Our two weeks in Napa gave us the opportunity to spend more times than usual at a number of wineries. Some were new to us. Others, long-time favorites. The following posts on Napa Wine Experiences begins in Los Carneros, at the southern tip of the valley, and ends in St Helena and Calistoga, in the north.

Central Napa Valley produces some of the region’s most renowned Cabs. Among our favorite wineries were:

Yountville

• Cornerstone. Our friends introduced us to this gem of a winery where the winemaker guided us through a wide range of varietals. The 2010 Pinot Gris, Artist Series (tropical fruits and mineral) is very refreshing and we all enjoyed the 2011 Black Label Napa Valley Syrah and especially the 2011 Black Label Napa Valley Cab Franc. The 2010 White Label Cab Sauv will be wonderful with a few more years under its belt.
• Paraduxx. We always enjoy the winery’s Zin-based blends and the experience. Although we uncharacteristically found the a number of the blends (such as the 2011 “M”, “C”, and Rector Creek blends less concentrated and ?? than is our preference, we really enjoyed the more robust Howell Mountain Blend. And speaking of robust, how about sister Anderson Valley Goldeneye winery’s namesake 2011 Pinot? Both memorable, both in our cellar.

Rutherford

• Caymus. We’ve known about Caymus for years. What’s taken us so long to visit this wonderful winery? A lovely site off the beaten path with incredible, reasonably priced wines and for our visit, an incredibly knowledgeable, totally unintimidating tasting guide, Ezekiel. We did exercise will power in buying only four of the five wonderful wines our tasting. The 2012 Belle Glos Clark & Telephone Vineyard Pinot brought us in, after tasting it at Pinot Days link). From there we had the 2012 Napa Valley Zin, 2012 40^th Anniversary Cab and the powerful 2011 Emmolo Merlot. The only wine we managed to pass on (reluctantly) was the Mer Soliel Reserve Chard. A wonderful stop.
• Alpha Omega, a nice facility and pretty tasting around a pond, but we found the wines to be less engaging then the facilities. Although the 2012 Unoaked Napa Chard and the 2010 Napa Valley Cabs both were fine, we find them to be particularly compelling, especially for the price.
• Inglenook. Believe it or not, our first visit to this historical winery. This called for a tour and an explanation as to how Francis Ford Coppola reassembled and is attempting to recreate the old Inglenook and Gustave Niebaum mystique—including by hiring the number two winemaker at Chateau Marguax to reinvent Inglenook as a premium vintner. We tasted five wines of which we enjoyed three. The 2011 Edizione Pennino Zin, the very interesting 2012 Blancaneaux white Rhone blend (Marsanne, Roussane and Viognier) and its elegant flagship Rubicon Bordeaux blend.
• Rutherford Hill. We had not visited this winery before, so we sampled wines from both its Classic and Signature Collections. We particularly enjoyed two from the latter: the TFV Cardinals’ Peak blend (80 percent cab plus merlot and franc) and the powerful, Cab-like 2005 Reserve Merlot. Now that we have discovered this winery, we plan to return.

Oakville

• Nickel & Nickel. We have wanted to get to Nickel & Nickel for a number of years. We finally made it and now can’t wait for a return visit. A great estate, consisting of wonderfully restored 19^th-century buildings, seamlessly integrated into a state-of-the-art winey, powered by net carbon- and cost-positive solar power. After an welcoming Chardonnay and tour of the technologically and architecturally impressive facility, we returned to the main house for a tasting. Discuss the wines and cheeses. Where to start: the wonderful 2011 Hayne, CC Ranch, Sori Bricco or State Ranch single-vineyard cabs, the three incredible artisan cheeses, the informative and engaging discussion? Expensive, yes. But overall, one of the most professional, educational and comfortable tasting experiences we have ever had. The wine, while expensive, is wonderful. The tour and tasting, ours led by Brendan: a wine experience not to be missed.
• Revana. We had been there once before and really enjoyed the cabs. They now own three wineries (Dundee Hills Oregon Alexana, Mendoza Argentina Corazon del Sol and Napa Valley Revana. Although we really enjoyed the 2012 Alexana Estate Pinot, we were blown away by the cabs. The 2009, which still shows a lot of fruit, has years to go. But then there was the amazing 2005—one of those special wines that at least for my pallete) shows absolutely perfect balance. At $195, the most expensive wine we have ever bought!
• Miner. The 2012 “The Iliad” Marsanne/Viognier blend was refreshing, and reasonably priced. Some of the reds, such as the 2010 Oakville Cab, were bold, albeit pricy. We most liked the premium “The Oracle” Bordeaux blend, but couldn’t quite justify the price.
• Vine Cliff. A beautiful St. Helena Highway tasting room to complement its Silverado Trail winery. A great facility to show off its big, fruit-forward cabs—to enjoy with a take-in lunch.