Winery_Times

Wine Blog Awards

Well it seems that there are many bloggers out there that are upset about these wine blog awards.

I am surprised that so many are so competitive about these awards that Tom made up to give some credit to those that are winners. 

Personally, I do this blog because I love it and I do not worry too much about awards.  My readers are a reward in themselves, I never thought anyone would read my articles.  I did this blog to retain and gain clients that want to do wine tastings in Napa and Sonoma counties.  I am very knowledgeable about the wineries and wine makers. I have done so many tours I do not think there are many with more experience. 

My wine list is greater and more full with information about wines and wineries than any other I have seen.  I have spent years studying and tasting.  So most folks are not a threat to me as I have been tasting for 50 years, few can say that and still be in retention of their faculties, because most are 75-80 years old.  I started tasting at 5 so I have years more experience.  All I do is study wines and talk with winery folk,  so whether anyone gives me an award or not, my knowledge cannot be taken away.

I do wine tours because I love to see people so appreciative of a day of tasting, hugging me and thanking me.  Sending me wine and paying me to give them advice is nice too.  I love my job and I thank my clients for giving me such a wonderful life.  Every day is another's special day and I am driving the car!

Thanks to all who have come and come again to tour the most beautiful place in the world Napa and Sonoma counties. Please to all that read my blog: come again and do another tour!  Thanks Mark!

New Releases

I have been writing on the tours and the company, now I need to catch up on releases!

Black Cat has released their 2005 Syrah only 150 cases made $42 a bottle 10% discount on cases.
Tracey Reichow is the  Winemaker, call 321-0866 to place orders. www.blackcatvineyard.com

Ouintessa is offering a pre-release of their 2005, 6 bottles at $654, 3 bottles at $327 , limit one case.  The 1.5 is $245 and the 3.0 is $545! http://www.quintessa.com/

Fisher has released its Unity 2005 $45,  (Parker says good acidity and tannins) www.fishervineyards.com

Capiaux Cellars is saying their spring 2006 release will be mailed shortly and the fall is due in August.  www.capiauxcellars.com

Ridge Vineyards is doing their spring release event April 6-7 at both tasting rooms with a full list of wines to taste all fantastic!  http://www.ridgewine.com/news/events.taf

DR Stefhens have released their Hudson Vineyard Chardonnay 2005, $50, and their 2005 DRII Cabernet $60 , 1.5 $130 (6 max) or 375 $32 first come first served!  www.drstephensestate.com

Well I hope I am not too rude but I was in Vegas at the limo show and have been playing catch up since so things have kind of backed up!  But hey who else gives you this much good wine in one article I am in wine heaven, no?

Our Mission!

The Napa Valley has developed into the premiere wine region in the US in the last forty years.  Beginning with the break up of Inglenook in 1965 things started changing. Robert Mondavi opened his winery and one after anotherothers followed suit.  Today Highway 29 is a veritable winery row and the Napa Valley has gone from one wine growing region to 14 and soon  to be 15 with the addition of Calistoga as an Appellation.

In 1976 the blind tasting in Paris brought notoriety to the Napa Valley. It was instigated by the then little known wine merchant Steven Spurrier, (now head buyer for Christie’s Auctions of London)   who arranged a tasting in Paris.  At this tasting the participants declared Stag’s Leap Cask 23 and Chateau Montelena Chardonnay best Red and best White of the tasting, an honor the French would never have bestowed had they not unknowingly given it.

Over the years there have been many changes in the valley but one thing has not changed and that is the passion to produce the finest wine the earth can create!  The synergy brought about by so many great wine makers in one place has accelerated improvement in the quality of the wine and developed a style that can only be produced by the unique climate and volcanic soils that the volcano Mount St Helena has provided.

At Limos America we have been watching and adapting to these changes through the years!  From years of experience we can get our clients into wineries and tasting rooms that are only known by locals.  At these properties the wine is bought and consumed without distribution, because the quality is such that distributors are not required and production is so low. We believe that if our clients come here to taste they should be experiencing wine which they would not be able to find where they live. This is the point of coming here!

On our extensive wine list we have catalogued over 50 varietals grown in the regions of Napa and Sonoma and are approaching listing 1000 wineries.  There is no other Limo service that can compare to our dedication to our clients as illustrated by our wine list and Blog.  If you want the most knowledgeable and experienced service there is no other choice.

