Over fifty years ago, patriarch Donald Long began to acquire land on Pritchard Hill in the eastern mountains above Rutherford and Oakville. Today it is one of the most coveted vineyard areas in the Napa Valley with the most recent owners ranging from cult Ovid to the venerable Continuum owned by Margrit, Tim and Marsha Mondavi.  Current generation owner David Long has been making wine at namesake David Arthur Vineyards for over 25 years now and in 2008 hired Nile Zacherle as winemaker to ensure the crafting of the highest quality cabernet sauvignon …

Uber-consultant Philippe Melka and his wife Cherie, a microbiologist, have been making their own signature Metisse label and CJ wines since the 1996 vintage.  Going into their second decade with the 2007 vintage however, the couple decided to focus on the strength of Philippe’s reputation as one of the top consulting winemakers with greater emphasis on the Melka name on the label as well as by expanding their portfolio to include wines that have personal meaning for them.  
Metisse means a blend of cultures, reflecting Melka’s background in French and American winemaking.  Philippe has been making wine in the US since the early 1990′s including a position at Ridge, …

One of the luxuries of living in the Bay Area is that within a couple hour’s drive, one can be transported to a completely different world, and some of the best destinations are on the Pacific coastline.  A favorite destination is Nick’s Cove in the small town of Marshall on the eastern shore of Tomales Bay, about an hour north of San Francisco on Highway 1 and one and a half hours from the Napa Valley.  Marshall is in the Point Reyes National Seashore/Golden Gate Recreation Area which is highly protected from development and is therefore one …

Jeff Smith rocks – as guitarist with Wristrocket band.  Jeff believes rock ‘n’ roll is a creative outlet just like making great cabernet sauvignon at Hourglass Vineyards in Saint Helena.  And Jeff cooks – not only on the guitar, but in the kitchen too.  When I casually asked him what he likes to pair with his wines, I didn’t expect this creative recipe that wowed me for its high-toned flavors.  No wonder Food & Wine Magazine has featured Jeff’s recipes on its pages.
To start, Jeff pounds the duck breast, scores the skins and rubs them with the zest …

Dos Lagos Vineyards owners Tom and Marcie Dinkel

Dos Lagos Vineyards is the latest of several notable mountain cabernet sauvignon wines Foley has been making for over 25 years including Pride Mountain and Paloma from Spring Mountain and his own label Robert Foley Vineyards from Howell Mountain.  Foley has been farming on the “eastern ridge” for over twenty years and made his name as winemaker at Pride on the “western ridge” for 15 (as well as owning blocks on Mount Veeder and Diamond Mountain) so he understands the potential power and density of cabs …

 
While one can get chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and riesling wines from most wine regions around the world these days, there are only a handful of regions that specialize in the classic varietals of pinot blanc, pinot grigio, gewurztraminer and muscat.  One of the regions is Alsace and then neighboring Pfalz Germany which share the same mountain range the Vosges to the Haardt.  A classic area and in fact the home to the gewurztraminer grape is the Alto Adige, the northernmost vineyards in Italy with the highest percentage of controlled quality (DOC) wines.   …