Open: 10am-5pm (11am-5pm on Sunday)
Appt required? No
Last barlinwine.com visit: 2012 (May 16, 2012 Itinerary)
Directions:
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Tasting:
I remember early in my wine tasting life being so excited when I learned that Silver Oak also owned a winery that made Merlot, and then on top of that learning that they also made Pinot Noir. Silver Oak was perhaps my original “premium” Cabernet and the first bottle of wine I spent $100 on (for their delicious 1999 Napa Cabernet). I hadn’t been back to Twomey, Silver Oak’s sister property specializing in Merlot and Pinot Noir, in almost a decade, but I was excited to see if it still stood up to my fond memory.
Unfortunately it didn’t. I started with a splash of the 2011 Sauvignon Blanc, followed by two 2010 Pinots (Anderson Valley and Russian River Valley – I slightly preferred the Anderson Valley). I finished with the wine they’re most well-known for, their Napa Valley Merlot (from 2007). Nothing stood out, although the Merlot is still a solid wine.
Part of the challenge may have been that I stopped at Twomey immediately following a great, personalized tasting at Vineyard 29 and so the Twomey folks had massive shoes to fill. But I can’t chalk it up to only that. The tasting experience was friendly enough but ultimately sterile and impersonal despite an empty tasting room. Even the last time I was at Twomey, they took the time to explain the filtering process and how they create such a smooth Merlot (hand-filtered something like 8-9 times over the time the wine is in barrel, if my memory serves me correctly after 10 years). This time, I felt like I was at a bar, with a bartender who just wanted to close up, and I ordered an annoying $10 flight of Twomey wines. Looking back over the tasting sheet, I just realized they were selling 6-year vertical packs ('02-'07) of their Merlot – something I may have been interested in if anyone had brought it to my attention while I was at the tasting room.
So, overall, skip this one. There is better wine and certainly better experiences to be had in Napa.
Unfortunately it didn’t. I started with a splash of the 2011 Sauvignon Blanc, followed by two 2010 Pinots (Anderson Valley and Russian River Valley – I slightly preferred the Anderson Valley). I finished with the wine they’re most well-known for, their Napa Valley Merlot (from 2007). Nothing stood out, although the Merlot is still a solid wine.
So, overall, skip this one. There is better wine and certainly better experiences to be had in Napa.
Recommended wine: The Merlot is their best wine, but nothing here is worth stopping to investigate.
Ratings (out of 5):
 WINE | 4.00 |  TASTING ROOM | 4.00 |
 ATMOSPHERE | 3.50 |  VALUE | 3.50 |
 OVERALL | 3.75 | ||
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