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Northern California
Our Story and Mission- Ever since we were old enough to drink wine, we have been frequenting winery tasting rooms throughout California. Our trips in the late 70’s involved stops at 6-8 wineries (or maybe more) in a day. My first date with my wife was a day of wine tasting in Sonoma 31 years ago. So we are experienced with this stuff. I think there are several ingredients to a satisfying Tasting Room experience. The wine has to be good for starters and generally the known wineries all put out pretty decent wine. But there are other key factors in making the experience memorable. Sometimes a classy tasting room works for us, but sometimes standing around a barrel outside does the trick. At other times it is just good service that pleases us. Certainly one of the keys is the person serving the wine. So there are a whole bunch of things that make visiting a Tasting Room a positive experience. The point of this blog is to talk about and recommend Winery Tasting Rooms where we have had good experiences.The blog was conceived after spending a weekend with my sisters who normally do not frequent wineries and running into a couple of disappointing stops.

Friday, August 31, 2012

Paraduxx


Paraduxx
Silverado Trail


I really like the wines I have tasted at Paraduxx Winery, so in preparation for this review I took a look Yelp for the first time ever to get an idea of what other people thought.  While the majority of the reviews are good to excellent, it blows me away the experiences some have had-- I’m talking the not so good experiences here.  I just don’t get how some people can have such a negative experience here at Paraduxx.  Some of these folks really should be staying home.
 
Paraduxx is on an expansive property on the mid-portion of the Silverado trail, halfway between the Yountville and Oakville crossroads.  We have been to a couple of other Duckhorn owned properties and I think they really do put together a classy experience.  While I cannot remember if Duckhorn Winery itself takes advantage of the outdoors, their Anderson Valley property, Goldeneye, really has one of the best outdoor settings.  I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Paraduxx is one of the best outdoor tastings you are going to find in the Napa Valley.  Of course they do have an inside salon and porch seating, so there are options depending on the time of year you go visit.
Paraduxx is a winery brand put together mostly to highlight red blends and more specifically red blends containing Zinfandel.  They are not totally locked in on the red blend format as they do put out a single White Blend (Viognier and Chardonnay) as well as a Rose (Zin and Merlot).  There is also a little flexibility with what they are pouring and they may throw in a taste from another property.  We tasted a Russian River Migration (sister label) Chardonnay on this day.  
 
We tasted while sitting in Adirondack chairs in the big yard behind the tasting facility and what I assume to be the winemaking facility is further to the back of the property.  My sister-in-law, who is not a Zinfandel, drinker tasted with us and I was happy to see she did not poo poo any of the wine.  And don’t think she was doing that for my benefit.  She does have some real good taste buds and tastes things in wine that I just don’t get.  In addition to the Migration Chardonnay and the Rose I mentioned earlier, we also tasted five other Blends- The M (Zin-Merlot), The C (Cab-Zin), The Z (Zin-Cab), The Howell Mountain (Zin-Cab) and the Rector Creek (Zin-Cab).  There was not an overwhelming favorite and there was not a stinker in the group.  I think I heard Z being one of the favorites (from the non Z drinker), although I preferred the Rector Creek-- but that may have something to do with the fact that we were surrounded by the Rector Creek Vineyard. I think the fact that there was no clear winner may have something to say to the consistency of the wines and it might also tell you that the Z and the C are good values at $48.00 in comparison with the Howell Mountain and Rector Creek at $75.00.

Sterling was our host this day and he provided us just enough attention.  The wines are provided to you all at once and include a nice descriptor card which allows you to compare and contrast.  I think more wineries ought to do it this way although it means that each of us went through seven glasses.  Tastings run $30.00 and includes a small plate of crackers and cheese.  We were lucky enough to come up with some 2 for 1 coupons for the tasting but at $30.00, the tasting is not overpriced.  We spent a good hour there and were told there was no rush to leave and give up our chairs.  When you are done you can go into the facility to make purchases or just leave without any pressure to buy.

What we liked- The wine, the grounds, the wines all served side by side
What we bought- None of the above.  We bought a couple of bottles of Decoy (sister brand) SF Giants Commemorative 2010 World Champions Wine (Merlot-Cab).  Had to have it!  Go Giants!
 
Vitals-
Paraduxx
7257 Silverado Trail
Napa, CA  94558
(707) 945-0890
www.paraduxx.com

 


 
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