Gonna try something new. Live posting from Howell Mountain.
We’re being hosted by Lisa Crean and drinking the 18’ Veeder, Spring, Diamond, Merlot; 17’ The Stick, 12’ Spring Mountain, 11’ Affinity and 19’ Cab Franc.
We started with a 24’ Chardonnay and their new Howell Mountain Chenin blanc.
I keep getting asked why I still buy from Robert Craig. This picture is part of the reason, but these wines just hit. They age extremely well and are well made.
It seems like there is more and more chenin blanc coming out of Napa these days, and I for one, am happy about it. They’re versatile and a nice change of pace when you don’t want something quite as “heavy” as a chardonnay nor as citrusy or acidic as sauv blanc.
This is not to say there aren’t many other options in terms of regions or varieties, but it’s nice to have Napa options other than chard or sauv blanc.
I think the Robert Craig wines are great. No idea why they don’t get more love.
Never tried. Have some 1994s I snagged to test run.
Lot of value with RC wines. And they are really good. I have a bit of bias for the Spring Mtn…have conducted some wine dinners over the years, with a variety of top-notch cabs present, at which the SM reigned supreme.
Stop 2 O’Shaughnessy. Here is the tasting card and pricing.
Did the tour with Johnathan. The library is always impressive and the cave is gorgeous.
IMO, the label isn’t doing them any favors.
Don’t know why I haven’t been buying these wines every year but O’Shaughnessy is an exceptional value and quality.
22’ Howell I’m digging. The 22’ slander isn’t happening here.
23’ Napa Valley also good
23’ Merlot, A homerun buy.
22’ Veeder. This wine is sick.
Remind me, that’s a TRB wine?
RC. No. O’Shaughnessy no.
Listening to Mark Neal rant. This is beyond epic.
He’s ranting hard. His quotes below.
I don’t give a shit. I’m going to smoke them on price.
Neal will be making a Martha’s Vineyard 2025
I want my wine quality to be beyond my price point.
Haveb’t had. Never heard.
$85 for a Zin is pretty ambitious!
A visit with Mark is always entertaining, the wines sure don’t suck either!
When he and Gove came to Chicago…geez, 20 years ago now I think, Mark sat next to me at dinner and shook the hell out of one of his wines to get some air into it, and then went on to talk about putting them in the blender to aerate ‘em.
I still have a bottle of the 2004 Fifteen Forty petite in the cellar. Bottles of the 2002 and 2003 within the last year were excellent. I drank my last cab sauv - the 2002 One Lane Bridge three years ago and again, excellent. I don’t recall why I stopped buying the wines…I may need to put in an order.
I love their Merlot - wish it was easier to find.
I haven’t had their Zinfandel. How was it, Jeff?
Day 1 done. I escaped with no buys at Robert Craig. 2 bottles of ‘23 Merlot at O’Shaughnessy and a ‘13 Howell Mountsin magnum cab at Neal.
We finished with dinner at Farmstead with Mark and one of his sons.
Day 2 tomorrow. Mowe, Pine Ridge and Flores Family.
The Merlot is a small production and excellent. I’ve been going up to O’Shaughnessy for around a decade and been buying the Merlot at tastings when they offer it. I’m not officially a regular buyer but I should be.
The zin is a one off from Beatty Ranch. It’s good but expensive. We had it last year when up here and it’s definitely gotten better since then. I just don’t know that I want to pay $85 for a Zinfandel.
The Howell mountain 22’ and Veeder are both buys at the price if you have cellar space. .
I’m a big Robert Craig fan! Their Affinity bottle is a great cab blend and at under $50 it’s a tremendous value.
