St. Supery reigns supreme over Napa Valley

Oh what a beautiful day! The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and I was off to Napa at the dreadfully early time of 10am. At first I grumbled my way up 121, but as I enjoyed the mellow ride through the Carneros countryside, I realized, that I should be grateful that I live here and that I am able to attend the Blogger Summit at St Supery.

When I arrived, I was greeted by my blogging buddies DrXeno, Shana, Russ, Lisa, Jim, and the ever late but still entertaining Brix Chicks (Janesta, Liza & Xandria). As they poured the Sauvingnon Blanc, we meeted and greeted, until I was drawn by the sense of bacon. Thank god! The St. Supery team, and specifically Lesley Keffer Russel (@lesleykeffer) had kept close tabs on us on Twitter, and knew the power of the bacon upon bloggers. Additionally, we had croissants of all flavors, and a quiche that was stunning.

Once we were fed and happy, we meandered in to the front yard. Ok, the vineyard, where Josh Antsey who had been up all night, guided us through the inner workings of vineyard management and the finer points of terroir in terms of the Napa Valley. After our nature walk, we went upstairs to the tasting gallery, where we were treated to a tasting of their winery only exclusives, a rare treat.

2007 Semillion – this 100% semillion was a rare treat, with honey, apricots, crisp but still rich. I tasted a lot of citrus fruit, specifically Meyer lemon. It was very refreshing with a long lingering finish. With only 30% new oak, this wine had a great balance of fruit, with a touch of spice. Only 607 cases were made, so you better run out and get some! $24
2006 Malbec - 75% Malbec 25% Cab Sav. Lots of plum and dusty blue fruit. Malbec is a persnickety grape, and not very people grow it in the US. It is prone to rot on the vine when it get wet, and can cause a lot of issues. However, this was a lovely wine. The addition of the Cab gives this fruit bomb a backbone, and the ripe cherries were touched with a hint of oak. $40
2006 Cab Franc – 75% Cab Franc 14% Cab Sav 11% Merlot. Lots of leather and tobacco. Plums, dusty blackberries, and earth. This wine was plush and soft, but still bold. I enjoyed the dusting of cocoa at the end. $50
2006 Rutherford Merlot – 93% Merlot 7% Cab Sav. Blackberries, pepper, and purple! Flavors of black cherry and baking spices. I have really come to love merlot, and this is no exception. $55
2006 Petite Verdot – 89% Petite Verdot 11% Cab Sav. Chewy and rich, with lots of plum and cassis flavors. This is a huge wine! $50
2005 Rutherford Cab Sav – 87% Cab Sav 8% Petite Verdot 5% Merlot. Classic Rutherford dust. Dark plums, leather, smoked meats, cedar. This is a great wine that is rich and elegant. I love a good Rutherford cab and this is no exception. Yum! This wine, I didn’t spit. $80

After our all too brief session upstairs, we went outside under the giant oak, where we were greeted by a 3 course lunch prepared by the vineyard chef, Ron Barber. Our wine pairing lunch was absolutely delightful in the cool shade of the tree, and GG the winery dog made fast friends with me.

For lunch we had:

Cheese Souffle with 2006 Virtú – Spicy and rich. Preserved lemons, lime leaves. Rich mouthfeel with juicy stone fruit. A bit of mineral on the finish. $28
Game Hen with 2004 Élu – Spicy smoke that paired perfectly with the hen. Cherries & blackberries, silky & rich. Complex but approachable. Also came home with me! $70
Cheese Plate with 2005 Dollarhide Cabernet Sauvingon – Blackberry, cassis, espresso. This was delicious with both the cheese and the homemade truffles. Really opened up after a few minutes and was firm and plush. $80

Thanks so much to the graciousness of Leslie, Ron, Emma, Josh, and Michaela who spent the time teaching us about St. Supery, the family, the wines and the land. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and didn’t really want to leave. I can’t wait to go back!

Secrets revealed! Lose weight with wine!

Dateline – Biggest Loser Ranch, Tustin CA

Source say Gillian is now force feeding her team red wine. That’s right, that mystery concoction that everyone told you will make you fat, will make you thin! I found this proof on the internet:

Before wine diet

Reverse-It-All, the secret ingredient in red wine, has been found to increase your endurance as well as cut weight and reduce the risk of diabetes. Reverse-it-all also activates the wonder twin powers, in the form of the longevity gene. Reverse-It-All is only found in the skins of red wine grapes, so I encourage you to use your red and pink wine intake accordingly.

After wine diet

While skeptics state that you would need to drink hundreds of glasses of red wine in order to reap the benefits of Reverse-It-All, I am here to prove them wrong. According to the renowned Bacon expert, Rick Bakas, “Wine doesn’t make you fat, it makes you lean…..against a wall, a chair, the floor, other people….”. Therefore, I am going to experiment with the Red Wine Diet.

The key to this diet is the judicious use of a good red wine. For my first week of dieting, I meandered through Chile, starting with the Viu Manent Secreto Malbec 2006 You can see the full review by clicking through. This Malbec is a chewy wine, that brings notes of smoked meats and leather. Chewing your wine 40 times before swallowing has been shown to fill you up faster.

First, you start with this rich red wine. Pour yourself a glass. Sip it slowly, enjoying the full flavors. If you are having trouble picking out taste profiles, pour yourself another glass. Repeat. At NO TIME may you eat real food while on this diet. It is very important that you drink an entire bottle each night, in order to get the correct amounts of Reverse-It-All flowing in your system.

If you are having hunger pangs, I would suggest that you try a critter label, such as Pink Goat. The critters on the label are actually steeped in the wine, which should help you get your protein levels stabilized. This wine hails from Chile as well, and is made from the blood of real goats. This will provide you some protein, and help tide you over until you can eat real food again.

Alternatively, if you are searching for divine inspiration with your wine diet, try the Montes Cherub Rose of Syrah. This traditional Syrah Rose is refreshing and will help fill you up, while having a cherub sprinkle you with good luck.