It’s Oh So Quiet

At least, not right away.  When the hangover finally comes, it is devastating, sometimes breaking you in two.

Yet in between points A and B, it is that journey that resembles soap opera, circus side show, Burlesque, travelog, and an Early Tarantino movie all rolled into one vibrating, flaming, gyrating, speeding cable car through a David Lynch-inspired acid-tripping Vaudeville act.

Or maybe that’s just me.

So it goes, my first foray into Napa Valley wines (you thought this was going somewhere else I’m sure).  I was new to wine, despite having worked in restaurants for several years, when I arrived at a country club in Dayton, Ohio.  The job heavily influenced my perception of Napa wines, and wine in general.  For the most part, I bought into the stereotype that wine was for rich folks, and if you were of the common man, you drank beer or booze, or the cheapest, jug-iest or box-iest wine you could find.  The wine list at this country club bore the usual suspects at the time:  Opus One, Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon, Ferrari-Carano, Robert Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Chalk Hill Chardonnay, etc., etc.  And despite having been introduced to wine while living in the South, at this place at that time, I figured I wasn’t elite enough.

And that allusion carried over to my notion of Napa Valley.  I certainly did not have the kind of money and stature that would be affiliated with Napa; I was never, ever going to be able to visit a place like Napa, or even be accepted as “worthy enough” to explore this venerated wine region.

This notion changed obviously, as I had made two trips to Napa since that time (not nearly enough I might add), and I have come to understand, appreciate, love and respect the wines of this region, yet Napa for me is as much a torrid love affair as it is a professional affiliation, with passion and romance always waiting in the wings of this intellectual and reverential rapport.  An adrenaline-infused  dichotomy living spectacularly on a tightrope between possible and real.

Recently we had a visit from Boich Family Cellar, an incredible Napa producer that up until a week prior to their visit, I had never heard of them, and shame on me, as we tried three incredible Cabernet Sauvignons:

Boich Family Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Rutherford 2014.  Seasoned with notes of black truffle shavings, dark berries, plums, aniseed and sage, there are dense hints of cocoa and espresso bean resonating throughout this multi-layered wine.  A real beauty!

Boich Family Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain Select Howell Mountain 2014.  Bold and rich, steeped in notes of charcoal, pipe tobacco and blackberry pie.  This is a powerful Cab, a dynamic expression of Mountain fruit.

Boich Family Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Wall Road Vineyard Mount Veeder 2014.  Wild berries emerge inside a palate of Darjeeling tea leaves, wild herbs, black fruits, dark roast coffee, wood spices and cigar underpinnings.  Gorgeous!

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