Friday, July 31, 2009

Harvest Anticipation Time in Auburn


If you are looking for something to do close by tomorrow or Sunday, I suggest you check out the "Anticipation Weekend - Harvest in the Hills" event in and around Auburn. As I mentioned on Monday, Angelina our Wine Concierge headed up north to preview some of the wineries last Sunday. Here are her notes on two of her favorites:


Naggier Vineyards and Winery has a gorgeous 3600 square foot tasting room complete with kitchen, deck and private dining area. Owners Mike and Diane Naggier have planted 62 acres of vines, and sell most of their grapes to larger wineries located either in Napa or Sonoma, However, they do produce some outstanding wines themselves - my favorite of which was their 2006 Reserve Syrah which is actually a blend of 85% Syrah, 11% Mouvedre and 4% Malbec. I found this one to be extremely luscious with blackberry and spiced plum flavors and most important of all, a long smooth finish.


Vina Castellano's tasting room is in a cave that is lined with large granite stones removed from the property during the planting of the vineyard. Here our entire group had a hard time determining which of their wines was our favorite, but after a little arm twisting, we went with the ’05 Tempranillo. The description on their website perfectly describes this wine - "fruit driven, spicy and soft" - I would pare this wine either ham, lamb or most any Tapa. I should also point out that up a small hill and around the bend from the tasting room is a pond that is a perfect place to enjoy a picnic.

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