Brothers Stu and Charles Smith have been making wine on Spring Mountain above Napa Valley since the early 1970s. The mountainside location sets Smith-Madrone apart from the valley and so does the brothers’ winemaking style. They make Cabernet Sauvignon in an elegant, old-world style along with lively, oaked Chardonnay and Riesling — yes, Riesling, because they both really love Riesling. […]
Summer is here, temperatures are rising and we’re enjoying lighter meals. We’re grilling and trying to keep cool. White wines are more likely to grace our dinner table this time of year and Grenache Blanc is a delicious choice to accompany meals or sip before dinner. Grenache Blanc from Napa Valley isn’t the most common of choices, but Priest Ranch […]
Today we’re sipping a delightful Cabernet Sauvignon blend that hails from Napa Valley’s Rutherford sub-AVA. We received this wine as a tasting sample and it provided us the opportunity to sip delicious wine and take a brief look at the region’s history. I never know where a wine I taste is going to take me. In the case of Coeur […]
Today we are sipping red wines from Napa Valley made by Flora Springs. Both wines are a celebration of quality winemaking, Cabernet Sauvignon and family. We received both wines as tasting samples. From the very beginning Flora Springs has been a family operation. Flora and Jerry Komes purchased the abandoned winery, originally built between 1885 and 1900 at the foot […]
St. Supéry Vineyards & Winery in Napa Valley believes in its Sauvignon Blanc so much that they established #SauvBlanc Day in 2010 to celebrate the variety. This year we are celebrating Sauvignon Blanc Day with St. Supéry and prepared a spring meal to pair with the 2019 St. Supéry Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, which we received as a tasting sample. […]
Today we are sipping Riesling from Napa Valley’s Spring Mountain District. I know Riesling isn’t the first variety you associate with Napa Valley, but the last thing Stu and Charles Smith seek to do is conform to the expected; if they did, Smith-Madrone Vineyards & Winery would be located on Napa’s valley floor. Once you taste Smith-Madrone’s Riesling, you too […]
Calla Lily Estate encompasses 95 acres on the eastern slopes of Howell Mountain. Vines were first planted in 1995, though Hong Kong businessmen Anthony Fung and Andy Chui established Calla Lilly in 2013. Current plantings include 12 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, five acres Petite Sirah and one acre each of Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Cary Gott has […]
The current diversity and quality of wine around the world can be a bit overwhelming. Not that as a consumer I’m complaining, but it can be a challenge to taste wine from every region let alone every variety. The same applies to the quality and diversity of California wine in my experience. Petite Sirah is one of those varieties that […]
Summer feels like it’s beginning to slip into fall. The days are getting noticeably shorter and mornings are damp and cool. The smells remind me of walking to school in the mornings during my grammar school years. And after a summer of sipping mostly white and pink wines I’m beginning to think of sipping a few more red wines. Any […]
Black Stallion Estate Winery is situated not far from the Napa River along the southern end of the Silverado Trail in Napa Valley’s Oak Knoll District. The winery makes its home in what was a large equestrian center called the Silverado Horsemen’s Center. There is more history to tell about the family that owns Black Stallion Estate Winery and the […]
We enjoy wine, food and travel. Pull That Cork is a chronicle of our wine adventures, the food and wine pairings we create and our travels which are increasingly organized around wine.