If you are looking for wine tour to which value is added by the driver’s experience and knowledge then Limos America is your choice. We can assist you in making your tour a day not soon forgotten.  From a simple tour to an extravagant procurement and collection of a serious cellar we have the knowledge and experience to assist you!

I was born here in 1953, who else says that in their literature?

We await your putting us to the test!

Mark V Marino

http://www.californiawinelimo.com Blog

http://www.limosamerica.com/

What a Week, Day Five!

Well it has taken me another week to manage write of one week of tours, to add the last day, day five! 

I just got back from the Limo show in Vegas and have a day off today.

I picked up a couple from Phoenix at the World Mark in Windsor.  They told me they had a list of wineries they wanted to visit as  they had free tasting tickets.   They were very happy to be here tasting and had not had too much experience with wines.  They were complete opposites as far as their wine appreciation. He liked big reds and she sweet whites!  She was very nice and announced she liked free tasting tickets because she was cheap but also because she had extras, she enjoyed giving them to people along the way so they too could taste for free!

We headed off north to Geyserville  and stopped at Geyser Peak which was started long ago by Henry Trione, a local legend for his business success. 15 years ago he sold it to corporate America .   It produces some widely distributed wines and is best known for it's Cabernet.  Next stop was Mosaic, a winery which is more boutique in size and nature.  The owners here are very hands on and the tasting room is adorned with the art of one of the partners wives. Her art is truly beautiful and completely unique.  This places makes some good and reasonably priced wines.  The clients liked the Sangiovese and purchased several bottles!   Next, we drove over to Clos du Bois, another big winery made famous by the purchase of it's fruit from the great Robert Young Estate Vineyard.  Great wine is made with great fruit and it is true here as well, their Cabernet has always been good!  The place we went next was Simi on Healdsburg Ave. at the end of town going toward Geyserville. This is another long established winery with a colorful history, my clients bought the Late Harvest wine here.  Our last stop was the Alderbrook Winery, right at the beginning of Westside Rd outside of Healdsburg. This is where  an old business associate of mine was married years ago to his para legal--to the upset of his recently divorced wife, but that is another story.  They tasted the wine there and did not buy, but purchased a lot of accessories, chocolate covered blueberries and peanut brittle.
That was the day for those two and the week for me.  These five articles were to illustrate the wide variability in wine tours from one day to the next!  Hope you enjoyed it!

What a Week, Day Four!

The next day was Sunday and it was an early pick up in Sonoma at the Eldorado Hotel on the Square.
My clients were to couples from Texas and Kentucky.  Both the men were Doctors with their wives who had known each other for years.  As soon as we got in the car I asked them what wine we were after and the answer  was Cabernet and Pinot Noir. Yikes!  I was informed we had a appointment at Opus One for their daily tour so we were going to the heart of the Napa Valley, which is unfortunately far too warm to grow Pinot Noir.

Opus One puts on a good tour which lasts about an hour and fifteen minutes.  They show you that they spare no expense to build a top quality wine using French Oak barrels for one time only.  This, along with aging the wine, winds up costing them a whopping $100 a bottle, hence the cost of the wine to the consumer is $165 a bottle.  While the tour takes place they give you a nice sized glass of their wine.  Most of the people I bring to taste are fairly disturbed by the reality of buying wine at those prices, they enjoy the wine, but are put off at the cost of it.

My position is this: when I get clients here I take them to the places I think the wine is something they cannot readily get where they live and where the price to quality value is most wonderful.  For these reasons we went right across the street to The Napa Wine Company.  Paul  Torres has placed a new web site up , Cult Wine Central,  which illustrates the type of wine they sell there. I is wine which has such a small production that it is not  distributed,  hence the name  CWC.    This is a wine-room unlike others. It has some 25  producers in the room with over 100 possible wines to pour. They decided to publish a tasting menu once a week as they have too many wines to open all of them at once.  This menu has a white flight, a medium red flight and a big red flight.  I have always said great wine starts with great fruit and if you want the best price, buy wine from the people that make it from their own fruit.  In other words if one makes wine with fruit they grew they are not paying another for it so they can sell the wine at a lower price than those that pay for their fruit and then make the wine.   This is what makes the Napa Wine company great.  They haves wines made by the producers, small producers who can obviously do a better job growing that fruit as they only have a little to care for.  They have many wine makers who talk to each other hence there is a synergistic quality working to produce better wines.  The Wine Room has a track record which includes some of the top wineries in the Valley starting at the NWC, names like Staglin, Lewis, Bryant Family and Larkmead.

