The Cocktail Hour - Wine

Today, we're taking a break from cocktails and just enjoying a chilled bottle of Chardonnay we picked up last week.  Many wineries in Napa Valley are really taking advantage of the number of tourists showing up.  Prices of up to twenty dollars, just to taste, are not uncommon.  It was nice that we found a coupon in the local weekly for free tasting at Folio Winery in Napa, off of highway 12 between Napa and Sonoma.  It was devoid of the big crowds up the road and also the pretention.  Just a relaxing little winery where you could sip wine on your time by a roaring fireplace.


Folio handles about a dozen different labels.  I ended up getting a three-pack of Hangtime wines.  This week, we are cracking open the Chardonnay with grapes from the Edna Valley, just inland from San Luis Obispo, that are allowed to hang for a long time ripining on the vine (Hangtime...get it?)  The number on the label corresponds to how long the grapes have been left to ripened.  On this bottle, it was 134 days.

This has a nose of lime and pear, with hints of pear and apricots in the taste.  A slightly buttery smoothness lessens the tartness in the throat.  Very good for a warm day of birdwatching on the patio.  A quick check online shows prices in the $18-20 range, which corresponds well with the $17 dollar price we paid at the winery.


Cheers,

-Darryl