 |  |  |
Open: By appointment only.
Appt required? Yes. Email info@oshaughnessywinery.com or call 707-965-2898 to schedule.
Last barlinwine.com visit: 2012 (April 17, 2012 Itinerary)
Directions:
View Napa in a larger map or Get Directions
Tasting:
Having started the day off well with our intimate visit to Dunn, we continued our Howell Mountain Day with a stop at O’Shaugnessy (the winery, not the rickety old classroom building at Notre Dame). Well-regarded for both their Howell Mountain wines and their Mt. Veeder Cabernet (recent recipient of 98 points from Parker), I had lofty expectations for our visit.
I wasn’t disappointed. We started with O’Shaugnessy’s Chardonnay, a wine they only made 199 cases of and is typically sold only to wine members and used for functions. As our host for the day, Luke Russ, told us, “45% of this wine is allocated to ‘Marketing’, and it was originally created to have something lighter to pair with certain dishes at winery dinners”. It was quite good for a side project, and so I looked forward to what was yet to come.
We took our glasses of Chardonnay and went on a short tour of the facility. Luke talked through the layout of the vineyards and took us for a stroll through the caves. I’ve seen a number of winery caves in my day, and I can say with confidence that the cave at O’Shaugnessy is the brightest and most welcoming I’ve been in. Owner Betty O’Shaughnessy loves the color beige, we were told, and had all of the interior painted to match her preference. In addition, the cave was 3 or 4 times higher than what you would typically see, making it brighter and airier while still providing the necessary temperature and humidity ideal for wine storage. The coupe de grace was the incredible cellar they had sandwiched in the middle of the cave -- probably 10,000 bottles of awesome.
We returned to sit around a small tasting table and tried three more wines: the 2009 Merlot, 2008 Howell Mountain Cab, and the 2005 Mt. Veeder Cab. The Merlot is not something typically seen outside of the winery or its club list, and it was very very good. The 2008 Mt. Veeder went quickly given the score and its apparent awesomeness, and the 2005 was also good. But for me the 2008 Howell Moutain Cabernet was amazing and potentially my favorite wine of the vacation. At half the price of the Mt. Veeder, it was a steal by comparison.
Our total visit lasted just under an hour, and Luke asked us where we were headed next. When we told him Outpost, he promptly went into the office and pulled out printed directions to make sure we got there without a problem.
The facility at O’Shaugnessy is beautiful, the view excellent, and the wines 100% worth stopping to try.
Having started the day off well with our intimate visit to Dunn, we continued our Howell Mountain Day with a stop at O’Shaugnessy (the winery, not the rickety old classroom building at Notre Dame). Well-regarded for both their Howell Mountain wines and their Mt. Veeder Cabernet (recent recipient of 98 points from Parker), I had lofty expectations for our visit.
I wasn’t disappointed. We started with O’Shaugnessy’s Chardonnay, a wine they only made 199 cases of and is typically sold only to wine members and used for functions. As our host for the day, Luke Russ, told us, “45% of this wine is allocated to ‘Marketing’, and it was originally created to have something lighter to pair with certain dishes at winery dinners”. It was quite good for a side project, and so I looked forward to what was yet to come.
Our total visit lasted just under an hour, and Luke asked us where we were headed next. When we told him Outpost, he promptly went into the office and pulled out printed directions to make sure we got there without a problem.
The facility at O’Shaugnessy is beautiful, the view excellent, and the wines 100% worth stopping to try.
Recommended wine: The 2008 Howell Mountain Cabernet was perhaps the best wine of a 4-day visit to Napa Valley in April. The Merlot was also very good.
Ratings (out of 5):
 WINE | 4.75 |  TASTING ROOM | 5.00 |
 ATMOSPHERE | 4.75 |  VALUE | 4.25 |
 OVERALL | 4.69 | ||
Amazing wines! My favorite Cabernets by far!
ReplyDelete