What Others Say

Stunning wines at Spectator’s tasting
By L. PIERCE CARSON
Napa Register Staff Writer
Thursday, November 2, 2006 6:33 AM PST

After testing the waters around the nation for the better part of the past decade, the California Wine Experience returned a few weeks ago to where it all began — San Francisco.

The best-attended events are the back-to-back Grand Tastings, held on two consecutive nights wherein nearly 200 vintners pour one or more of their outstanding wines for several thousand attendees — each one eager to discover a choice new wine or, at least, reinforce a previously held opinion about a favorite producer.

It’s a great opportunity to check out choice new releases from some of the top producers around the region. In about four hours, here’s some of the wines we found to be outstanding:

Quixote Winery 2003 Napa Valley Petite Syrah ($60): Wow! A wine of great depth from Carl Doumani’s organically farmed Stags Leap District vineyards and the new Friedensreich Hundertwasser-designed cellar. A gloriously purple wine with aromas and tastes of spice and blackberries, the ripe fruit literally explodes on the back of the palate. Buy a couple of bottles — one to drink now and one to lay down for another year in a dark, cool space.