My husband, Bill, used to work for the best company ever, ADR Consulting. Alas, they were a victim of the Great Recession and an angry, vindictive VP. However, in its heyday, ADR had the best company outings, always involving wine to some degree. Okay...best being relative, as they did have a few employees who did not drink, and I am sure those employees had a very different view of the outings. I, however, loved them.
This particular company outing occurred on 10/2/2009, and was a trip to Napa with private tours and tastings at three wineries: Mumm Cellars, Regusci Vineyards, and Rubicon/Neibaum-Coppola. We traveled there in a luxurious bus, so no worries about driving and drinking. The weather was pefect, in the upper 70s and sunny, typical for Napa in October.
Mumm Cellars
Really hands-down the best tour I have ever had. The guide gave us deep insight into methode champenoise, and Mumm operations, and it was fascinating. The process of bottle-fermenting champagne is quite the science experiment, and if they'd taught this in Chemistry, I would have gotten an A instead of a B and made my chemist dad proud. Please note, although my point scale is still 1-10, I am rating the wine mostly on palate, effervescence and balance, and very little on nose.
What we tasted:
Brut Prestige
A 50/50 blend of pinot noir and chardonnay grapes, with 1% pinot gris, this wine was tart, dry, acidic, light, and effervescent. I found it a bit too light and would have preferred a little more body and flavor. I gave it a 5 out of 10 points.
Cuvee M
This was lightly sweet, with flavors of toast and blueberry, and a hint of violet. The wine was nicely balanced, medium body, and the flavors carried through the wine and lingered on the palate. 9 out of 10 points. I wrote "wine breakthrough" after this, which I think meant I finally found a champagne I really liked. Or else I was already buzzed. Hmm.
Santana
This champagne was a collaboration between Mumm and Carlos Santana, the famous musician. The wine was full-bodied and had bold flavors of toasted brioche, cardamom, white pepper and a hint of berry. The finish was spectacular, lingering spice and honey, very smooth. Kind of like Santana himself, bold and spicy yet smooth and refined. I gave this a 10 out of 10 and bought a bottle. I need more!!!
Regusci
A very pretty winery with lovely grounds and very friendly staff, our guide and pourer was very knowledgeable and friendly. He had everyone laughing and enjoying themselves, and we had a nice picnic lunch on their grounds.
What we tasted:
Merlot (sadly, I neglected to record the vintage)
This was a big, round, fruity wine with a nice nose of oak, bright cherry and vanilla. The wine was well-balanced with flavors of cherry, vanilla sugar, oak, and hints of rose and violet. The finish was peppery and smooth. 8 out of 10 points.
Zinfandel (I must have been tipsy...where are the vintages?)
The nose was rather soft for a zin, with some pepper and black cherry. The wine was fruit-forward with flavors of cherry, raisin, and black pepper on the mid-palate. Then, the wine fell flat and had a light finish, not what I like in a zin. After giving the wine a bit more air, it developed more and had a better mid-palate but the finish just was not there. 5 out of 10 points.
Cabernet Sauvignon (sorry...no vintage again...maybe I was hungry)
The nose was light with hints of oak and plum. The palate was nicely balanced, leading with oak and plum, developing into cherry and finishing with heavier tannins, a little hint of vanilla, and cherry. I gave it 8 out 10.
Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 (FINALLY, a vintage in my notes!)
This was a big cab, with a big nose of black cherry and oak. Well-balanced on the palate, the wine led with lively black cherry, developed good oak and leather flavors, and finished very smoothly with just a hint of tannins and a little spice. I gave it 9 out of 10.
Rubicon (AKA Neibaum-Coppola)
How many times can a winery change its name? This winery used to be Inglenook, then Coppola, then Neibaum-Coppola, and now Rubicon. I love companies that continually reinvent themselves, and this winery is the leader! The main building is a monument to Francis Ford Coppola, and has an extensive gift shop and tasting room. The gifts are quite unique and extremely pricey, supposedly collected by Mrs. Coppola on her extensive journeys through Europe, none of which impressed me. $100 for a glass? Really? Why???
What we tasted:
White Bacaneaus
This is a blend of three wines including viognier and that was what I predominantly tasted. Starting with a delicate nose of apricot and lemon, the wine was well-balanced and smooth. Predominant flavors were of dried apricot, lemon, and white pepper. The finish was smooth with lingering fruit and pepper. So...why didn't I taste the other varietals? 7 out of 10 points.
Zinfandel 2007
This was a big, full zin, which I love. The nose was black cherry, plum, and pepper. The well-balanced wine was fruit-forward with a hint of raspberry along with the black cherry and plum, stronger pepper and cinnamon notes in the mid-palate and finishing with a lingering, smooth peppery jammy flavor. YUM! 10 out of 10 for this beauty.
Cask Cabernet 2005
This was the beginning of my love affair with Cask, my favorite cabernet sauvignon. The 2005 is, to me, the epitome of a beautiful, well-balanced cab that is not overwhelmingly complex, too high in alcohol, or too tannic. The wine had a beautiful nose of tart cherry and vanilla, and led with those flavors. The mid-palate brought notes of pepper, oak, and violet, and was very juicy. The wine finished with a smooth elegance and lingering pepper and oak. 10 out of 10, I love you, Rubicon Cask. We ended up splitting a case of this wine with a friend, and we hoard those bottles and only bring them out for special occasions.
It was a wonderful day with my husband's colleagues, a day I will remember forever.
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