Cakebread wines.

One of my favorite wineries got a lengthy (and favorable) mention in one of the Washington Post's wine columns yesterday. Cakebread Cellars -- great wines, great people, great tour. I heartily recommend their wines, and a visit to their winery if you should be out in Napa.

Jack Cakebread came out to Fuqua both years I was there, to lead a tasting for 50 people and a dinner for 12 at the Washington Duke showcasing his wines. Wonderful wines, and great to be able to try the wines paired up with food. Jack made the blanket invitation to anyone at the tastings to let him know in advance if we were heading out to Napa, and he'd arrange a special tour. Sounded like a plan to me: The summer of 2002, I went out to Napa and Sonoma for a week and a half, going to wineries during the day and brewpubs at night. And while I had wanted to do that trip for some time, the special invitation to tour Cakebread Cellars was the push I needed to make the plane reservations.

The wine highlight of the trip was the tour at Cakebread. (The beer highlight was the pilgrimage to Lagunitas Brewing Co. But I digress.) I was met at the winery by Mike and family (why I have to go to California to spend time with friends from upstate New York is a question whose answer does not bear close inspection, but again I digress), and we made up our own little tour group. We talked with Jack for a few minutes, and had a delightful little tour and special tasting. Mike and I spent the rest of the day touring, including the Niebaum-Coppola winery across the street. While seeing the Coppola museum (memorabilia and Oscars from his movies) was cool, the entire experience was much less fun. As Mike noted at some point during the day, at both Cakebread and Coppola, they've clearly spent a lot of money. At Coppola, they've spent the money to make you think they are important; at Cakebread, they've spent the money to make you think you are important.

Good people, good tour, good wine. Go visit them if you get the chance.