thanks so much. tough times for sure, but lots of good things coming soon too. crazy times...

hope all is well with you too.

HTownAg98 said:

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First, stay west of Highway 101, with one exception (Tin City). These are all places I'd recommend, and I'd strongly recommend you have an appointment:
Linne Calodo, Adelaida, Herman Story, Clos Selene, Thatcher, Paix Sur Terre, Epoch, Law, Booker, Calcareous, Denner, L'Aventure, TH Wines.

Tin City is between SLO and Paso (about 3 miles south of Paso), and is a bunch of warehouses with smaller producers. You could spend all day here just walking to all of them. Places I've been to and recommend are Jacob Toft, Aaron, Benom, Brian Benson, Desparada, Levo, Monochrome, and Turtle Rock. Tin City Cider is good if you're tired of wine.

Firestone Walker is between Tin City and Paso if you want some good beers.

Dining options to look at in Paso are Artisan Kitchen, La Conchesa (best craft cocktails), Fish Gaucho (awesome tequila list), Il Cortile, Somm Kitchen, and The Hatch. The best by the glass or bottle wine selection in town is at Taste in the Alley.

Have fun! I'm looking at going back this spring.

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Artisan closed, unfortunately.

Lastbottlewines.com blowout today.

BigAg95 said:

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HTownAg98 said:

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First, stay west of Highway 101, with one exception (Tin City). These are all places I'd recommend, and I'd strongly recommend you have an appointment:
Linne Calodo, Adelaida, Herman Story, Clos Selene, Thatcher, Paix Sur Terre, Epoch, Law, Booker, Calcareous, Denner, L'Aventure, TH Wines.

Tin City is between SLO and Paso (about 3 miles south of Paso), and is a bunch of warehouses with smaller producers. You could spend all day here just walking to all of them. Places I've been to and recommend are Jacob Toft, Aaron, Benom, Brian Benson, Desparada, Levo, Monochrome, and Turtle Rock. Tin City Cider is good if you're tired of wine.

Firestone Walker is between Tin City and Paso if you want some good beers.

Dining options to look at in Paso are Artisan Kitchen, La Conchesa (best craft cocktails), Fish Gaucho (awesome tequila list), Il Cortile, Somm Kitchen, and The Hatch. The best by the glass or bottle wine selection in town is at Taste in the Alley.

Have fun! I'm looking at going back this spring.

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Artisan closed, unfortunately.

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Damn. We liked going there because it was across the street from the apartment that we would stay in.
I forgot to mention BL Brasserie (formerly Bistro Laurent).

In Napa right now. Just left Wheeler Farms. Highly recommend it. It's a winery with its own label and a custom crush facility for a number of others (Tor, Vice Versa, Tusk). The wine maker is the former wine maker for Araujo. First vintage was 2014. Really good juice. About to release single vineyards for the first time (sleeping lady, George III, Missouri hopper).

Wheeler Farms is a snazzy place for sure. they've got that winery dialed in bigtime. no expense was spared out there, and the clients they've got pay through the nose for it too. I've always like Tor's wines.

Last day for 25% off wine at Kroger (ends Sunday). I picked up cases of wine so I stop drinking club shipments on a random Tuesday. Some of the selection in Plano:

• Peju Cab
• Franks Family Cab
• Justin Isoceles
• Chimney Rock Cab
• Orin Swift Papillion
• Hess Lion Tamer
• Flowers Pinot Noir
• Duckhorn Cab

Good prices at 25% off!

Looking for a suggestion to fill a gap or upgrade or two...Italicized the ones we're interested in changing or needing suggestions.. Headed out there the last weekend of September with the wife, and meeting another couple from San Fran on Saturday south of Sonoma. We are staying north of Napa in Union.

