Tamber Bey Winery is on a winning streak

Two years ago, I was sad to see the bookstore on Adams Street close. That being said, what opened in its spot, Tamber Bey Winery's tasting room, is a breath of fresh air in downtown St. Helena. I visited the tasting room for the first time in March of last year, and haven't stopped raving about the wines since.

Owner Barry Waitte owns horses that he races professionally. The name "Tamber Bey" was derived from the names of his first two horses - Tamborina and Bayamo, which were nicknamed Tamber and Bey. In keeping with the horse theme, Barry changed the name of the vineyard he purchased in Yountville in 1999 from "Two Rivers" to "Deux Cheveux" (or "two horses" in French).

The tasting room in St. Helena has a chic equestrian feel to it, too. I usually opt for one of the deep chestnut leather sofas under the flat-screen TV; a video comprised of images of the estate in Yountville, Barry's horses and his chocolate lab Hershey, and photographs from wine events tell the story of Tamber Bey. On the opposite side of the room, there is a large farmer's table by the window with room for up to 8 guests. In the middle of the room is a horseshoe shaped bar with a copper counter top and comfortable bar chairs. I like the doors to the offices, which are fashioned after rustic stable doors.

If you're interested in seeing the estate and vineyards with your own eyes, you'll need to make an appointment. Located off Yount Mill Road in Yountville, the estate is gorgeous. Last week, on a very unusually warm January afternoon, I sat on the terrace with Barry and tasted the 2009 vintage wines.

Unfortunately for consumers, the Deux Cheveux Chardonnay is sold out--it is an incredible medium-bodied wine with subtle oak nuances, citrus, pear and spice. Having access to this wine is worth joining the wine club!

Of the red wines, the Deux Cheveux Cabernet Sauvignon is always my favorite (but the Merlot was a close second!). It is luscious yet refined; flavors of black and blue fruits comingle with notes of sweet oak and baking spice. With smooth tannins, this is an easy-drinking Cab that has the potential to age beautifully, but it is ready to drink now.

I'm not the only one bragging about how great the Tamber Bey wines are. The winery has been getting a lot of great press and the 2009 Merlot was recently featured in the Wine Spectator. My bet is on their continued success!

Dutton-Goldfield has made a Pinot lover out of me

When I moved to the Napa Valley in 2009, I was not a Pinot lover. I had seen the melancholy movie "Sideways" and it annoyed me that people could be so easily influenced. But thanks to Hollywood, Pinot Noir became the "it" grape; it was launched into the limelight while simultaneously extinguishing Merlot's longtime revered reputation. I wasn't buying it, figuratively and literally.

Stubborn as I am, Pinot Noir has made its way into my glass more than a few times in the last couple years. And I hate to admit it, but I've grown to prefer it to Cabernet Sauvignon in many instances; Pinot Noir is more versatile with food and it can be more accessible in its youth. I'm not drinking much Cab from the 2008 or 2009 vintage and yet I've had some 2010 Pinot Noirs that are already drinking very well.

So I finally decided to drive over the hill to Sonoma. I didn't do much planning, so we just asked for recommendations as we went along. We started at Arista, stopped in at Porter Creek, then made our way to Red Car Wine Co. Being right next door, the Dutton-Goldfield tasting room seemed like the logical next stop; it turned out to be the highlight of our Sonoma experience.

Hospitality Manager Sarah Kelley provided a wonderful tasting for us at the bar. We were the only guests there, so it was leisurely and casual. Side-by-side, we sampled four vineyard-specific Pinot Noirs while Sarah explained the differences in terroir and climate of the vineyard sites.

The Devil's Gulch Pinot was very fruit-forward with feathery-light tannins. The McDougall Vineyard Pinot was more floral with nice minerality; the Freestone Vineyard Pinot Noir exhibited baking spice and Asian spice notes and was the darkest in color and concentration. I couldn't decide which bottling I preferred--I enjoyed all of them--so I bought one of each, as well as a bottle of the Rued Vineyard Chardonnay (yum!).

Although I won't be changing the name of my blog to "Wine Tasting in Sonoma", it was definitely worth the drive. I am officially a Pinot lover!!

Charming Chardonnays at Hyde de Villaine

On a "Wine tasting Wednesday" with my industry buddies last month, we visited a few phenomenal wineries including Kenzo Estate and Futo Wines. Unfortunately, the Kenzo wines were way beyond my price point and too restrained for my likes, and the Futo wines were already sold out to their mailing list. At over $250 a bottle, I told myself it was for the best.

That brings us to the sunny patio at Bouchon in Yountville, where we promptly ordered croque madame sandwiches with frites and a bottle of the 2009 De La Guerra Chardonnay.

