IMO, starting on Howell Mountain is advisable. It is a ride both up and down with lots of curves. I have never been to Neal, but FWIW, I think Tony Biagi is back to wine consulting there. RC view is better than O’Sh., but does not have the same private cellar experience; wines are equivalent I think, a matter of personal preference (RC for me).
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Fantastic report. Thank you so much for sharing. Looking forward to getting back to Napa/Sonoma later this year.
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We has a tasting at Rivers Marie yesterday. Had a great time. Easy to find and the place has a really neat vibe. Part working winery, part elegant tasting room. Perfect assortment of Chard, 2 Aston Pinots and 2 Cabs. It’s honestly just what you would expect within the TRB organization. Frank was our host and the time flew by.
RM and Keplinger are the highlights of the trip and it’s not even close.
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My wife and I visited Napa Valley last weekend. We stayed in Yountville at the North Block. It was her 70th so we went where she wanted. To my great pleasure, we squeezed in David Arthur. We didn’t have a scheduled tasting but Candance was most accomodating. Purchased several wines. DA’s location is as good as it gets. Just beautiful.
Great Trip Report, thanks kindly for sharing!
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Jeff, Sounds like a great trip. I visited Neal about 20 years ago and bought and loved their wines from 2002 to 2007. At the time they were quite the bargains IMHO.
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Will be back at Neal next month. The prices have started to come up some, but still a relative bargain for Napa.
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Visited Neal last summer and the visit was amazing. Super friendly, knowledgeable and extremely gracious hosts. I still think they are quite the bargain for Napa
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Neal is definitely still a great deal. As I said in another thread, the 2018 and 2019 Napa cabs are both $60 and the 2016 was selling for $45 this fall (although I think it has gone up since then).
Beautiful property, friendly people, and reasonably priced wines (and very good olive oil, as well). Hits all the right notes for me.
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Really fun read. Thanks for taking the time to post this. Very enjoyable. There used to be a lot of these posts. I enjoy these the most.
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What an awesome trip my man! Glad you had a great time, and thank you for taking the time to write up the detailed report!
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i just wanted to make a quick note on beta/jasud. It was the best experience i have ever had in the valley. I will get into more details later but it was beyond exceptional. Don’t walk, run towards buying these wines. The 19 beta’s were exceptional and the 21 jasud from barrel is one of the best wines i have ever had. Buy whatever you can. Its a special place with an exceptional and extraordinary winemaker and person.
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Thanks for posting. I look forward to your full report. You really can’t fully understand this project until you visit.
Like Michael C’s report close to this one, another great exposition, thanks so much for sharing. I, too, was lucky to get up to meet Ketan and Wade at Beta/Jasud. Same setup, same great food and experience, same amazingness. Jasud is the first list I’ve added in about 6 years. And yes—I had a car and drove, and it’s rather harrowing, no question! Full notes are here:
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