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Spring Mountain Vineyard & A16 Restaurant

This podcast includes stops at a favorite winery and restaurant; Spring Mountain Vineyard and A16.

As  you’ll hear, Spring Mountain Vineyard features three distinct vineyards and a history that makes it a special place. What I love about the experiences are the library wines the offer. In three visits I’ve tasted vintages from 1988, 2001, ’04, ’08, ’10, and ’15. The cabernet sauvignons and their Elivette (reserve) blends are made in the Bordeaux style; meaning not a big, ripe, chewy Cab, but an elegantly complex wine that invites you to enjoy taste after taste. They also bottle a sauvignon blanc. Winemaker Justin Hirigoyen is my guest.

**Update: Wine Spectator just released scores for 2015 Bordeaux Blends in Napa Valley. Spring Mountain Vineyard topped the list with a score of 96. (BTW – 15 of the top 30 are priced higher than Spring Mountain Vineyard). Don’t hesitate, pay them a visit!

A16 Restaurant offers authentic Italian Pizza Napolitana, fresh pasta, and house cured meats inspired by the Campania region. My guest, Wine Director Shelley Lindgren, selects wines that highlight grapes of the Compania and nearby regions.  We’ve enjoyed dining there. You’ll find A16 in the Marina District on Chestnut Street and in Oakland in Rockridge. They also operate the Michelin Star restaurant SPQR in the S.F. Fillmore district.

French and Italian wine and food. What’s not to love?

 

 

Spring Mountain Vineyard and A16 Restaurant

Justin on the day of our interview and tasting

Spring Mountain Vineyard and A16 Restaurant

The tasting we did on our first visit. We love those library wines!

Spring Mountain Vineyard and A16 Restaurant

The barrel room behind the attractive facade

Spring Mountain Vineyard and A16 Restaurant

One of Spring Mountain’s three vineyards

Spring Mountain Vineyard and A16 Restaurant

A recent tasting I attended in the beautiful Miravalle Estate

Spring Mountain Vineyard and A16 Restaurant

A16 Restaurant on a San Francisco evening

Spring Mountain Vineyard and A16 Restaurant

A partial shot of the restaurant. The wood-firing ovens are to the right and the seating wraps around.

Bravas Bar de Tapas – Healdsburg

Wine isn’t the only indulgence we have here in NorCal, there are world-class restaurants in nearly every town in Sonoma and Napa Counties. This is one of our favorites – Bravas, the Spanish tapas themed restaurant in Healdsburg. I chat with general manager Christina Rivera-Glenn about all they have to offer.

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Cadet Beer and Wine Bar

These young ladies have plenty of restaurant and winery experience which led Colleen and Aubrey to open their own dream bar offering the best wine and beer California has to offer. To make it more intriguing they picked a spot in a corner alley in downtown Napa, similar to a great find in Paris.

CadetBeerandWineBar.com

 

Cadet Wine Bar2

 

 

 

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The girl and the fig

The girl and the fig is nationally, if not internationally, recognized as a pioneer in the farm to table experience. The French country themed restaurant fare pairs nicely with their wine list which highlights Rhone varietals. I speak to wine manager Brian Casey and chef, creator Sondra Bernstein about their ever-popular Sonoma, CA location and the fig cafe and wine bar in Glen Ellen.