We are returning to the US this week to try a few wines from the west coast. We’ll go from the hills of Washington down to the heart California wine country and with a few stops in between.  

We’ll launch this week’s lineup in Napa, the heart of US winemaking. Stag’s Leap Winery makes a delicious Viognier that is different from many of its French counterparts. This white wine is fresh and vibrant with a lot of citrusy lemony notes. A touch of florality reminds you that it is still a viognier, but nothing too potpourrii-esque. 

Next, we will head north to the Colombia Valley in Washington and try Hedges CMS red blend. CMS stands for Cab Merlot Syrah, not the most common blend but let us just say, it works! A velvety texture from the Merlot, bold dark fruit aromas from the Cab, a savorieness from the Syrah and plenty of structure throughout. We love this as a pairing with hamburgers on a Tuesday night!  

Heading back to California, we’ll take a look at the Cline Ancient Vine (AV) Zinfandel. If someone is looking for a “classic” Zin, this is it! Bold and brash with stewed fruit notes and a bit of spice, it is just purely zinfandel! This wine hails from Contra Coasta County, just between Napa and Lodi, a perfect place to make delicious, and well priced Zinfandel.  

Finally, we’ll end where we started. Napa. This go around we’ll try the grape that made Napa famous, Cabernet Sauvignon! The Buehler family is making one of our favorite Napa Cabs that you can still find for an affordable price. Brambley blackberry and just a touch of pencil shavings come through on this beauty that still manages to stay light on its feat and versatile to pair with a range of foods.  

Whether you are stopping in our downtown store to try some of these great wines our stopping into your local Crown to buy a bottle or a case, we hope you enjoy some of our delicious picks this week!