My family came for a weekend to visit me during Harvest and I was able to experience Napa with them!  My favorite vineyard that was definitely my "weekend favorite" and that I highly recommend you visit if you ever have the opportunity to do so is called Palmaz.  It is owned by Julio Palmaz, an Argentinian doctor who is known for inventing the balloon-expandable stent (life-changing invention = let’s buy a vineyard and make wine lol). Him and his wife had a passion for wine making and bought a good chunk of land (around 600 acres) in Napa Valley in 1997. The land is beautiful and I love that the entire Palmaz family lives onsite… him and his kids built their own personal houses throughout the property (what a dream).  The best part of the entire tour was being able to experience the high tech cellar they have and use during their winemaking process.  Their son is a tech genius and built the entire in-house software himself.  Also, the tasting comes with a food pairing for each wine. Honestly, it’s a super cool experience and worth going for a tour.

 

Not only do I get into my Palmaz experience but also the history on today’s producer called Tympany Vineyards.  Their history is also special because it’s about a couple who had a passion for wine and decided to buy some land, create their own vineyard and wine label.  The sweetest part about this brand is that the label name is in memory of Louis’s (the owner) mother and connects to her passion for Jazz (she named her son Louis after the great saxophonist Louis Jordan from Tympany Five).

 

Today’s grape varietal is Cabernet Sauvignon, California’s favorite.  For me, this varietal is not at the top of my list but there are some wonderful Cabernet Sauvignons out there.  It’s just about finding the right one that suits your needs, expectations and pallet.  As I always say, the right wine is the one that tastes good to you! 

 

Cheers to another episode, let me know what you think!

 

 

1:20 - Family trip to Napa Valley

2:18 - Palmaz Vineyard tour

4:20 - Tasting at Palmaz 10/10

5:35 - Introduction to today’s grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

6:25 - Let wine do it’s thing naturally

7:20 - Intro to today’s producer

8:10 - History on Tympany Vineyards

10:50 - Why it’s called Tympany

11:30 - There is always a story behind wine

12:20 - Details about Cabernet Sauvignon

15:50 - Analysis and wine tasting

18:05 - Trial & error

 

 

 

Today’s wine: 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Tympany Vineyards

 

 

 

Connect with me on IG @sipandgrowpodcast

 

Get your FREE Wine Aroma Wheel at https://stan.store/nicoledipasquale 

 

Check out my Italian Wine Guide at https://stan.store/nicoledipasquale