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Day 3: A Tale of Two Visits
It was the third day in Napa and I was still tickled to be there. So many great wine estates everywhere I looked!
Today was Spring Mountain Day, with appointments at Keenan and Lokoya. The wineries are separated by less than a half a mile, but the vibes could not have been more different. I loved each in their own way.
Keenan was laid back with a very nice tasting room/bar area. We were hosted by the tasting room manager, Laura. She grew up in the area and had the inside scoop on everything and everyone. We tasted through a series of fantastic wines, all at very affordable prices.
Here is just part of the line-up: 2021 Reserve Merlot, 2021 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 2021 Cabernet Franc (a personal favorite!).
We were also introduced to Archie and Clover, two of the winery’s dogs. Archie made his presence known by getting in all our laps. We had such a great time chatting and tasting the wines that the appointment went by in a flash. We had to dash to Lokoya as we were already running late. Thankfully they were located just up the mountain.
Lokoya is another castle in the sky. Stunning architecture, state of the art facility and another amazing view. They even have an original Picasso in the tasting room!
The formidable set-up here could have led to a stuffy experience, but we were hosted by another local, Pedro. Although Pedro grew up in Sonoma County, he has extensive knowledge of the Jackson Family Estates, of which Lokoya is one of the finest.
The wines of Lokoya are built for the long haul, but these young wines are already showing great potential. Pedro set us up with some tiny amuse-bouche and paired each of the wines with a specific tasty bite — a fine way to highlight each wine’s distinct characteristics:
Mount Veeder — displays aromas and flavors of violets and blue fruit. Howell Mountain — brings the classic Napa cassis and menthol. Spring Mountain District — shows a touch of the lighter side with a perfumed nose and red fruit flavors. Diamond Mountain — showcases rich black cherry flavor and notes of dark chocolate with softer tannins.
We flew back to NY the next day. 😢
But now that I have walked the land, I better understand the wines from this legendary region.
Cheers!
