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Rick's
Picks
Napa Valley California Wine Reviews
There
are so many amazing wines to try when
visiting Napa Valley, which is most famous
for its Cabernet Sauvignons and Chardonnays.
Here are a few wines I can highly recommend
(prices are approximately what they cost
in Ontario):
Some
whites:
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Merryvale
Vineyards Starmont Chardonnay
($38)
Website:
www.merryvale.com
A
touch of peach and pear aromas
under a blanket of vanilla
and butterscotch. Always elegant
and creamy, it brightens on
the palate with citrus and
tropical fruit all leading
to a big, nutmeg finish.
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Francis
Ford Coppola Presents Bianco
Pinot Grigio ($18)
Website:
www.rubiconestate.com
Perfectly
fresh tropical fruit and citrus
aromas that carry beautifully
to the palate. A fresh fruit
bowl of flavour.
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Clos
du Val Napa Valley Chardonnay
($25)
Website:
www.closduval.com
Oh,
how I love the Burgundian
stylings from this producer.
The grapes for this crafty
chard come from Carneros.
Aromas of creamy orchard fruits
with spice notes in the background.
Wonderfully balanced ripe
fruit and oak in the mouth.
Shows wonderful elegance and
even better with your favourite
seafood.
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Some
reds:
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Andretti
Napa Valley
Sangiovese ($40)
Website:
www.andrettiwinery.com
An
Italian varietal close to
Mario Andretti's heart. Loaded
with cherries and plums with
a toasted oak background.
Lovely balance to go with
a rich collage of fruits.
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Stags'
Leap Winery Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley ($60)
Website:
www.stagsleap.com
A
very firm wine that needs
an hour of decanting before
approaching. Shows rich cassis,
blackberry and some plum notes
on the nose. In the mouth
there is a lovely wine under
the tough tannic structure
that needs time to soften.
Classic Napa fruit with tar,
coffee bean, cedar and earth
all playing a role.
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Beringer
Knights Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon ($40)
Website:
www.beringer.com
A
note of cherry emerges from
the rich, black fruits, all
balanced with toasty oak spice
and a pleasing whiff of eucalypt.
This is a well put together
cab in the mouth with perfect
integration of fruit and spice.
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Beringer
Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley ($150)
Website:
www.beringer.com
The
Private Reserve is a blue-blood
Cabernet overflows with blackberry
and cassia followed by waves
of extracted currants and
savoury spice. A glamour wine
from Napa Valley.
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Stag's
Leap Winery Napa Valley Cabernet
Sauvignon ($55)
Website:
www.stagsleap.com
Deliciously
ripe nose of dreamy blackberry
fruit and spice. On the palate
there are touches of eucalypt,
herbs and ripe tannins.
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