posted 12-05-2011 07:11 AM            

Read with interest you comments on The Terraces and the disappointment of not getting to ride the mule. What a shame. First of all, a mule is a cross between a donkey and a horse. I have ridden mules before and let me tell you, they are rough riding, they are stubborn, and you never know what they are going to do. You better be careful if they lay their ears back as they are about ready to bite someone or something. Because of all of the above, Mules are used mostly as pack animals. They are very sure footed and are prized animals for very difficult terrain. I very seldom hear of one that is broken down. The Terraces mule must not be from a very good linage.

posted 12-05-2011 06:55 AM            

Sorry for the tardiness, and sorry to hear about your cold.

Here's a brief report; details to follow.

Wineries in Napa we visited

Black Cat - very small winery that makes 3 reds; Cab, Syrah, and Cab/Syrah blend. Spent 2 hours tasting and visiting with the owner Tracey, and 1 woman show.

Bouchaine - nice wines, nice views. Nothing special, but a good stop.

Schweiger - a beautiful place, with great wines. Had a nice tour/tasting with Gretchen. Was a little disappointed that Diana then gave the tour/tasting to the group that arrived as we were leaving, but spent only a moment or 2 with us.

Long Meadow Ranch - stopped here to try olive oil along with wines. Tasted 3 wines( Sauvignon Blanc, and 2 Cabs), and 1 olive oil. Wines were ok, but stop itself was a disappointment.

Terraces - Had a good visit with Sharon and Nate. Wines were very good. I was looking forward to this stop since I first started planning, and was very disappointed when I asked what happened to the "mule" tour, only to hear the mule had broken down.

Flora Springs - Ended up signing up for the Estate Tour, and were so glad we did. This was one of the highlights of the trip. We spent 3+ hours with Jason and 2 other couples. Jason gave an excellent tour, and let us taste anything we wanted, including a few fantastic single vineyard cabs. It was also interesting to barrel taste the same cab out of both French and American oak.

Goosecross - we were wine club members for years, so we had a private tasting with one of the owners Colleen.

I'll leave the Sonoma details for that side of the forum.

We brought back a case, and joined 2 wine clubs, including Black Cat. We purchased at least 1 bottle from every winery except Bouchaine and Long Meadow Ranch - we can get both of these back home.

I'll provide more details later, but this is my quick report for now.