jimyeni

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• jeagle says:

  7/5/2020 7:19:00 AM - Hello Thanks for the comment. For 20 years my cellar was Cab dominant. I discovered the beauty of Paso Rhone varietals in the 2005 vintage and they have since taken over the cellar I have been attempting to insinuate myself back into the Napa Cab scene, but it is an expensive and different world now. I have tried Myriad and the 2015 Scarlet Reserve from Mike Smith. Not a fan of either, and I do not like his Rhones at all. I have not had Carter, but I probably should before I write off Mike Smith. I do prefer the French wine makers: Touquette; Melka; and Fayard. I have also had some promising wine from Thomas Brown. I have a much bigger inventory than wines I have tried, just waiting for them to mature sufficiently. At the moment, I continue to revel in Paso 2012's and 2015s awaiting the maturation of the 2016's. Torrin and Saxum produce my favorites, but L'Aventure and Clos Solene can be close. We'll have to see if Napa can win me back. Thanks again. >John

• csimm says:

  2/28/2018 9:20:00 PM - Hi Jim. That's right; sorry I forgot you'd already been to Wine Thief. I'm unfortunately at a loss, as I don't know of any wine bars that have good food and Coravin wines that would be of any interest... At least not that I've ever been to. I always end up bringing my own wine to restaurants because I've always found even the best restaurants to have subpar wine selections (and those that have good wines charge 3-4x retail - which I usually refuse to pay - I'd rather pay corkage).

• csimm says:

  2/26/2018 9:01:00 PM - Hi Jim! Glad to hear you'll be visiting the Valley. Good wine bars are tough to come by, especially when some of the personalized tasting experiences with a number of the wineries are far superior. That said, Mainsonry is always a nice spot. I really like The Wine Thief in Napa proper. The proprietor, Andy, is a great guy and some of the wines they pour are very good. It's best to contact them ahead of time and ask specifically what you like/want. The Purlieu and Buoncristiani wines are very good, but again, plan ahead and see if you can get him to line up those wines. He does charcuterie and even a nice lunch-type spread from the local shops if you make previous arrangements. The Wine Thief is right next to the Oxbow and a block from downtown (tons of restaurants). A late afternoon at Wine Thief and a dinner at La Toque right down the street is a good evening! Other conglomerates include ACME and 750 Wines in St. Helena. V Cellars in Yountville will often host tastings, but personal inquiry is required. B Cellars also has a very nice Heritage tasting that can include some nice bites. There are tons of great dinner options in general in the area...so that's a whole different story...depends on what part of the Valley you're going to be primarily visiting. If you let me know what kind of food you like, I can always recommend some good dinner places.

• bestdamncab says:

  1/21/2017 9:16:00 PM - Thank you for reading my TN and becoming a Fan-have a glass of wine and enjoy.