Thursday: TGIF Wine Tasting Preview

Starting, well, now, this blog will feature information about our TGIF wine tasting selections.*

BUEHLER VINEYARDS | 2008 NAPA VALLEY ZINFANDEL
Our Zinfandel was aged for 11 months in a combination of French and American oak barrels, 20 percent of which were new. At this level of “new wood,” the up-front endearing quality of Zinfandel can assert itself. Aromas of a briar patch on a hot summer day carry over to the palate and are carried in a mouth-filling, flavorful, juicy package.

NEAL VINEYARDS | 2008 NAPA VALLEY ZINFANDEL
In this very true-to-character Zinfandel, you’ll find lovely aromas of raspberry liqueur, sweet vanilla oak, and spices. The wine is full of beautiful fruit: cherry candy, pomegranate and raspberry. The brambly fruit tones combined with the hints of pepper, spice and white chocolate provide complex layers of flavor as the acidity and tannin create a firm but pleasant structure (a result of the co-fermenting with a touch of Petite Syrah).

ROBERT BIALE | 2007 NAPA RANCHES ZINFANDEL
Blackish ruby in color, this Zinfandel exhibits plum and cherry preserves with lavender, pepper, allspice, vanilla and toast on its full-bodied, viscous and fleshy palate. Excellent balance and fine tannins. Napa Ranches is a top-notch Zinfandel blend sourced from Aldo's and Black Chicken in Napa, Old Crane in St. Helena, Stagnaro in Calistoga, and Priest Ranch above Chiles Valley. There's also a dollop of Petite Sirah, 18 percent, from Thomann Station in St. Helena.

*Our wine tastings are every Friday night, from 6 to 8 p.m. Cost is $25 to $35, depending on the number and type of wines we serve. The price always includes appetizers.

A classy kind of Party Bus comes a'callin'.

We had a visitor: a party bus from David Arthur vinyards in Napa Valley! David is touring the country in a giant van, stopping all over the United States and sharing tastes of his wines for free.

Pachamama's was lucky enough to be a stop on the tour; the bus pulled up outside the Star Bar at 4:45 p.m. Customers and passers-by clamored onto the bus to meet David and sample his wines (an often-mentioned favorite is his Elevation 1147, with its deep,deep red color, vanilla and coffee notes, and tastes of blackberries and blueberries.)

Like any party involving free wine, the bus filled up with folks and, magically, a table full of food appeared. A culinary school class even stopped by; David gave an impromptu lecture on wine and food pairings and brought the crew on the bus to watch a video.

Here's a big about David's philosophy, from his Web site: "The David Arthur wines are produced with a dedication to crafting dynamic, complex vintages. With every bottling comes a commitment to producing distinctive wines with a focus on vineyard site-expression and structure, a benchmark of David Arthur Vineyards’ winemaking philosophy."

Thank you, David and company! We all had a great time. Safe travels.

Here's a photo of David's vinyard: