Spreading some holiday cheer!

Some seriously good wines have come through the doors of Carpe since we opened just a 1.5 years ago, which is no surprise given the scope of industry folk and wine seeking visitors that come into Napa.  The holidays seem to be an exceptionally exciting time for wine enthusiasts, because it gives us all the more reason to pop open the special bottles we have been saving all year to share!  We tasted a 1993 Colgin Herb Lamb Cab last night, shared by a jovial, generous patron who just happens to be closely linked to one of my favorite new wines...

The wine: Vineyard 29 'Cru'.  My friend Keith Emerson makes this wines along with a slew of wines in the Napa including Robert Craig Howell Mountain Cabernet, his own project with Brian Brown (winemaker at Round Pond) called Emerson Brown and his killer Oregon pinot from the famed Shea Vineyard called Sonria.  His wine are crafted with balance and elegance- and that is how I feel about the Vineyard 29.  Along with rockstar wine maker Phillpe Melka, they have crafted a true gem among the many good wines in the valley.  

The Cru is like a cashmere sweater- elegant, plush and makes you feel warm and fuzzy on the inside (not from the 14.8 alcohol though).  Its also incredibly seductive and special, and shows every quality of a focused Cabernet that pulls out all the flavor and aromatic stops and whistles one could dream of.   

The Carpe Diem team tasted and toured Vineyard 29 last month and everyone was absolutely blown away with the facility, hospitality, and of course the wine.  Austin, the director of hospitality is a GGTK (a Saved by the Bell reference for all of you out there- a glass for you awaits for the correct answer) showed us around and it was a magical experience.  I encourage you all to make an appointment at V29 for a real treat. 

We feel privileged to be the only purveyor in downtown Napa doing Cru by the glass at $18.  Check out their website at www.vineyard.29.com

Stocking-Stuffer-worthy Brew:

21st Amendment brewery has done it again, and created the perfect holiday-esque brew called Fireside Chat.  Modeled after Franklin D. Roosevelt's fireside chats during the Depression, it is a "kick in the ass while giving you a hug" kind of beer.  A winter ale with spices, its dark, bold and yet soooooooooo tasty.  $5 will get you that warm and fuzzy feeling on the inside.  But hurry, they only brew this until the end of December.  www.21st-amendment.com