Kenzo Tsujimoto, Chairman of publicly held Capcom Co., Ltd., is the owner of Kenzo Estate, a 15,000 case production winery in the eastern mountains of Napa Valley.  His luxury cabernet sauvignon wines are made with the best talent money can buy but his goal wasn’t to create an exclusive wine that few can buy.  Like the successful video game products his company sells worldwide, his wines are approachable and accessible.
Tsujimoto wasn’t one of the those wealthy businessmen seeking to create a monument to himself in the Napa Valley.  While he …

For those of you touring Napa Valley wine country, it’s sometimes nice to spend one day in one place, without a car, but still get the complete food and wine experience.  There are others of you visiting San Francisco who only have a day or two to spend in wine country.  Downtown Napa has more than 20 tasting rooms, wine bars and wine lounges to get a taste of Napa Valley wines, at your convenience.  While the local wine tasting rooms owned by Napa Valley wine producers pour their own …

The new 1313 Main upscale wine bar and lounge in Downtown Napa opens officially on May 27th.  It is the latest addition to Downtown Napa’s wine tasting scene that differentiates itself by offering a range of local and international wines that are hard to find by the glass and available in 2 oz. and 5 oz. pours.  Even better, the price points are accessible, allowing wine lovers to discover wines they wouldn’t normally buy by the bottle.  For example, Kistler Chardonnay at $7 per 2 oz. pour.
According to proprietor and …

In a valley dominated by cabernet sauvignon vines, Robert Biale Vineyards is committed to zinfandel.  Zinfandel has been a way of life for this Napa Valley native.  Robert Biale’s grandparents Pietro and Christina moved to California from Northern Italy in the 1920’s and acquired property in Napa in 1937.  They planted zinfandel because it was popular at the time and being practical immigrants, appreciated the grape’s generous and consistent yields of 4-5 tons/acre.  They, and their son Aldo and wife Clementina, were farmers who grew vegetables, grapes, prunes and walnuts …

More than a century before Napa Valley became an official American Viticultural Area in 1981, the St. Helena Star wrote:  “If any grape growing region in California deserves to be called a well-defined district, it is Howell Mountain.”
For those of us who are used to Napa Valley’s easy traverses up Highway 29 or Silverado Trail, it’s difficult to imagine that in the 1870’s, hearty European immigrants were establishing homesteads 1,800 feet and above in the mountains high above Saint Helena, ascending on dirt roads and facing harsh winters.  But pioneers like Jean …

Among the “must visits” in the NapaValley is Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars in Stags Leap district.  Founder Warren Winiarski’s 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon bested Premiers Crus Classes Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Chateau Haut Brion in the now classic 1976 Paris tasting.  It was one of many seminal moments in NapaValley’s history that have brought renown to the region’s wines.

The history, the wines – so typical of Stags Leap district character - and the unique locale are worth the trip.  Many times I have driven north on the Silverado Trail and stared up at …

Bouchaine Vineyards is the southernmost winery in the Napa Valley, and the oldest continuously operating winery in the district of Carneros beginning with Johnny Garetto who established a commercial winery here in 1929.  But grapevines were planted at this location long before then by a pioneer going by the colorful name of Boon Fly.  He was a major landholder and farmer from the 1850′s who eventually converted his orchards to vineyards.  His name is immortalized on local landmarks such as Fly Bay and Boon Fly’s Hill, not to mention the Boon Fly Cafe at Carneros Inn.   …

There are few producers in the U.S. that can say their wines are made by a fifth generation American winemaker, and fewer still whose owner has been making wines for 17 generations.  Together, winemaker Mark Beringer – great, great grandson of Jacob Beringer – and Codorniu of Spain, combine their heritages to make classic, high quality Carneros chardonnay and pinot wines that appeal to the modern consumer.
Quality starts with innovation and track record and in Codorniu, one gets both.  Codorniu was established in 1551 in the coastal Penedes region west of Barcelona.  It was …

The wildly popular and always sold-out barrel auction and marketplace event of Auction Napa Valley was the place to be on Friday afternoon with thousands of stylishly dressed party-goers roaming the grounds of Rubicon Estates in high spirits and with roused appetites.  Rubicon Estates in Rutherford, with its festively decorated outdoor patios and lawns for the Marketplace, deep cellars for the barrel auction and spacious upstairs for the e-auction, provided a comfortable venue for guests to explore, taste and seriously bid.
The rare threat of rain held back, allowing guests to savor barbecued beef, pork sliders and vegetarian dishes …

Throughout the Napa Valley on Thursday evening, vintners were holding welcome dinners for guests and bidders participating in the 30th annual Auction Napa Valley.  In Calistoga, one of these special dinners was hosted by Suzanne Phifer Pavitt and Shane Pavitt of Phifer Pavitt Wines, producer of Date Night Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
After an elegant reception on their patio overlooking the Valley, guests were treated to a four-course dinner and wine pairing prepared by Chef Brandon Sharp of the Michelin star restaurant Solbar in Calistoga.  Chef Brandon Sharp’s menu was stellar with each …