Cheers for CHEERS! St. Helena

If you happen to be in the Napa Valley on the First Friday of the Month, then we suggest you make it to St. Helena, where for $35  for one evening or $75 for a season pass can buy you tastings from over 60 wineries from the area.

Merchants stay open later and some of Napa Valley’s Top Wineries pour wine tastings in St. Helena’s stores, street musicians and bands perform, side streets are blocked off to create more space for socializing, and local restaurants will be providing food to purchase in the food court. This is a once a month party, where the community can meet and share their friendship that makes St. Helena a very special place to be in Napa Valley.

Those who live there and their neighboring friends from other cities unite and create a social gathering to bring the community together every month for 3 hours to enjoy and showcase their unique and beautiful hometown. They believe it is important to create ways to energize their town. Much like Napa with their Locals Night on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the purveyors are more than willing to share their fine wine, food, and discounts with their neighbors.

Here are a few tastings of wines that we favored:

Wicker Vineyard poured an 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon which was dark red in color and as it hugged the glass with rich yet full of ripened fruit as black cherry aromas abound. This wine had soft, silky and medium tannins on the palate. There was a lingering sweetness on the finish. A very approachable wine to sip alone or paired with a light blue cheese. Thanks Lisa!

Tudal Winery offered a 2009 Saignee Rose’ that was quite refreshing and beautiful in it darker pink tourmaline. Strawberry fields forever is what is daydreamed as its aroma and even on the plate was delicately smooth, dry with a bit of sparkle, and a nice surprise at the finish.
Thanks Sean!

Dutch Henry Winery offered a 2004 Napa Valley (Chafen Vineyards) Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. The color was a dark ruby red. The aromas were of dark cherries and plum. On the palate was of cloves, white pepper and dense tannins, yet very smooth and a tasty treat. They also offered a 2006 Napa Valley (Chafen Vineyards) Estate Syrah, in which the colors stood in deep, inky pinks and dark reds. There were aromas of intense blackberry jam and flavors of blue berries and cassis. Definitely a great for Syrah lovers alike. Drink it now! Why wait! Yum!  Last but not least, Dutch Henry offered their 2005 Napa Valley Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon that was very deep red color, dark cherries on the nose, and smooth on the palate with cedar and spice at the finish. A beautiful wine.
Thanks David!

Flora Springs offered their 100% Estate Grown release of the 2006 Trilogy, a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. Trilogy itself has always been a favorite of Lisa’s as this wine has cellared well in the past and will continue to be lovely even at the present. The aromas were of black cherries and cocoa and the elegant on the palate, which was complex with a coffee flavor at the finish.
Thanks Travis!

Uncorked At Oxbow offered the Ahnfedt 2006 Provocative Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine has a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot, and 10% Syrah. With dark ruby red and purple colors, the aroma was of sweet cherry, milk chocolate, caramel, and cinnamon, almost like a black forest cake. There are also hints of currant and cocoa. The palate was smooth and balanced with medium tannins and much acidity. It was firm and complex with a nice and bold finish.
Thanks Celeste!

After all the wonderful wines it would seem easy to find a place to eat, but St. Helena is graced with a number of great restaurants to enjoy. So as this was the case, we  wandered into A|K|A a Bistro. With a mix of modern style and California cafe setting, this bistro offered a nice mix of simple foods and a chance to try an experiment. The one difference was that A|K|A provided that we hadn’t seen much of was that they offered a few different flights of wines as an option for a reasonable price.  Lisa had the Reuben with homemade Corned Beef , Ourkraut (homemade Sauerkraut) , Melted Gruyere Cheese, Homemade Pickles (Sweet and Spicy)  on Model Bakery Rye Bread with a mixed greens side salad. While Patrick had a Build Your Own Burger of a Half Pound Certified Angus Chuck with Housemade Cherrywood Bacon and Bleu Cheese served with fixings and housemade pickles and steak fries.  Added to the delicious food we shared a Flights of Favorites called The Red Badge of Courage which for that night was:

• 2007 Napa Cellars Zinfandel
• 2006 Burgess Napa Valley Merlot
• 2006 Artesa Tempranillo Estate Reserve, Caneros

Each of those wines were nice by themselves, but we of course experimented of which wine paired best with each food.  The Zinfandel, which Patrick swore must of been from Sonoma County grapes,  paired really nicely with the rich tastes of the Bleu Cheese, bacon and ground beef of his burger, while the excellent Merlot Lisa found to really bring out the taste in the Reuben so much she was raving.  Now the Tempranillo was a finicky wine that really wanted something salty, which Lisa found to be provided in her salad. Not expecting this both of us had to test that a few times to confirm.  In conclusion,  it was a wonderful experience and a tasty meal.  Thank you Robert for the wonderful service and making sure we tried the home made caramel ice cream for dessert.