Open: 10am-4pm
Appt required? Yes
Last barlinwine.com visit: 2012 (May 16, 2012 Itinerary)
Directions:
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Tasting:
I knew I would be up in the Calistoga area on a May trip, and so I set up a tasting appointment at Madrigal. Just south of Larkmead Lane, I’d passed Madrigal on several visits to Frank Family and Larkmead but never stopped to see what they had to offer…until now!
My tasting was with CoCo, a nice woman with a bit of a hippy streak. On a Wednesday afternoon, it was only me in the tasting room, and so CoCo was generous with the pours and the selections. I started with a fairly average 2011 Gewurztraminer, followed by their 2009 Tempranillo. You don’t get much Tempranillo in Napa, and when you do it’s usually just so-so, but this one was actually pretty good. Wine #3 was an okay 2008 Merlot, but with wine #4 things started to improve. The 2008 Cabernet was a solid wine, and while not an elite wine, one that definitely held its own against much of its other standard competition. Then I saw the price: $36. For $36, this was a very good wine.
With the tasty Cab fresh on my palate, we got into the reserves. Wine #5 was the 2007 "Sonnet #63", Madrigal’s red blend. I thought this was good, but didn’t meet my suddenly inflated expectations after the Cab. Wines #6 and #7 turned out to be the stars of the visit, however. I didn’t come to Madrigal expecting that they would wow me with Petite Sirah, but they did. I tried their 2008 Napa Valley Petite Sirah side-by-side with their 2008 Reserve Petite Sirah from their Barberis vineyard in Calistoga. The regular Petite sold for $32, the Reserve for $65. And while the Napa Valley Petite was good, the reserve was great.
“So the question, CoCo, is if the Reserve is twice as good as the Napa Valley…” I suggested.
CoCo wasn’t about to weigh in on that one, but agreed that was indeed the question. The answer? I think it actually was.
With Petite Sirah being such a palate killer, the tasting typically would have ended here, but we were having an enjoyable conversation and a few more people stopped by the tasting room. I helped CoCo a bit pushing some of the better wines on the new folks, and she rewarded me with a pour of Madrigal’s 2007 Reserve Cab from the “Las Vinas del Senor” estate vineyard. It was very good, but unlike the Petite, this one was not twice as good as its Napa Valley counterpart.
I took a few bottles with me and the $20 tasting fee was waived. Overall, I had a nice time with CoCo and I have zero complaints about an 8-pour tasting lineup. There’s not much fancy about Madrigal, but the wines are fairly priced and the atmosphere relaxed and friendly. If you like Napa reds, especially Cab and Petite Sirah, this is worth a visit.
My tasting was with CoCo, a nice woman with a bit of a hippy streak. On a Wednesday afternoon, it was only me in the tasting room, and so CoCo was generous with the pours and the selections. I started with a fairly average 2011 Gewurztraminer, followed by their 2009 Tempranillo. You don’t get much Tempranillo in Napa, and when you do it’s usually just so-so, but this one was actually pretty good. Wine #3 was an okay 2008 Merlot, but with wine #4 things started to improve. The 2008 Cabernet was a solid wine, and while not an elite wine, one that definitely held its own against much of its other standard competition. Then I saw the price: $36. For $36, this was a very good wine.
“So the question, CoCo, is if the Reserve is twice as good as the Napa Valley…” I suggested.
CoCo wasn’t about to weigh in on that one, but agreed that was indeed the question. The answer? I think it actually was.
I took a few bottles with me and the $20 tasting fee was waived. Overall, I had a nice time with CoCo and I have zero complaints about an 8-pour tasting lineup. There’s not much fancy about Madrigal, but the wines are fairly priced and the atmosphere relaxed and friendly. If you like Napa reds, especially Cab and Petite Sirah, this is worth a visit.
Recommended wine: The regular Cab was a good bargain, and both Petite Sirahs were very good.
Ratings (out of 5):
 WINE | 4.25 |  TASTING ROOM | 3.75 |
 ATMOSPHERE | 4.75 |  VALUE | 4.75 |
 OVERALL | 4.38 | ||
