Barrel Tasting

One of our stops yesterday in Napa was for the annual Barrel Tasting of s at Nickel and Nickel. Because Nickel and Nickel produce only single vineyard cabs, we actually wound up trying 13 different Cabernet varieties.

Although my palate is not very sophisticated, I was able to taste how different Napa Valley locations and soils affect the flavors of the wines.

In this picture the ladies in my group are sampling one of our favorites, from the John C. Sullenger Vineyard. The vineyard takes its name from the first settler of farm that is now the home vineyard for Nickel and Nickel. The soil in this vineyard is from an alluvial fan, and is mostly clay loam. All of us preferred this particular wine over some of the others which came from soils that contained more rock.

Of course, your taste may be completely different - the only way to know for sure is to get out there and taste!