over four 5-oz or six glasses 4-oz.), who would pay for it – lord knows how long the bottle’s been opened?
On yelp and trip advisor.
