Thursday, September 15, 2005

The Big One that didn't get away!!

One day last July I received a call from Brian Hoffman, a Bay Area radio and newspaper personality who is THE expert on fishing conditions in and around Northern California. He began to share with me his story about the big catch…which happened to be his passion for great wine. Brian has bottled his very first vintage of Napa Valley red wine called Block 16. He named this wine Block 16 after the first block built on the Las Vegas strip – it’s a clever and quite luxurious label! So here is the scoop on how the wine tastes – IT ROCKS!

Block 16, a Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from a single vineyard of organically grown grapes in the St. Helena appellation of the valley. This ultra-premium wine is full bodied but silky, an opulent red bursting with flavors of chocolate and warm berries, with a lingering palate of sage and cassis. I loved the hint of coco powder and deep dark fruit on the finish.


The 2003 Block 16, a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Cabernet Franc, was aged in 100% French oak artisan coopers (70% new). Only 327 cases (750 ml.) were produced.

I hope Brian makes more of the 2004 vintage or we are going to have angry Texans on our hands!!! Cheers - Ali

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