Wine of the Week: Vineyard 7 & 8 2001 “7” Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine Review and Rating

 On a fluke, I decided to stop by a local wine shop on my way home from work and was thrilled to find the one and only bottle of Vineyard 7 & 8 2001 “7” Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. This was the result of challenging the shop employee, whom I hadn’t met before, to “show me something from Napa I haven’t tried.” (Thanks, Darren!) This wine caught my attention because A) I love a good Spring Mountain Cabernet, B) Vineyard 7 & 8 is one of the few Spring Mountain wineries I have yet to visit/taste, C) I’ve never actually had the pleasure of having a wine produced by 7 & 8 and D) Who doesn’t want to grab the last of anything? Thus, I was willing to swallow the $80 price tag.

Vineyard 7 & 8 produces Estate Cabernets and Chardonnays, as well as what they call their “growers” wines, like the “7” Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from Spring Mountain fruit grown by others and the “8” Chardonnay from Russian River Valley grapes. I recently wrote about two mountain wines, so you know how much their intensity excites me. Not surprisingly, this bottle of 2001 “7” lasted all of about 20 minutes in my possession before I opened it. Given the tight timing, I used a Nuance Wine Finer aerator to help give it some air as I poured it into my glass. (I actually use this tool quite frequently.) Continue reading Wine of the Week: Vineyard 7 & 8 2001 “7” Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine Country Travel Tip: What to Do In Napa Valley

Activities to Make the Most of Your Next Getaway

Wine tasting and fabulous dinners are the essential elements of any wine country vacation; however there are other activities that can help to round out your experience. Below, I’ve listed my top 10 answers for “What to do in Napa Valley,” in no particular order. Though we try to shake things up each trip, several of these items always make their way onto the itinerary:

  1. Comfort yourself in a “fried chicken night” at Ad Hoc. Every Monday night, diners roll up their sleeves at this trendy Yountville staple and get a little Southern with hearty servings of fried chicken. I also loved the biscuits and out-of-this-world banana split that came with our meal. Continue reading Wine Country Travel Tip: What to Do In Napa Valley