If I just look at the places I went to in March, I’m not that impressed. California & the Rhône are kind of run of the mill. But the truth is, the reason we are so familiar with them is that both regions are capable of making some of the best wines in the world. Here are a couple of gems that you may not be familiar with. An historic Cabernet Sauvignon producer in Napa that has fallen off the map until recently, an upstart Chardonnay producer using Sonoma fruit in a style that is 100% new to California, and a Rasteau (formerly Côte du Rhône Village Rasteau) that is nothing short of enlightening (and hard to share). And for those who got all red, a South African red that I’m quite sure will change your outlook on the region in the same way it changed mine.
To get the details, click here
If you ordered all red, click here
For more than 200 years Domaine La Soumade has been in the hands of the Romero family, who continue to work the soil in the ancient traditions. It is Andre Romero who is producing minuscule amounts of some of the most amazing wines in the southern Rhone.
Larkmead Vineyards isn’t new to the California Cabernet game. The Vineyard and winery have been around since the 1880’s, and the Solaris (the current owners) have owned the property since 1948. André Tchelistcheff is quoted as saying that in 1938 when 
he arrived in the Napa Valley, there were four “outstanding” wineries, “Inglenook, Beaulieu, Larkmead and Beringer.” That said, we don’t here much about the vineyard any more.
