Raymond Vineyards; Winemaker For a Day Blending Experience

Recently we had the opportunity to be a ‘winemaker’ for the day at Raymond Vineyards. As wine lovers we have always dreamed of making our own personal “blend”. Raymond was the place to do it!

They offer a very fun blending experience that allows you to craft their wines to your own personal Bordeaux-style red wine from actual barrel samples. Once crafted you cork it, foil it and then attach the custom named label and voila you have your wine!

During the blending process we learned winemaker’s tips, interesting facts and techniques about getting the perfect personal blend and the shocking difference between the same vintage grapes barreled in American Oak vs French Oak.  We took a good friend to this blending experience and named our wine ‘Friends’. Our host was Joseph, who was very professional and knowledgeable.  Our wine was a blend of 50% 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% 2018 Merlot and 20% 2018 Cabernet Franc.

The great thing is that you can reorder your personal creation any time and also change your customized label for holiday, birthday and special occasion gifts.

Prior to the blending appointment, the Raymond Tasting Room Manager, Bill Farmer, gave us a wonderful tour of the eccentric tasting facility created by Jean-Charles Boisset. We loved the “Red Room” which took us back to the glamour and excitement of yesteryear with red velvet lined walls lit by Baccarat chandeliers.

Raymond’s wine blending experience is a ‘must do’ to add to any wine lovers bucket list. Plan a trip to Raymond with a few friends and create your own wonderful wine. It is a memorable experience.

For more information and to make an appointment for the blending experience or wine tasting. Go to: https://raymondvineyards.com/about/

Buena Vista: Established in 1857 California’s First Premium Winery

 

Buena Vista: Established in 1857 California’s First Premium Winery

Recently we had the pleasure to experience California’s first premium winery, Buena Vista. It is located in Sonoma, an easy 1-hour drive from our home in Danville.

The Buena Vista Wine founder was Agoston Haraszthy. He proclaimed himself as the “Count of Buena Vista”.  He was described as having a colorful personality, loved life and especially great wine.  Immigrating from Europe in 1840, he sought “purple gold” and founded Buena Vista Winery in 1857

Today the winery is owned by Jean- Charles Boisset another brilliant businessman and flamboyant personality. The Boisset Family owns a number of wineries including Raymond Vineyards in Napa which we are members. The original Buena Vista winery is now a California Landmark.

Our host for our tasting was Ariel.  She was very knowledgeable and proudly informed us about their extensive selection of wonderful wines. The ambiance for the tasting was very fun. We visited on Presidents Day and the outdoor covered tasting tables were full of people enjoying the wine and a soft rain that made it feel and look mystical.  We tasted their 2018 Reserve Chardonnay, Reserve Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Charbono and 2017 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. All of them were excellent and very enjoyable.

Our final tasting was the 2018 Sheriff of Buena Vista. It honors the ‘Counts’ role as San Diego’s first sheriff.  It is a unique blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Syrah, Syrah, Grenache, Petite Verdot, Mourvèdre, Merlot and Mission varietals. We took 2 bottles of this great wine home with us along with a bottle of smooth and sensational Buena Vista Port.

After our tasting, we enjoyed a great lunch at El Dorado Kitchen overlooking the charming Sonoma square.  Fresh oysters, Seared Ahi Tuna sandwich, crispy French Fries, and warm churros with caramel sauce made for a great ending to a special day.

 For more information and to make an appointment go to:
 https://buenavistawinery.com/

A Napa Tradition: Cakebread Cellars

 

Recently we had the pleasure of visiting Cakebread Cellars. It was founded in 1973 by Jack and Dolores Cakebread. It is still family owned and operated and produces 150,000 cases of wine each year. Jack is still alive and his wife Dolores recently passed away at age 90.

The tasting room has been recently remodeled and has an intimate warm feeling with high wooden ceilings and large bottles of their great wine proudly displayed.  Jack is also an amateur photographer and has many of his photos gracing the walls.

We enjoyed a tasting in their outside garden overlooking their grapes on a spectacular sunny warm Napa winter day.  Our host was Gabe who was very knowledgeable and passionate about the wines.

We began with their famous crisp and refreshing 2018 Chardonnay followed by 2017 Pinot Noir, 2016 Merlot, 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2017 Vaca Cabernet Sauvignon.  We especially enjoyed the Merlot that was 82% Merlot, 7% Petite Verdot, 6%Petite Syrah and 5% Cabernet Franc. The Vaca Cabernet was also a spectacular full bodied rich wine We took both of these wines back to Danville with us.

We also tasted the 2018 Rubaiyat Wine. This wine is a blend of 50% Pinot Noir, 49% Petite Syrah and 1% Grenache. It was named for a famous love poem by the 12th century Persian philosopher/poet Omar Khayyam. The poem is written on the back of each bottle. 

A perfect bottle for Valentine’s Day!

After the tasting, we enjoyed a great lunch at Farmstead. Hog Island Oysters, pulled pork sandwiches and their famous beignets with caramel bourbon sauce made for a great ending to another fantastic day in beautiful Napa.

For more information and to make a tasting appointment go to:
https://www.cakebread.com/