Up a creek.

I don't normally purchase wine that I have read about in a review, but never say never.  Catching up with some wine industry reading at breakfast this morning, I came across an article on Sauvignon blanc (SB), and its many styles, by wine columnist Dan Berger.
I have rarely met a SB that I didn't like, so I was intrigued by Mr. Berger's description of the "herbal charms" of SB grown in cooler climes. The problem was that Mr. B was reviewing the 2016 Dry Creek Fumé blanc and I could only find the 2015 vintage when I went out wine-shopping.  Buying wine at a retail location can be frustrating when that retailer doesn't sell enough of a particular vintage, or producer, to facilitate cycling into the next vintage in a timely manner.
It's all good, I was having salmon for dinner and it actually did pair with the fish quite nicely. Yes, it was a little vegetal and it could have done with a tad more acid, but my only quibble is that I can purchase TWWIAGE's SB for quite a bit less than the $17.99 I paid for the Dry Creek.  And, quite frankly, the TWWIAGE SB is a more pleasing tipple. Sometimes it is alright to stick with the tried-and-true.

Fumé Blanc.

In 1968, Robert Mondavi released a barrel-aged Fumé Blanc (his take on the Loire Valley's Pouilly Fumé) and with it delivered a swift coup de grâce to a directionless and faltering Napa wine industry.  A wine industry stuck in the oeno-doldrums; old-timers still growing grape varieties such as Golden Chasselas and Alicante Bouschet; producing more kosher and jug-wines than premium table wines.  Wine production and promotion in the Napa Valley would never be the same again - indeed, the Napa Valley itself would never be the same again.  Mondavi was a marketing genius and the driving force behind making the Napa Valley a recognised brand around the world.  But all things must change, since 2004 Robert Mondavi's eponymously named winery has been owned by Constellation Brands.  Constellation is a multinational corporation with a gigantic portfolio of premium wines and the Robert Mondavi Winery is just one of their brands, albeit with great brand-name recognition.
On the nose, the 2011, Napa Valley Fumé Blanc was a real winner with a spicy-lime, kumquat and lychee thang going on, unfortunately, the taste was a bit of a disappointment.  For me, this wine was just a little blah, not bad, it just didn't live up to the fruitiness my schnoz had experienced.  However, it did pair well with the tilapia I was having for dinner.  And I got it for free.

Winery Christmas Lights 6.

The house that Robert Mondavi built: no, not his namesake winery but his actual home.  Previous posts have highlighted Christmas lights on commercial winery buildings, but this post is dedicated to a particular Napan's abode.  On a large knoll, overlooking the Stag's Leap District AVA, is the site where the late Robert Mondavi built his home, high above the valley and vineyards he made famous world wide.  A genius in marketing and promotion, Mondavi arguably made the Napa Valley the success it is today.
A cheery site on my drive home from work, the roof top Christmas tree can actually be seen as a red dot from the steps of the winery where I am gainfully employed some five miles north.  Thank you, to whomever, for continuing such a welcome, joyous tradition.