Friday
Land - Drive in
Lunch - RH Yountville
Tasting 1 - Cliff Lede
Tasting 2 - Krupp Brothers
Dinner - Bottega (been here several times, enjoy it, but would like to try something new, but late booking leads to few available tables. Even used AMEX concierge and not coming up with much)

Saturday
Pastries/coffee at Bouchon Bakery
Tasting 1 - Ram's Gate (south of Sonoma..not crazy about chris-crossing, but my hands are tied here)
Lunch - Addendum fried chicken
Tasting 2 - O'Brien
Tasting 3 - Pine Ridge
Dinner - Bouchon

Sunday
Breakfast - Archetype (wife insists, north in St. Helena)
Tasting 1 - open
Tasting 2 - open
Late lunch - Mustards
Depart

Go visit Taylor at Italics.
Also-
Alpha Omega
Darioush
Wheeler Farms
Aonair

Edit- I'll add Dakota Shy and Ehler Estate.

752bro4,

We'd love to have you out to Italics in Coombsville if you want to drop in. Here are a few recs. If you need any help lining it all out, feel free to shoot me an email and my team and I can help you get it all lined out. We're always down to help Aggies find some awesome spots while they are out in Napa.

Where are you staying? Logistics make a big difference. If you need help, let me know. We're partners with the new Archer hotel downtown and can get you 20% off their best daily rate. We also have a pretty awesome house on property we have folks out to every once and while.

Wineries


Caldwell Coombsville winery, great story and cool people. Our winemaker used to be over there and the wines are really solid.
Roy Estate High end wines with a hefty price tag. Good stuff though.
Crocker & Starr have always loved their Cab Franc. It's been a bit hit and miss the last few vintages, but their wines are generally great.
Hourglass Solid wines. They are tasting on 2017s so the wines are young, but always good.
Post Parade This and Caldwell are probably the ones to prioritize. Bryan does a lunch experience at Goose & Gander that is top notch.
Progeny Mt Veeder wines tend to be rally tannic, but if you like that style this is a great option and the wines are unique compared to the rest of the valley.
Gamble Like us, they are farming focused and really do some great stuff. Been around a long, long time.


Pine Ridge, compared to the others, is super touristy.
Ram's Gate is a bit of a hike, but I've heard it's a cool spot. Watch for traffic on the way back. It could really torch your day.

Restaurants

Cordeiro's my family's favorite place. Great steaks and service. They are always booked on open table, so call instead.
Torc Recently got their Michelin Star. Get in while you can, because they are on their way to the top.
Pasta Prego Lower key, smaller place. Based on your other spots, probably not what you're looking for. More of a locals spot.
Depending on how many folks you're traveling with We, as well as some other wineries, can do dinners in the cave or at the winery. That may be an option for y'all.
Celadon Another favorite of ours. Simple and good.
Bistro Jeanty One of my go-tos for date night with the wife. Small and intimate, but always busy.

Hope this helps! Give us a shout if you need a hand. Sometimes we can get you squeezed in or get a little extra touch thrown thrown your way depending on where it is.

My email is taylor@italicswinegrowers.com. Hope to see you out here soon!

BTHO TX State!

Taylor

Hourglass has a very cool tasting room in the cave. There last week with Ian as our host. Great guy.

For that Friday dinner, if you want to go off the beaten path, consider Redd Wood. May not be as fancy as Bottega (I haven't been to Bottega so wouldn't know first hand), but they have really great food and a nice atmosphere.

752bro4 said:

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Looking for a suggestion to fill a gap or upgrade or two...Italicized the ones we're interested in changing or needing suggestions.. Headed out there the last weekend of September with the wife, and meeting another couple from San Fran on Saturday south of Sonoma. We are staying north of Napa in Union.

Friday
Land - Drive in
Lunch - RH Yountville
Tasting 1 - Cliff Lede
Tasting 2 - Krupp Brothers
Dinner - Bottega (been here several times, enjoy it, but would like to try something new, but late booking leads to few available tables. Even used AMEX concierge and not coming up with much)

Saturday
Pastries/coffee at Bouchon Bakery
Tasting 1 - Ram's Gate (south of Sonoma..not crazy about chris-crossing, but my hands are tied here)
Lunch - Addendum fried chicken
Tasting 2 - O'Brien
Tasting 3 - Pine Ridge
Dinner - Bouchon

Sunday
Breakfast - Archetype (wife insists, north in St. Helena)
Tasting 1 - open
Tasting 2 - open
Late lunch - Mustards
Depart

---

If you are going to be in St. Helena area anyway on Sunday, how about St. Helena Winery, (Aaron Pott), Seven Stones (also Aaron Pott) or Revana?