Produced by Hyde de Villaine, a partnership between Larry Hyde (who owns vineyards in Carneros) and Aubert de Villaine (of the famed Domaine Romanee-Conti in Burgundy), this Chardonnay is crisp and clean with elegant green apple flavors, mineral, slate, and a slight nuance of citrus zest. With the rich, buttery sandwiches, it was an exceptional pairing.

When I tasted it again with Eddy in the Hyde de Villaine barrel room in Napa, this Chardonnay was just as delicious as I remembered it (after a full day of wine tasting, sometimes our taste buds and memory can become skewed). And it is easy on the wallet, too, at $40 a bottle.

The 2008 HdV Chardonnay is the fuller-bodied older sister to the De La Guerra. It is made from 19- to 29-year-old vines and aged in more new French oak. It is Burgundian in style, with more opulent tropical fruit flavors and a creamier mouthfeel.

To my surprise, HdV also produces red wines, too. We sampled the 2007 Californio (not a spelling mistake), which is a fruity Syrah, and the 2007 Belle Cousine, a Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon blend.

I am thrilled to report that I enjoyed all four of the wines. Eddy was an informative and very hospitable host. Even if you're not a Chardonnay fan, HdV is definitely worth a visit.

Living the dream at Domaine Carneros

When I led tours at Chappellet, people often complained that 10 am was too early to start drinking wine. But to get in a full day of wine tasting, it's best to get an early start. Personally, I find bubbles to be more palatable first thing in the morning than still wine. The beautiful, elegant, and stately Domaine Carneros is a wonderful place to begin (especially if you're driving up from Marin or San Francisco).

Domaine Carneros is designed more like a restaurant with individual tables (inside and out) where guests can have an intimate tasting experience. You can order a flight of 3 or 4 "tastes" or you can order full glasses. When I visited last week with friends (that's me and Jasmine above), we ordered 3 different flights. The sparkling wines dazzled us; there were a lot of empty glasses on the table very quickly.

The 2005 Le Reve Blanc de Blancs is absolutely divine; in French, the name means "the dream" and it is made of 100% Chardonnay grapes. It is strikes the perfect balance between crisp and creamy; with delicate bubbles and subtle notes of pear, toasted bread and hazelnut. At $95 a bottle, it is a very special occasion wine.

For everyday drinking--because sparkling wine shouldn't be reserved only for special occasions--the 2007 Brut is a fabulous choice ($26 per bottle). Refined and restrained with crisp minerality and delicate flavors of Granny Smith apple and lemon zest. It is refreshing as an aperatif or delicious paired with decadent cheeses.

www.domainecarneros.com; @domainecarneros (twitter)

It's so good at Elyse Winery!

Now that I'm living in Yountville, I frequent Redd Restaurant on Washington Street quite often, as do most "Yountvillains". I've seen Ray Coursen, the owner/winemaker of Elyse Winery, at the bar there a handful of times. So when I was putting together a tasting itinerary for my friend Jasmine and myself, "Elyse" was fresh on my mind.

We called the tasting room at the last minute this past Thursday (I'm not so good about making appointments in advance). Rick answered the phone and, without pretense or snobbery, told us to come on in.

Fifteen minutes later, we were standing at the tasting bar alongside three other ladies (two of whom had just enjoyed a glass of Elyse wine at Redd and like us, called for a last minute tasting appointment). As our luck would have it, Ray Coursen was on the other side of the bar; he offered to pour us through the entire lineup (about 10 wines).

"We're not going to say no," I said.

"I'm not good at saying no either," Ray joked. "If I were a woman, I'd always be pregnant!" The tasting room filled with laughter.

Standing over 6 feet tall, Ray looked like a giant in front of the sloping ceiling of the cozy tasting room--albeit a jolly giant. Along with a few more hearty laughs, he shared the intimate details of the vineyards where he grows his fruit and said a quite a few things to make all five of us laugh. It was an enjoyable experience and I loved almost every single wine (I'm just not a Petite Sirah fan, but Jasmine thought it was divine!).

My favorite was the "C'est si Bon" ("It's so good" in French), a Rhone-style blend with bright red fruit, good minerality, and a medium body. This is offered by the glass at Redd, so if you can't make it to the winery, I suggest you get to the bar at Redd for a glass (or two as it is so easy to drink)!

Although my plan was to not accumulate any more wine until I've got more room in my wine fridge (with 6 cases in storage that might be a while!), I couldn't say no to taking some Elyse home with me. I purchased a couple bottles of the "C'est si Bon", and some of the "Black-Sears" Zinfandel. The Cabernet Sauvignons were also delicious and offered at a nice price point. If I were in the market to join a wine club, this would be it!

www.elysewinery.com; also on Facebook!