January 24, 2012
A New Year Visit to Napa and Jessup
Well it’s been awhile since my last blog; hopefully everyone had an enjoyable Christmas and New Years! I know I did! To start of the year right, two weekends ago I took a short trip to Napa with some friends from San Diego. We had a blast! One of my friends is actually a restaurant manager at a very nice place in San Diego. Her restaurant’s sommelier suggested we visit some of the wineries they carry on their wine list, and of course, in order to compare, we had to stop by Jessup at the end.
Our first stop was to a winery I had never heard of before, Mi Sueño. We were greeted by a laid back gentleman named Tom, who showed us around the winery, opened a couple bottles and shared some great stories with us. My favorite at Mi Sueño would have to be their Chardonnay. I’m not really a huge Chardonnay drinker, but this was delectable! Check out their website for the complete description, they totally nailed it. Fun fact, the Mi Sueño winery is literally around the corner from the Jessup Cellars winery!
Another stop we made was to the oh-so-famous Silver Oak. I had never actually been to their winery, but my Uncle is a HUGE fan of their wine so I had previously tasted it. Let me just tell you that their latest collection of Cabernet Sauvignon‘s are something you don’t want to pass up. We tried their 07 and 08 Alexander Valley as well as their 07 Napa Cabernet’s. Each one is the type of Cabernet you wish you could cuddle up with and enjoy next to a warm fire.
Our last stop (saving the best for last) was, of course, Jessup Cellars. Every time I walk in through the door of their tasting room I am reminded how friendly, happy, and inviting their staff is. We were greeted by Bob Clark himself (finally got to meet him!) and immediately we felt like family. Christina took fabulous care of us, started us off on the 2010 Sauvignon Blanc and led us through a magnificent wine journey to close out the night. Even in the winter, that crisp and fruity Sauvignon Blanc makes me happy inside. If you don’t have a bottle yet, you need to get one. A couple others we tasted were the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2008 Manny’s Blend, and of course the 2008 Juel; which I think gets better every time I have it.
I know I talk about Jessup a lot, after all I am an ambassador, but in my honest opinion out of all the wineries we went to in our latest trip, Jessup is the only one who consistently nails it with each wine. Their breadth of knowledge and selection are next to none, and no matter which type of wine you prefer, rest assured Jessup has the perfect flavor for it.
When was the last time you visited the Napa Valley? Have you been to Jessup’s tasting room lately? Leave a comment and let me know!