The new (well, more than a year now) Krupp Brothers winery is nice (I assume you are going to the winery), though it doesn't have the view that you used to get up at the Stagecoach vineyard. Ask to taste the M5.

Thanks, Taylor. We're members at Caldwell thanks to a poster here who pointed us in that direction earlier this year on our last trip out there. JFC's Gold and Silver are two of our favorites. We were completely unaware of Coombsville prior to that time. Italics is definitely on our list, but trying to stay further north on this trip. Enjoyed the Netflix doc, and bought 2 of your cabs that we're sitting on right now.

Ram's Gate and Pine Ridge are where our friends are members. We're doing Ram's Gate at 10am in hopes of making it through to O'Brien (we're members there) by 1:30, including a call ahead stop at Addendum.

I'll give those restaurants a look. Torc has availabilities Friday that would work.

Chipotlemonger said:

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For that Friday dinner, if you want to go off the beaten path, consider Redd Wood. May not be as fancy as Bottega (I haven't been to Bottega so wouldn't know first hand), but they have really great food and a nice atmosphere.

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We did Redd a few years ago (assuming it's related?), also RIP Redd. It was great when we went.

Austintm said:

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752bro4 said:

---

Looking for a suggestion to fill a gap or upgrade or two...Italicized the ones we're interested in changing or needing suggestions.. Headed out there the last weekend of September with the wife, and meeting another couple from San Fran on Saturday south of Sonoma. We are staying north of Napa in Union.

Friday
Land - Drive in
Lunch - RH Yountville
Tasting 1 - Cliff Lede
Tasting 2 - Krupp Brothers
Dinner - Bottega (been here several times, enjoy it, but would like to try something new, but late booking leads to few available tables. Even used AMEX concierge and not coming up with much)

Saturday
Pastries/coffee at Bouchon Bakery
Tasting 1 - Ram's Gate (south of Sonoma..not crazy about chris-crossing, but my hands are tied here)
Lunch - Addendum fried chicken
Tasting 2 - O'Brien
Tasting 3 - Pine Ridge
Dinner - Bouchon

Sunday
Breakfast - Archetype (wife insists, north in St. Helena)
Tasting 1 - open
Tasting 2 - open
Late lunch - Mustards
Depart

---

If you are going to be in St. Helena area anyway on Sunday, how about St. Helena Winery, (Aaron Pott), Seven Stones (also Aaron Pott) or Revana?

The new (well, more than a year now) Krupp Brothers winery is nice (I assume you are going to the winery), though it doesn't have the view that you used to get up at the Stagecoach vineyard. Ask to taste the M5.

---

Thank you for the Krupp tip. Yes, at the winery. My in-laws were members there many years ago after stumbling on it at Vintners Collective, and fortunately are always happy to open some when we're there. I'll look at those suggestions in St. Helena. Seven Stones looks amazing.

If you're hanging north, Checkerboard is a cool tour but their wine ain't cheap.

Amizetta and Chase Cellars are both excellent experiences and phenomenal wine. I'd advise anyone who likes red wines to add those to their Napa list.

Taste William & Mary and River Marie at Mending Wall. Contact Will Segui.

Dinner at the taco stand at Panchas.


We are cancelling our November trip. Can't get a sitter. Ugh. I'm so mad.

752bro4 said:

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Austintm said:

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752bro4 said:

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Looking for a suggestion to fill a gap or upgrade or two...Italicized the ones we're interested in changing or needing suggestions.. Headed out there the last weekend of September with the wife, and meeting another couple from San Fran on Saturday south of Sonoma. We are staying north of Napa in Union.

