T-Vine Winery: Excellent Variety Of Unique Wines

In an effort to visit all 600 wineries in Napa(400 and counting), my wife Linda and I recently visited T-Vine Winery in Calistoga.

Our host was Jonathan Rivera who was full of wine knowledge and enthusiasm. 

T Vine is a combination of experienced wine growers making superior wine. The owners are James Harder and Jim Regusci.

We began our tasting with 2017 Homegrown White Wine that was crisp, very refreshing and a blend of 85% Gewurztraminer and 15% Gruner. 

Next  was the 2016 Frediani 100% Charbono. Charbono is a rare grape in Napa with only 100 acres planted. The grape produces a rich dark color and an eloquent,
sophisticated and unique taste. 

We then had the pleasure of a side by side Zinfandel tasting.

The 2014 was from Frediani, 2015 was from Howell Mountain, and 2016 from Bacigalupi family in the Russian River Valley. Each wine was distinct and full of unique flavor. We were split on what we liked best. The 2016 and 2015 were the favorites.

Our tasting concluded with the 2015 Frediani Petite Sirah and  2016 Hill Of Thunder Red Wine. We especially enjoyed the Petite Sirah.

We liked all of the wines so much that 1 bottle of each went back to Danville with us.

We would highly recommend you visit and taste these great wines.

For more information and to make a reservation go to:
 https://www.tvinewinery.com/

Lefty O’Doul’s: Long Time San Francisco Treasure Relocates To Fisherman’s Wharf

Iconic Lefty O’Doul’s is relocating to Fisherman’s Wharf. This San Francisco Treasure will be located at 145 Jefferson Street and be called Lefty O’Doul’s Ballpark Buffet And Cafe. The grand opening is scheduled for August 2018.

Long time manager Nick Bovis says “the bottom floor will have a San Francisco Giants Dugout store and cafe serving Starbucks coffee. The top floor is Lefty’s space filled with rich baseball history and serving their famous Bloody Mary’s and corned beef.”  

Lefty O’Doul was born in San Francisco on March 4, 1897 and lived a rich life until his death in 1969. He was unusual as he was a pitcher who also won batting championships hitting over 300 6 times.
He went on to become a successful manager and a vital figure in the establishment of professional baseball in Japan. He was inducted in the Bay Area Hall Of Fame  in 1981 And Japan Hall Of Fame in 2002.  

He also loved to play golf and was a scratch golfer winning the Pebble Beach Bing Crosby Pro-Am multiple times.

A bridge over McCovey Cove, near the Giants home field of Att Park is named the Lefty O’Doul bridge in his honor. The ballpark plaza and gate entrance adjacent to the bridge are also named after O’Doul.

The new location of Lefty O’Doul’s  will be a “smashing success” and  promises to be a favorite of tourists and locals at its new Fisherman’s Wharf location.

Make sure you check it out next time you are in the “great city by the bay. “

Hall: Producing World Class Wines Since 2003

In an effort to visit all 600 wineries(400 and counting), my wife Linda and I recently had the pleasure to visit Hall Wines  in St. Helena. Kathryn and Craig Hall purchased Bergfeld Winery and have been producing world class wines on 500 heavenly acres of land since 2003.  Their attention to detail has produced the highest ratings possible in the competitive world of wine.

The Halls are very accomplished people. Kathryn was Ambassador  to Austria and both are prolific art collectors. A 35 foot stainless steel sculpture of a rabbit in mid jump on busy highway 29 let’s you know you are at a special place when you drive into their pristine property. 

Our host today was J’nai who was very knowledgeable and passionate about the great Hall story and wonderful wines.

After strolling around the art  filled grounds, we enjoyed an elegant sample of these wines in their huge tasting room.

We began with the 2015 Jack’s Cabernet Sauvignon Masterpiece named after the winery President and rated between 98-100 points. The logo on the bottle was painted by Jack’s son for a Father’s Day present. It was big, bold and very enjoyable.

Next we tasted the 1873 2014 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon that was rated 95 points by wine enthusiast. 1873 was the year the vines were first planted on this property.

The 2014 Kathryn Hall Cabernet Sauvignon was the next work of wine perfection rated 98 points. It follows a rich legacy of Kathryn Hall excellence when the 2008 was rated # 2 wine in the world. We decided to take some home with us to Danville and also join their wine club receiving 4 shipments per year.

We would highly recommend  that you visit this winery.

For more information and  to make an appointment go to:

https://www.hallwines.com/