June 8, 2011
First Trip to Napa… holllaaaaaa!
Well mission accomplished, I fulfilled two out of three of my goals. And sad to say, scoring a table at French Laundry was not one of them. Although I did make it to Bouchon bakery {drool, drool, drool…} and poked around in Keller’s herb garden during a morning run… that can count for something, right?
Even without the Michelin dining experience, my trip to Napa was aaaahmazing. Unforgettable. Life-changing. Okay, okay, I know that sounds over dramatic, but really the folks at Jessup sure know how to make a girl feel special. The best part of the trip was that in addition to getting to know the wines of Jessup Cellars, we really had the chance to get to know the people behind Jessup. Being surrounded by people so passionate about their work was incredibly inspiring. I know it’s cheesy, but I’m a big subscriber to the mantra :: love what you do, share it with others. And it totally makes sense when you’re at Jessup. First of all, their wine is friggin incredible. And I’m not just saying that because they flew me out to Napa and gave me a case of wine… I’m saying it because both Alan and I had our first winegasms when tasting Jessup for the first time. It’s that good.
But that’s what happens when you combine a bunch of people fanatical about making the best possible wine. From vine to glass, the folks at Jessup pour so much heart into their bottles that you end up with a remarkable, noticeably different taste experience on your palate. I can’t WAIT to share it with friends.
Alan captured the deets of our weekend perfectly, so if you haven’t read his blog entry yet, check it out here :: Alan’s blog.
I loved spending the weekend with Alan and Tina and hope to see both of them soon – we’re definitely more than just Facebook friends now 
I think we’ll have to schedule regular Ambassador retreats … I’m going through Rosenbaum withdrawals!! Alan definitely took the best photos on our trip… but here are a few of my favs off my camera ::
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- Me + Tina {paparazzi style}
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- Alan’s Bacon Bloody Mary – veggies AND protein for breakfast!
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- Best Day @ Jessup :: Barrel Tasting with Rob Lloyd
A super big hi-five and *THANKS* to Ian and John for being awesome hosts and toting us around all weekend in that amazing gangsta cop car.
Grant, Tracy, Rob, and Bob :: *THANK YOU* for spending time with us and imparting your words of vino wisdom with us… I learned so much on this trip!
Dan, Vance + Jana, and Roy :: You guys truly have something special going on at Jessup… *THANK YOU* for letting me be a part of it. I hope to live up the Ambassador role and spread the good word of Jessup across the Midwest.
So about those goals…
- Drink more reds? Check! My purple teeth can serve as evidence.
- Give port a chance? Check! Not once, but TWICE I gave port a chance and frankly… I kinda liked it.
- French Laundry? Fail. No worries… just another reason to trek to Napa again…
And as always… I’ll leave you with my current obsessions ::
- Jessup Chardonnay – the most un-chard Chardonnay I’ve ever let cross my lips. Creamy body. Rich + smooth with just the right amount of butter. Subtle orange blossom + green apple notes. Strange comparison, but it reminds me of my favorite Jo Malone fragrance. And it makes me want to eat scallops immediately {with sriracha, of course}
- Gilt Taste – still in beta, but an epicurean haven with crazy amazing things like spiced porcini mushroom salt. What the what?? That sounds genius! In my shopping cart :: govino flutes
- This video :: I know, I know… 11 million views… you probably were one of them. But holy crap, this girl is adorbs and her dad’s whistling skills have me totally jealous {I can’t whistle. You can’t just put your lips together and blow. True Story.}
Xo ::
Jess