Friday
Land - Drive in
Lunch - RH Yountville
Tasting 1 - Cliff Lede
Tasting 2 - Krupp Brothers
Dinner - Bottega (been here several times, enjoy it, but would like to try something new, but late booking leads to few available tables. Even used AMEX concierge and not coming up with much)

Saturday
Pastries/coffee at Bouchon Bakery
Tasting 1 - Ram's Gate (south of Sonoma..not crazy about chris-crossing, but my hands are tied here)
Lunch - Addendum fried chicken
Tasting 2 - O'Brien
Tasting 3 - Pine Ridge
Dinner - Bouchon

Sunday
Breakfast - Archetype (wife insists, north in St. Helena)
Tasting 1 - open
Tasting 2 - open
Late lunch - Mustards
Depart

---

If you are going to be in St. Helena area anyway on Sunday, how about St. Helena Winery, (Aaron Pott), Seven Stones (also Aaron Pott) or Revana?

The new (well, more than a year now) Krupp Brothers winery is nice (I assume you are going to the winery), though it doesn't have the view that you used to get up at the Stagecoach vineyard. Ask to taste the M5.

---

Thank you for the Krupp tip. Yes, at the winery. My in-laws were members there many years ago after stumbling on it at Vintners Collective, and fortunately are always happy to open some when we're there. I'll look at those suggestions in St. Helena. Seven Stones looks amazing.

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Seven Stones is amazing. Beautiful property, great wine. Only catch is they only make 500 cases, so if you go the expectation sort of is you will buy comes in a 3-pack. $200 per bottle. However, you'll be on their list for allocations going forward.
And, yes, the wine is worth it.

We bought Seven Stones since 2005 before recently giving them up. It was nothing they did, it's just that with my heart issue, I had to cut a few producers out. I love the wine, though. Great stuff, beautiful property.

BSD said:

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We bought Seven Stones since 2005 before recently giving them up. It was nothing they did, it's just that with my heart issue, I had to cut a few producers out. I love the wine, though. Great stuff, beautiful property.

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BSD: good luck with the heart issues!

By the way Seven Stones (property and label) are up for sale. Owner is pretty old (and stupid rich) and his kids aren't interested. Their hope/expectation is that the buyer will keep things as is.

Thank you. It's been six years and the numbers are looking good. I had to give up 95% of my drinking but obviously it was worth it. That's why I don't post on this thread as much as I used to. But that said, this is still my favorite thread on TA!

Yeah, the Warnicks are getting old. I've always liked Seven Stones. I gave my wife a big diamond under those stones. And that's where I met Roy Piper and Aaron Pott. Also, like I said, it's a great wine. I wish I had the tens of millions of dollars to buy it!

love st helena winery. highly suggest adding them...

Anyone have any intel on Juan Mercado's new project?

Just had an awesome dinner in Adelaide. They offered something with their wine menu that I've never seen before. You can buy half of any bottle (under $100) of any wine in their menu. You get half the bottle and pay half the price. They'll have 3 half bottles open at a time, so you can choose one already open or open a new one (assuming 3 aren't already open). We took advantage and had a vermentino then a Shiraz. It helps that most Australian bottles are screw cap. But still think this is feasible in the us. I mean you make your money back then some on a half bottle anyway.

Lots of higher end places do half bottles.

Not physical half bottles, aka not 375 mL bottles. But you could get half of any 750 mL bottle on the menu. Had to be under $100 but most Australian wines are under $100.

ETA: it basically drastically increases the by the glass wine menu.....

Great idea. And good deal for them. Some of those under $100 bottles are 4x or even more.

htxag09 said:

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Not physical half bottles, aka not 375 mL bottles. But you could get half of any 750 mL bottle on the menu. Had to be under $100 but most Australian wines are under $100.

ETA: it basically drastically increases the by the glass wine menu.....

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Got it. It makes more sense when I re-read it.

Rhone varietal wines from Paso at 1500 ft elevation is all I know. Not much else yet.

HTownAg98 said:

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Opened this last night. It's drinking really well now.

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Nice! We opened the '15 Verve for my bday dinner a few months back. It was phenomenal. We decanted it for 3-4 hours, and man was it singing!