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Open: 10:30am-5:00pm
Appt required? No
Last barlinwine.com visit: 2012
Directions:
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Tasting:
Clos Pegase was one of the wineries listed in the original Word document passed down to me to help provide some suggestions about where to go in wine country, way back in the early 2000s. Boasting a tasting complex filled with original artwork (both indoor and outdoor), it was an interesting stop for people. I vaguely remember going in 2003 or 2004 and finding the grounds nice and the wine so-so. Time for a return visit!
We stopped in on a weekday afternoon. The beautiful clear blue sky made for some solid outdoor photos, but I wanted to see if the wines had improved at all. We bellied up to the bar and saw a familiar bearded face.
“You’ve poured for us before, I think…” Stephanie started.
“Ah, perhaps at Mauritson?” he said.
Sure enough, we had tasted with him on a slow day at Mauritson with Meredith. While it’s more common than uncommon for people to jump around to different tasting rooms, it did make us feel like old pros for actually recognizing someone outside of the place we’d typically associate them with.
We got started with the tasting and could choose from an Estate Tasting ($20), a Reserve Tasting ($30) or a Sweet Tasting ($10). We naturally chose to split a $30 Reserve Tasting. It began with the 2008 Hommage Chardonnay Reserve, a wine I noted was unexpectedly very good. Although it's dipped a bit in quality in recent years, my measure for value on Chardonnays is still Frank Family, and this one was at least in the same ballpark in terms of quality. At $45, though, I’ll stick with my Frank.
Next up was the 2002 Hommage Cabernet Reserve. With some exceptions, if you see a wine this old on a tasting menu, it probably means it wasn’t great upon release and they’re hoping they can get rid of excess now that it perhaps is drinking a bit better. It was a decent wine, but at $95 not one that I’d be dropping that kind of money on. We finished the tasting with the 2007 Artisan Cabernet Reserve, a wine I liked slightly better than the 2002 Cabernet and thought was quite good. Not carry home good, but better than I expected.
And that was it! Three wines and a quick trip. We wandered the grounds for a few minutes on the way out, but were still in and out in under 30 minutes. Overall, the wines at Clos Pegase exceeded my expectations, and the artwork provides an interesting additional attraction if wine isn’t your primary reason for visiting Napa Valley. It's worth a stop once in your life, but it's not an elite tasting experience. One thumb up ;)
We stopped in on a weekday afternoon. The beautiful clear blue sky made for some solid outdoor photos, but I wanted to see if the wines had improved at all. We bellied up to the bar and saw a familiar bearded face.
“Ah, perhaps at Mauritson?” he said.
Sure enough, we had tasted with him on a slow day at Mauritson with Meredith. While it’s more common than uncommon for people to jump around to different tasting rooms, it did make us feel like old pros for actually recognizing someone outside of the place we’d typically associate them with.
We got started with the tasting and could choose from an Estate Tasting ($20), a Reserve Tasting ($30) or a Sweet Tasting ($10). We naturally chose to split a $30 Reserve Tasting. It began with the 2008 Hommage Chardonnay Reserve, a wine I noted was unexpectedly very good. Although it's dipped a bit in quality in recent years, my measure for value on Chardonnays is still Frank Family, and this one was at least in the same ballpark in terms of quality. At $45, though, I’ll stick with my Frank.
And that was it! Three wines and a quick trip. We wandered the grounds for a few minutes on the way out, but were still in and out in under 30 minutes. Overall, the wines at Clos Pegase exceeded my expectations, and the artwork provides an interesting additional attraction if wine isn’t your primary reason for visiting Napa Valley. It's worth a stop once in your life, but it's not an elite tasting experience. One thumb up ;)
Recommended wine: No strong recommendation of a specific wine, but the wines here were better than expected.
Ratings (out of 5):
 WINE | 4.50 |  TASTING ROOM | 5.00 |
 ATMOSPHERE | 4.25 |  VALUE | 4.00 |
 OVERALL | 4.44 | ||
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