We all respect and enjoy the winemaking talents of Andy Erickson—how could we not? From his earlier days with such luminaries as Harlan, Staglin and Newton, Andy took his winemaking skills to another level with his current ventures at Ovid, Dancing Hares, Arietta, Screaming Eagle and Favia (his own label with his wife, vineyard consultant Annie Favia). Andy has impressed our palates with creations of great balance and timeless layers. So when he and Annie decided to start an edgy, fun—and affordable—label called Leviathan, I had high expectations. But I never expected to like it as much as I did when I first tasted their 2005 vintage.

Driving from the Napa Valley to OC isn't exactly a leisurely drive. You have to get through the Walnut Creek traffic and just when you think you're sailing along, you hit the LA traffic. That being said, once you get down to OC, you find yourself breathing a little easier and smiling a little more.

Stop the Presses! Every once in a while a Napa Cabernet comes across my desk that is so good, everything stops. With some of the Napa Cabs I have tasted this year, my standards have gone way up! With the earth-shattering 2006 Hundred Acre Ark (perhaps the BEST Napa Cab I have ever tasted), to the elegant Lindstrom (a new winery with Celia Welch as winemaker from Stags Leap District), and the incredible 2006 Winter (WOW!), this has been a heck of a year. But yesterday I had an unexpected find. The 2006 Casa Piena Napa Cabernet Sauvignon.

Sure, I might have tasted 8-10 wines this week but nothing stood out more than Brian Graham’s brand-new, off-the-charts Parlay “The Bookmaker” Napa Valley Red 2007.

Through countless tastings with thousands of wines in front of me, I’ve become pretty attuned to estimating wines at their respective price points. Every now and then I’ll get a surprise thrown at me. This instance was one of those surprises. Without knowing the winery retail on Parlay Red, I initially pegged it for a $38-$42 dollar bottle.

Actual retail? $20!!

Just when I thought that July would be a month to finish offering wines already in inventory, along comes today, filled with spectacular releases. Even though the allocations are small, it doesn’t make them any less substantial.

Consistency, balance, QvP- these are three factors that I always try to find in wines. Consistency from vintage to vintage is key in creating a successful brand, balance is crucial for the quality of the wine and quality at the respective price point. Without all of these, I have a hard time justifying the selection of a wine. Having tasted Maybach several times in the past few weeks, I think the 2006 Maybach Cabernet Sauvignon possesses all three components.

Blog Entry # 44 - A Day Filled with Sharing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Pebble Beach!
June 5, 2009

Never one to pack lightly when traveling, my most recent trip to Pebble Beach to co-host a wine tasting was no exception. With my car absolutely crammed to the brim with racks of wine glasses, two cases of the newest wine releases and a cooler filled with black truffle pâté, jamón di serrano, mild sopressata, rosemary ham (a favorite of mine at the St. Helena charcuterie counter), salted marcona almonds, and our house blend of olives, I really felt like I was set for a great event.

Blog Entry # 43 - Couloir & Straight Line- new, edgy offerings with old-world elegance in the bottle.
May 22, 2009

It’s hard to resist a winemaker/colleague/neighbor when they call you up and exude so much excitement on the phone that even someone like me starts getting excited to taste yet another Anderson Valley Pinot Noir.

Blog Entry # 41 -Dean & DeLuca Wine goes to Houston & Wichita! 
April 13, 2009

There’s always room for a few new firsts! Geared up both mentally and physically, last week I visited Kansas and Texas for the first time to co-host back-to-back private wine tastings. The idea behind this? To bring the California wine experience to special Dean & DeLuca wine customers/friends. The reality of this? Getting to meet two groups of incredibly fun, engaging people that I believe have now gotten a taste for how we do things in the Napa Valley.

Blog Entry # 40 - BOND Matriarch 2005…Delicious and Worth Every Dollar.
March 30, 2009

My new friend Ken, of BOND Estates was nice enough to drop a 6-pack of the yet to be released Matriarch 2005 so I could bring a few bottles with me on my upcoming D&D private tasting trip. Holding a bottle back, all of us at D&D Napa Valley were able to try it out and taste, re-taste and get to the question that was clearly on all of our minds, or at least showed on our faces. Just how good is the second label of Bill Harlan’s winery, BOND?

Blog Entry # 37 - Tasting with Randy Lewis of Lewis Cellars - March 5, 2009

Often times when I taste Lewis Cellars’ wines, I feel like one taste or one glass is never enough. Overall, the wines always are the highlight in a line-up of wines. In fact, when I’ve tasted customers on new releases, I carefully place the Lewis offering at the end of the tasting. If I’m opening whites, the Lewis is the last white in the line-up. The same definitely holds true for the reds. If you’ve had a bottle of Lewis, you would understand why.

An Abreu, Maybach and a Mad Hatter to boot!

After a tougher week than usual at work, a couple of us met up for dinner at Press St. Helena Restaurant with Leslie Rudd, the owner of Dean & DeLuca (and also Press) last Thursday.

Now if you’ve visited Napa Valley without dining at Press St. Helena Restaurant, then consider making it a priority to do just that during your next trip. Of all the “steakhouses” I’ve dined in, and as a proud, beef-eating and side dish-loving individual, I’ve dined at what many would consider among the best steakhouses. Press St. Helena belongs in that same category. Not only is the quality of meats unparalleled, they also make it their mission to use local, fresh ingredients to enhance every plate coming out of the kitchen. More so, they continue to work on their menu by continually finding ways to improve upon their menu choices.