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!