Cheers to the final Cheers event

Since May, the first-Friday-of-every-month-downtown-St. Helena-wine tasting-extravaganza called "Cheers!" has been an event to get excited about. More than 40 wineries were present at each event and were assigned to pour in a different shop from 6-9 pm. The benefits of attending Cheers were pretty obvious: the ability to explore Main Street's luxurious shops (most of which close at 5 pm, which makes it difficult for those of us with daytime jobs to visit otherwise) and the opportunity to taste countless new wines in a very social setting.

Last night was pretty low-key (no live concert or fire truck parade like the September event), but there were a few outstanding wines that were new to my palate, including the Sonador Cabernet Sauvignon (a very exclusive wine made from 97% Cab of both valley floor and mountain vineyards, and 1% each of Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Merlot) and the Barn Burner Cab from Tom Scott Vineyards (a young Cab whose fruity, chocolaty flavors were amplified by the dark chocolate salted caramels offered by the Woodhouse Chocolate shop).

There were also a lot of familiar wineries (and faces), and in my opinion, it never hurts to revisit an old favorite. A few that we couldn't pass up (and enjoyed just as much as when we tasted them for

the first time at the inaugural Cheers event) were the 2006 Pride Mountain Merlot, the Mumm Brut Rosé, Orin Swift's The Prisoner (an affordable Zin/Cab blend that is always well liked by the staff at Wine Spectator), and the Elizabeth Spencer Grenache.

Hopefully, Cheers will start back up in May of 2010. Until then, it will be missed!

In the fast lane with Bennett Lane

There's usually one or two exceptional wines from the tasting menu at any given winery, but at Bennett Lane Winery, each wine is just as memorable as the next. With offerings of very well made and balanced wines, including Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah, they also produce exceptional proprietary red and white blends (many of which are only available at the winery and to wine club members).

The last time we made it up to this winery, which is north of Calistoga but definitely worth the drive, a friendly member of the tasting room team insisted on showing us around. Bennett Lane has a small facility, which was converted from a Tuscan-style house, so the tour was quick. The highlight was getting to climb into the race car parked in the barrel room; besides wine, the owner's other passion is NASCAR racing.

The tasting room is a small room with a short bar, a table stacked with coffee table books of the Napa Valley and fancy corkscrews, and tall armoires full of wine totes and T-shirts. So if its a bright sunny day, opt for a seat on the spacious outdoor terrace.

The White Maximus is made from Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and a tiny amount of Muscat. This intriguing blend is both crisp and floral, with a hint of sweetness.

For an everyday red wine, the Red Maximus is a gem! A blend of Cab, Merlot and Syrah, this is a versatile red with notes of blackberry, plum, and mocha with an earthy undertone and a dry finish.


The Bennett Lane Special Reserve Cab is highly concentrated and delicious; at $60 a bottle, it's great for more special occasions. http://www.bennettlane.com/