A Brief Trip to Napa and then on to Sonoma!

"When I read about the evils of drinking alcohol, I gave up reading."   -W.C. Fields

The goal of our intrepid threesome was Healdsburg in Sonoma County but first we stopped at Paraduxx Winery in Napa to visit our friend Angela, theTasting Room and Hospitality Manager.  Paraduxx is one of our favorite wineries and we always stop for a tasting.  It establishes the benchmark for fine wine and warmth of character and customer service.  Paraduxx is hard to beat.  I always tell my Trader Joe's wine clients to visit Paraduxx if they're going to Napa.  Those that have visited have often become members of the winery.  so be sure to visit on your next trip and tell Angela that you're a friend and reader of Tom da Wine Guy and she may just give you a hug in addition to her exemplary service.

We left for Sonoma, and specifically, Santa Rosa to visit a winery or two before they all closed.  As fate would have it, we ended up at De Loach, and what a fine time we had, due in large part to Brad Bou, our host and wine pourer.

Brad was affable, knowledgeable, and entertaining.  I'm not going into details of our wine tasting other than to say that De Loach focuses on Pinot Noir and that we enjoyed them immensely.  Very fine wines!  But our biggest surprise was their "mini barrel" wine presentation.  This is very clever!  They actually have boxed wines that are then placed inside a small barrel with a spout.  This is the greatest invention for a party wine that I've ever seen!  Too bad they didn't have this in the movie "Animal House."  There is a 10 liter (13 bottles) or a 3 liter (4 bottles) that is then placed in these mini barrels.  Wow, really fun and really fine wine in those boxes.

That was the end of the day.  We retired to our hotel, went out to dinner and planned our next day's wine visits.

Tomorrow, Alexander Valley and Goldeneye Winery.  Yes, yes, yes!



Tom da Wine Guy