The Best of Calistoga
Piedmont Post
April 6, 2022
The Calistoga Wine Growers Association held a tasting in San Francisco in February and I had the opportunity to taste from many of the area’s (Calistoga AVA) most outstanding wineries. The quality of the wines at the tasting was extremely high making it difficult to separate the good from the great. At the end of the day the following wines were the ones that stood out.
These are the best of Calistoga:
2017 Mario’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Bragg Vineyards is a boutique family winery producing only about 125 cases of wine per year. This 100% Cabernet has a wonderfully hedonistic perfume of roses, chocolate, and anise over a core of cassis, blueberries and blackberry pie plus wafts of tobacco and leather. Full-bodied and beautifully structured with ripe fine-grained tannins, it has vivacious fruit and a long, fragrant finish.
Pierre DuMont, Piedmont Post
The Wines of Calistoga
Piedmont Post
March 25, 2020
2015 Padre’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
This wine exhibits a dark pur-ple color, sweet, jammy, black-currant-scented nose. The lush, juicy succulent, layered tex-ture shows great extract. With a smooth, rich mouthfeel, this medium-bodied Cabernet should drink well for 10 to 15 years. Right now it is crying out for a grilled ribeye steak.
Pierre DuMont, Piedmont Post
Bragg Vineyards Feature
Napa Wine Project
May 11, 2017
Bragg Vineyards is a tiny property in Calistoga purchased in 1995 by Bob and Anna Marie Bragg. Bob was a lawyer at the time in San Francisco (where he was born and raised) and wanted a weekend place to enjoy in the country – away from the urban life and stresses of legal matters. He purchased 4.5 acres in 1995 from an Italian couple who already had a small vineyard on site – and were at the time, making their own home wine…
Bragg Vineyards in Calistoga – family owned, small and hidden
Wine Country Getaways
May 6, 2017
There are said to be more than 400 “Brick and Mortar” wineries in the Napa Valley. For such a small wine region, the distance from one end of the Valley to the other is 27 miles, that is an enormous density of wineries. Many tourists drive along Highway 29 and choose a winery to visit by whatever catches their eye. In most cases, one can expect the same in each of these tasting rooms: crowds, merchandise for sale, and a well-rehearsed spiel about the wines. Chances are the experience will be fun and enjoyable but nothing like the old days of the Napa Valley. This is where Bragg Vineyards comes into play…
