Elyse Winery

As part of my plan for 2008, I intend to visit at least one local winery every Saturday and take advantage of the Napa Neighbor Program while I'm here. Then when I leave, I'll have a database of all the wines I've tasted with notes for reference. As part of that mission, last Saturday Tim and I visited Elyse Winery, a small family-owned winery in Yountville. They bottle 25 different wines, 22 of which are red, with a total annual production of about 15,000 cases. They have quite a portfolio of wines, with a definite emphasis on Zinfandel and Petite Syrah, both of which they grow in several AVAs across the Napa Valley.

We were both really impressed with their reds, particularly their Marisoli Vineyard Zinfandel, of which Tim ended up buying two bottles. If you're in the area, Elyse is definitely worth visiting. Tastings are by appointment, so you'll need to call in advance.

That evening we met our college friend Tom at Mustard's Grill for dinner. In college we did Model United Nations with him, but neither of us has talked to him in over four years. It turns out that he's married and living in the Napa Valley. Go Facebook...although I'm still resisting membership because I think it will be the ultimate time burglar.