The Doctor that was looking for Cabernet was in heaven in the NWC and joined the club to receive wine four times a year.  While we were there, the Oakville Market was spotted across the street and it was decided we would stop there for lunch.  We had to be quick as I had made an appointment at Honig for a 1:30 tasting so we grabbed some sandwiches and ate them on the way to Honig.  We had a wonderful tasting at Honig where the clients sat outside and wine was brought to their tables to taste and discuss.  The Honig's two Cabernets  were really appreciated by the Cabernet  lover and the Pinot  lovers bought  the late harvest  Sav Blanc which is fabulous.

Now we switched gears and decided to go after some wine that the Pinot couple would like and I took them to Sinsky where Pinot Noir is the focus.  They tasted and commented favorably on the fact Sinsky gives food with their tasting but did not purchase.

Now I am on the spot as I want all my customers to get what they want, so we headed to the Carneros where Pinot is king. We stopped at Bouchaine where the wine maker was the one who started Acacia and he really knows Pinot Noir!   It was a hit with both couples and several cases were purchased.
This was it for the day and we returned to Sonoma Square and the Eldorado  Hotel,  another tour  over.

What a Week, Day Three!

The next day was Saturday and the big event in Sonoma County was the Barrel Tasting in Russian River, Dry Creek and Alexander Valleys.  This year was the first time they held it on two weekends. March 1-2 and 8-9 it was $20 to taste, per weekend, out of the barrel at almost 100 wineries (an impossible task).  My job for the day was to ferry some local tasting veterans who numbered seven all women.   All had known each other for years and decided a day away from husbands and children was in order.  These women knew where they wanted to go and had a road map assembled with some diligent work and thought by Becky (the planner).

First stop was Russian River Valley, the Olivet Lane wineries, Harvest Moon and Hook and Ladder.

Harvest Moon had a Magician, George Winters, entertaining between tastings.  Then over to Hook and Ladder Winery where things were busy and Cecil Deloach was on hand cooking his famous Firehouse Chili.  I picked up some of the great Palo Alto Fireman's Pepper Sauce sold there. 

The morning started out slowly as it took a bit for all seven to get into the car.  Initially
the talk was of past years. The party got started, though, after a couple of wineries. 

We next stopped at Moshin where they were serving Wild Boar Chili. I got the recipe, while they were busy tasting the barrels of the future wines.  The show was complete with the band "Bucky Walters" playing some good Bluegrass music.
   

We jumped in the Limo and headed up Westside Road into the Dry Creek Valley.  Our destination was Armida, home of PoiZin their famous Zinfandel.  These guys know how to party!

Leaving the Russian River we then proceeded to Dry Creek Central or A. Rafanelli, long known for their Zinfandel.  This was quick as they had only two wines to taste. 

Our next stop was the Family wineries there on Dry Creek Road. This was a fun stop as there are about six wineries in the complex and each was doing their own thing so there was lots to try.

Barrel tasting stops at 4 o'clock so we were pretty much done at 4:30 but heading up in the direction of Healdsburg we saw that Wilson Winery was still open and stopped to taste their wines which were being poured despite barrel tasting being done.

That was a wrap and the limo headed back to Petaluma to return the ladies to where we started. The third tour of the week was done!

What a Week, Day Two!

My next tour was for two couples from North Carolina and Pennsylvania.  We started at the Doubletree in Rohnert Park and I took them across  the  hills into  Calistoga at the north end of the Napa Valley.   

