Open: 10:30am-5:00pm
Appt required? Only for parties of 6 or more
Last barlinwine.com visit: 2012 (May 17, 2012 Itinerary)
Directions:
View Napa in a larger map or Get Directions
Tasting:
I headed north on Hwy 29 from my tasting at Paradigm and stopped next at Sequoia Grove. In a valley planted mostly with vines and few trees, it’s certainly odd to pull up to winery and see it flanked by massive sequoias, but that’s what you get at Sequoia Grove. They don’t get any extra points for name originality, but I care more about the wine than the name, so it was time to get down to business.
On the day I was there, Sequoia Grove offered two tastings: a “Current Release Tasting” for $15 that featured their 2010 Chardonnay, 2009 “Rebellious Red”, 2009 Stagecoach Vineyard Syrah, and 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet. I wouldn’t find out how these wines were, or what made the Red “Rebellious”, because they also offered a "Single Vineyard Tasting" featuring 3 single vineyard Cabernets for $30. All three wines were 2007 and came from the Lamoreaux, Stagecoach, and Morisoli vineyards.
My host presented a nice large Cabernet glass (I’m a big fan of proper stemware for tasting) and poured me my first Cabernet, the Lamoreaux Vineyard. I took a sip and said, “Hmmm…is this the 2007 or the 2008?”
“Oh, excuse me! That’s the 2008! Let me get you another glass so you can try the 2007 side-by-side.”
Now, I’m no wine palate genius…I just happened to catch a glimpse of the label from the first pour. But what the tasting room didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.
It was about this time that the guy next to me perked up (he's in the black t-shrt on the right in case you couldn't guess). “You seem to know a lot about wine,” he said. “I’m just out here killing time until I fly my client back to Texas.” He was a pilot from Missouri and worked exclusively flying a very wealthy Texan around in his private plane, and he made the rest of the visit pretty darn interesting. He knew almost nothing about wine, but he loved to pepper the pourer with questions like “What’s the difference between a Sauvignon Blanc and a Chardonnay?” and “What’s the difference between a Port and a dessert wine?”
After my side-by-side of the’07 and ’08 Lamoreaux, both of which were very good, I moved next to the 2007 Stagecoach Cabernet, another solid effort, before finishing with the 2007 Morisoli, the tightest wine of the bunch and my least favorite. The running commentary kept me entertained and the wine was good enough that I was interested in picking a favorite bottle to travel home with me. Then my new pilot asked my favorite question:
“Is that Opus One right next door? I may go check them out next.”
The guy pouring the wine just kind of laughed, as did I, and we wrapped up our tastings at the same time, with a bottle of the 2007 Lamoreaux heading to my shipper box in the car. I don’t know if the pilot made it to Opus One, but I wished him well as he headed to his car and I went to scout out the eponymous grove and take a few pictures (they have a nice picnic area if you're interested). Plus, I still had more wineries to hit! Next up: St. Supery.
On the day I was there, Sequoia Grove offered two tastings: a “Current Release Tasting” for $15 that featured their 2010 Chardonnay, 2009 “Rebellious Red”, 2009 Stagecoach Vineyard Syrah, and 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet. I wouldn’t find out how these wines were, or what made the Red “Rebellious”, because they also offered a "Single Vineyard Tasting" featuring 3 single vineyard Cabernets for $30. All three wines were 2007 and came from the Lamoreaux, Stagecoach, and Morisoli vineyards.
My host presented a nice large Cabernet glass (I’m a big fan of proper stemware for tasting) and poured me my first Cabernet, the Lamoreaux Vineyard. I took a sip and said, “Hmmm…is this the 2007 or the 2008?”
Now, I’m no wine palate genius…I just happened to catch a glimpse of the label from the first pour. But what the tasting room didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.
It was about this time that the guy next to me perked up (he's in the black t-shrt on the right in case you couldn't guess). “You seem to know a lot about wine,” he said. “I’m just out here killing time until I fly my client back to Texas.” He was a pilot from Missouri and worked exclusively flying a very wealthy Texan around in his private plane, and he made the rest of the visit pretty darn interesting. He knew almost nothing about wine, but he loved to pepper the pourer with questions like “What’s the difference between a Sauvignon Blanc and a Chardonnay?” and “What’s the difference between a Port and a dessert wine?”
“Is that Opus One right next door? I may go check them out next.”
The guy pouring the wine just kind of laughed, as did I, and we wrapped up our tastings at the same time, with a bottle of the 2007 Lamoreaux heading to my shipper box in the car. I don’t know if the pilot made it to Opus One, but I wished him well as he headed to his car and I went to scout out the eponymous grove and take a few pictures (they have a nice picnic area if you're interested). Plus, I still had more wineries to hit! Next up: St. Supery.
Recommended wine: The Lamoreaux and the Stagecoach were my two favorites, with my mistakenly poured *2008* Lamoreaux surprisingly edging out as the winner.
Ratings (out of 5):
 WINE | 4.25 |  TASTING ROOM | 4.50 |
 ATMOSPHERE | 4.25 |  VALUE | 3.75 |
 OVERALL | 4.19 | ||
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