Last month, the Napa Valley Wine Library Association held two events to commemorate 50 years of history.  On Saturday, August 18, there was a Winemakers Seminar at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena where a dozen vintners presented their wines and discussed their livelihoods as members of the 2nd, 3rd, or even 5th generation of their family-owned wineries.  On Sunday, August 19, an Annual Tasting took place in The Grove at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa where the theme this year was “A Toast to History: Vintner’s Choice.”  Wineries were asked to pour both a current release and an older vintage and some wineries even poured current and older vintages of the same wine.

We had a great time at the Annual Tasting of the Napa Valley Wine Library Association and found several wines we would recommend you search out for yourself to try and/or buy.  98 wineries participated in the 2012 Annual Tasting, and we thoroughly enjoyed both the current and older vintages of these excellent wines:

Stony Hill Vineyard – 2006 and 2009 Chardonnay

Baldacci Family Vineyards – 2005 and 2008 Black Label Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon

Beringer Vineyards – 2004 and 2007 Chabot Cabernet Sauvignon

Parry Cellars – 2005 and 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon

Rutherford Grove – 1998 and 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon

Of the over 200 wines poured at the NVWLA Annual Tasting, the current release white wines and rosés we preferred the most were:

Antica Napa Valley – 2010 Chardonnay

Grgich Hills Estate – 2008 Carneros Selection Chardonnay

Heitz Cellar – 2011 Grignolino Rosé

Keever Vineyards – 2011 Sauvignon Blanc

Kongsgaard – 2009 The Judge Chardonnay

Mahoney Vineyards – 2011 Las Brisas Vermentino

Robert Sinskey Vineyards – 2011 Pinot Blanc

Schramsberg Vineyards – 2009 Blanc de Blancs

Snowden Vineyards – 2011 Sauvignon Blanc

Spelletich Family Winery – 2009 Napa Valley Reserve Chardonnay

Stony Hill Vineyard – 2010 White Riesling

Trefethen Family Vineyards – 2011 Dry Riesling

Tres Sabores – 2011 Ingrid and Julia (Rosé of Petite Sirah and Zinfandel)

Truchard Vineyards – 2011 Roussanne

ZD Wines – 2010 Chardonnay

 

Naturally, we also found many delicious Napa Valley red wines at the NVWLA Annual Tasting.  These were our favorites:

Antica Napa Valley – 2009 Townsend Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Arietta  – 2010 Quartet (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot)

Corison Winery – 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006 Kronos Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Judd’s Hill – 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 2002 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

La Sirena – 2007 Barrett Syrah

Mario Bazán Cellars – 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon

Pride Mountain Vineyards – 2009 Merlot

Reverie – 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2009 Cabernet Franc

Robert Sinskey Vineyards –2009 Four Vineyards Pinot Noir, 2007 SLD Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Tres Sabores –2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2003 Rutherford Zinfandel

 

Are you familiar with the Napa Valley Wine Library Association?  The Association was founded in 1963 as a resource for information about wine.  Today, the Association hosts seminars and other educational events, and funds an extensive collection of books, interviews, newsletters, technical journals, and other wine-related materials about wines and wine growing.  The collection offers incomparable resources for wine enthusiasts and professionals alike and is available at the St. Helena Public Library.  Membership in the NVWLA helps support the mission to collect and preserve these treasures for generations to come.

As an example, here are some of the most recent additions to the NVWLA’s collection:

• “The Drops of God,” by Tadashi Agi, a graphic novel about the estranged son of a famous wine critic who must identify his late father’s favorite wines in order to claim his inheritance.
• “The New York Times Book of Wine,” edited by Howard Goldberg, a collection of essays and articles from 29 different authors curated from the New York Times.
• “The Organic Backyard Vineyard,” by Tom Powers, a step-by-step guide to help growers through the process of growing grapes with a monthly maintenance guide for different regions in the US and Canada.
• “Soft Soil, Black Grapes,” by Simone Cinotto, an account of the birth of Italian winemaking in California covering everything from boutique vineyards in the Sonoma hills to the massive industrial wineries of the Central Valley.
• “The Wine Region of Rioja,” by Ana Fabiano, a guidebook to Spain’s Rioja region, including a historical overview of the area and up-to-date information on each valley.

If you are a fan of wine, wine knowledge, and wine history, you should seriously consider joining the Napa Valley Wine Library Association to support their great work and to attend next year’s events.  For $75 per person, members of the NVWLA receive admission to the Annual Tasting event, special rates for wine education seminars, and a semi-annual members’ magazine.  Or, a lifetime membership is also available for a one-time fee of $1000.  Please go here for more information.