Napa's high end

The Napa Valley is perhaps the most iconic and well known wine region here in the States. It is in fact the birthplace in many ways of the American wine industry, with some of the best known wine dating back decades. Over the history of Napa some of the highest end brands have been developed contributing some fabulous "juice" to the wine market. As these names have developed so too have the price tags for many of them, and like all things in life some of these prices are justified and some not so much.

Similarly some of the oldest wineries from the area have kept current with winemaking trends and with the tastes of the wine consuming public, all while maintaining their commitment to quality and limiting the size of their production. The perfect combination for us is the winemaker that merges all of these factors while maintaining a reasonable price point. When talking about Napa though the concept of "reasonable" is different than what we are used to from other appellations.

One of the truly great winemakers in the Napa Valley for many years has been Rick Forman. His Forman Cabernet is without a doubt one of the best and most consistent made there possessing all we love about big robust Cabernet. His winemaking is always balanced and while the oak and tannin aspects of all great Napa Cabs are present they are there with restraint and elegance. At $90 it is a serious investment decision but Forman is one of the most legendary producers from this area that gets very little notoriety outside of the wine cognoscenti and the one who could easily charge multiples of this price.

Another of our favorite producers is Paul Hobbs. Like Forman, Hobbs makes some of the most sought after Napa Cabernet. He runs a bigger operation that encompasses brands from South America as well as some other areas of California. His estate bottlings from the original property in Napa are without compare showing real heft in the glass but again demonstrating great elegance and sophistication that highlights fruit over oak, and balance over showiness. $70 is still a heck of a lot to pay for a bottle of wine but if you are seeking some of the truly great Cabernet made in this area with some of the best lineage you could easily pay three times as much. It is in short one of the great wines from the upper echelons of the Napa valley.

From their location on Spring Mountain where the winery sits atop the Napa/Sonoma County line Pride Mountain Vineyards has been handcrafting some of the best Cabernet, Merlot and Cabernet Franc from Napa grown fruit for many years. Their meticulous vineyard management allows them to consistently produce great Bordeaux style wines even in tougher years. We have felt for decades of vintages that their Cabernet Franc is the best made in the States. With prices running in similar ranges to the Hobbs and the Forman, I believe Pride belongs in the Pantheon of Napa Bordeaux producers who has maintained reasonable prices when they easily could have increased them drastically.

A few years back Joseph Phelps Vineyards near the town of St. Helena in Napa won wine of the year from the Wine Spectator for their Insignia bottling, which is the classic blend of all 5 Bordeaux varietals. I have many times felt that this award from "the Spectator" is more of a lifetime achievement award rather than trying to say a particular wine is the best from that vintage. Joe Phelps is clearly deserving of that honor but in this particular case the Insignia was worthy of the prize too. Since the 2002 vintage that won this prestigious award, Phelps (now under the day to day guidance of Joseph's son Bill) has continued to produce truly extraordinary wine. While it is more expensive than the others I have talked about, it remains one of the truly great bottlings from this storied winery and most notable of appellations.

While there will always be wines that are more affordable and fabulous to drink for the most special occasions, it is nice to know of wines of truly historic import that while expensive are still in reasonable price ranges for Napa leaving the "high end" of the Napa Valley in good stead and still attainable.

If there is a topic you would like to read about or questions on wine you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.

George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party - a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene by Costco. George is also the managing judge of The North Idaho Wine Rodeo and writes frequently for the online version of Coeur d'Alene Magazine at www.cdamagazine.com. You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com.