Our first stop was Frank  Family Vineyards, owned by the Hollywood Icon, Richard Frank.  This tasting room is undergoing a complete remodel, they were lowering the parking lot by 3 feet and are soon to destroy the old tasting room.   There was much construction noise but the staff was (as usual) the most gracious in the Valley and my clients spoke of them all day long, considering them to have been the most friendly and to have had the wine the best of the day.   They loved the Champagne and the Chardonnay as well a the Zinfandel, which is now sold out.  The Cabernet is fabulous and cheap by Napa standards, they liked the Reserve the best.  It  is now available only in Magnums at $285 I believe, which was more than they were willing to spend.  They did, however, figure out a half case they wanted to ship back home.

Then we were around the corner and down the road to Rombauer on the Silverado Trail.  They, again, liked the Zinfandel here and purchased some of it.  This was a surprise as Rombauer has always been touted for their Chardonnay.  It seems the last vintage was not as well received as the previous ones were as was borne out here.

We then when down to my favorite spot in the Valley, the Napa Wine Company or Cult Wine Central, where there are wines that you can get nowhere else.  So  manywines that they must make a menu each week since it is impossible to open all of them at once.  Each week, the Room has a new white flight, medium red flight and big red flight.  They decided to try the white and medium red flights.  In the end they purchased wine, several reds and a couple of whites.  Now it was time for lunch across the street at the Oakville market. 

Because the wine they favored was Zinfandel, I then decided to go to Elyse for the Morisoli Zinfandel, upon which Ray Coursen has built his winery for the last 25 years.  They preformed as I expected and the clients were pleased with Ray's Zinfandel and Petite Sirah.  Ray does not make a massive amout of wine but he is long on wines available to taste in the tasting room. There were around 20 different wines and all of them excellent!  Well the Cult Wine and the Elyse tasting proved to be all they could manage and the towel was tossed in for the day, so we headed back to Rohnert Park.  Another happy tour complete!

What a Week, Day One!

Well I did 5 wine tours in the last six days, 3 in Napa and 2 in Sonoma County!  You would think these wine tours would be pretty much all the same, but they are not.  They are as individual as the folks that do them.
The first of the week was a Mother/Daughter team from Minnesota out here for a grocery convention  with  the Mom's husband.   It was their first time to Napa,  and  they wanted to try Opus One first.  They make two wines and no expense is spared with their Flagship, new French oak barrels are used, it is properly aged and the wine is excellent. A Bordeaux  style made in California .   

Then we  stopped at Peju  with their beautiful  grounds and the room.   Peju was very quiet.  It seems their new policy of not giving wine to drivers anymore has greatly  injured their traffic, and it also seems they do not understand why they  have  so little business.  Their wine is still very good and it was nice to bring folks that could taste quickly.  I have had many of my clients complain about their "presentation style" .  They want the bar to be full of new tasters so they can make the presentation to the whole bar at once. This requires folks to wait until a bar is clear of the previous group.  I have had many clients walk out because they think it is silly to have to wait.   

Next they wanted to see Rubicon, the old Inglenook Chateau and take the tour of the mansion now owned by Francis Ford Coppola. 

On our way back to Sonoma I mentioned Elyse  and it turned out they had a cousin that was turning 21 named Elyse so they could not resist getting her a bottle with her name on it.  Otto, who was still at the winery and who is in charge of the wine club, was nice enough to allow us to stop by after hours to purchase the bottle. 

We then went back to Sonoma and stopped to get a new style paper grocery bag that they want to replicate for their own markets.  And so I dropped them back at Sonoma Mission Inn, an end to the day.

Winery Times Gets its Own Web Site

Wine Limo has a new unique web site.  California  Wine Limo  I am excited to have lost the "typepad" in the address as now we have a real URL!

Ii is amazing how quickly the readership has grown and we are now getting about 500 visits a week and by the end of the week we will be in the top 70 blogs on local wine events. 

I am going to continue to get the latest information on the best wines available here in the center of the US wine market, Napa and Sonoma Counties!

Please continue reading and remember to recommend me to your friends that might be coming here to do a wine tour!  Planning and executing these tours is my  labor of love ! 

I am going through the next generation  of  my wine list  and soon it will be a page on this site and I will include appellations and  tasting room fees in this next generation.  Nearly 1000 wineries and all the wines and prices available at those wineries.  I will also incorporate a login so that wineries can make a user name and edit their own information on the site to assure that the information is the most up to date anywhere.

Keep reading and thanks for all the comments! I am so happy that you all enjoy this publication and I hope I can be of greater service in the future!

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