Located deep in the Napa Valley (Highway 29 at Galleron Road) the Franciscan Winery is arguably one of the most recognized wineries in the region. The entire estate almost screams Napa Valley - and luxury. My tasting here was wonderful and the service was a true delight. It is - by far - the best experience I had - as well as some of the best tasting Whites I have ever tried (and I am not a big fan of the White). Two of my favorites:

Cuvee Sauvage Chardonnay '05 - creamy and rich with pear and vanilla tones. We had it with apricots and goat cheese - it is a wine that is best served with a light snack and not a meal - at least in my opinion.

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If your going to Napa there are a couple of places you will want to check out - and the Consentino Winery is definitely one of them.

Cosentino Winery produces approximately 12,000 cases of wine per year, handcrafted from the wineries’ Yountville and Pope Valley Estates as well as from many of the same “Estate” grape sources that Mitch has maintained throughout the Napa Valley for nearly 20 years. Cosentino Winery’s stellar vineyard sources and relationships are a major factor in sustaining its quality and consistency.

If you get a chance to do a tasting - definitely have a blend of or the full Merlot. A little bit about it from the makers:

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Blackbird Vineyards—Oak Knoll, Napa Valley (1330 Oak Knoll Avenue, Napa, CA 94558)

About the beautiful location in the photo: Similar to the Pomerol region of Bordeaux, the Oak Knoll District is akin in its soil composition, microclimate, and rural qualities. The Oak Knoll District is one of the coolest regions in the valley—second only to Carneros—and like Pomerol, is home to gravelly, clay loam soils, which create an ideal growing region for Merlot. Due to the region’s cool nights, the vineyard retains good acidity and natural balance. The Haire-type soil holds moisture deep in the ground, allowing Blackbird to be virtually dry-farmed.

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I'm still very intrigued by the differences between California and Washington Cabernet Sauvignon. For my part, I associate California with a tendency towards more oak, and Washington with a similar tendency to complex fruit. Consequently, this 2005 bottle of Hannah Nicole Cabernet Sauvignon practically leapt off the shelf and into my basket while looking for something to accompany home-made chile rellenos. The Hannah Nicole winery is located in Contra Costa, California. It's a family winery, but one that recently finished building a huge complex with a warehouse, and tasting room and shop, on beautiful grounds. The proprietors initially planned to grow apples; Granny Smith apples to be precise, but when apple prices dropped, they planted grapes. And then, caught by the joy of wine-making, in 2002 they bought more land, and planted more grapes.

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We had crispy bacon for breakfast. It's not something we do very often, so it was a bit of a treat. It was fabulous, in that way that only just cooked crisp bacon on a misty slightly chilly early fall morning is fabulous. But then late this afternoon, in a fit of bourgeoisie decadence, we had popcorn cooked in a little bacon grease, with South African Chardonnay.

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Avery is another Precept winery. Precept has a good handful of Washington wineries, including Pavin & Riley, Washington Hills, Bloom, Avery Lane, Barrelstone, Big Sky, Grizz, Sweet Pea, Sol Duc, Sockeye, Pine & Post and Shimmer. These are all budget wines, and, honestly, some aren't really even budget wines; they're just bad. Avery Lane as a label adorns wines sourced from Washington state's Columbia Valley appellation. I've previously tried the 2005 Avery Lane Cabernet Sauvignon, and wasn't impressed.

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I've been following Hogue Cellars since I first started exploring Washington wines. I've been intrigued by the dryer Sauvignon Blanc style that's often marketed as Fume Blanc since trying the Bernard Griffin Fume Blanc last year. This particular bottle of Hogue Cellars Fume Blanc 2008 was an impulse buy when we spotted it on the shelf at a local convenience store for $6.99.

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The Williamsburg Winery in historic Williamsburg, Virginia has been cultivating vines since 1985. While its products don't yet stand up to the best of American viticulture (for that you'll have to look to California and Oregon), now is actually a great time to taste what the state of Virginia has to offer. It's easy enough for wine lovers to find the finest, most refined bottles in the world. It's another thing entirely to taste a great wine of the future in the middle of its maturation. That's the current appeal of Williamsburg Winery. It is the flavor of a wine that is soon to be stunning.

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The Hogue Cellars winery was founded in 1982 by two brothers, Mike and Gary Hogue. Hogue Cellars is run from Prosser, Washington, in the heart of Eastern Washington's wine country, and is the third largest winery in the state. Today, Hogue Cellars is owner by Canadian conglomerate Vincor International. Vincor is a division of the world's largest wine company, Constellation Brands, who also owns Inniskillin, Robert Mondavi, Hardys, Clos du Bois, Blackstone, Estancia, Ravenswood, Jackson-Triggs, Kim Crawford, and Nobilo wineries. Hogue's winemaker is Jordan Ferrier, who has held the position for several years. Hogue is one of the largest wineries in the state producing over 450,000 cases annually.

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I've been deliberately looking at Chilean wines since the earthquake last February, and especially, for Carménère from Chile. Locally, the best place to look for new world wines is at one particular grocery store, or at Trader Joe's. I haven't had a chance to go to either, yet, and this particular bottle of Concha y Toro Frontera Carmenere Valle Centrale Chile 2003 was a bit of a surprise find. Frontera is the easiest Chilean wine to locate in the U.S., and it's a good entry point to the rest of the wines from Concha y Toro.

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