We made a weekend trip to the Napa Valley last month, carefully balancing some wine tourism with kid tolerant activities.
On our first night in Calistoga, I ordered a glass of this Cabernet at a family-friendly restaurant. I primarily chose ti because it was local. It was fantastic: Slightly fruity, but that was balanced out by some other business. I asked to see the menu again after dinner to remind myself of what I’d ordered and the waitress talked me into buying a bottle. (I confess that once I had the bottle in my hands, I was charmed by the vineyard‘s aol.com email address.)
When I opened the bottle a couple of weeks later, it was good, but less striking than the glass I’d had at the restaurant. Tricia and I both had a glass and I re-corked and shelved the bottle. I poured a glass the next night and it was much better, perhaps better than the glass at the restaurant. Lesson learned: let it breathe. I may break out the crystal decanter we received as a wedding gift for further experimentation.