I’m so glad there is a super cool, down to earth wine expert that can explain the sea of wines out there without being stuffy and boring. I’m still a wine know nothing but I enjoy your videos. Thank you!
Diggining the Mountain Fruit. Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain, Atlas Peak, Howell Mountain. Love your passion for Washington State Wines as well! Favorite Napa Cab.....Chappelet Pritchard HIll Cab Sauvignon. Favorite Merlot- Pahlmeyer-Atlas Peak
Lots of good wine from Napa! Problem is that production costs are so high, they are seldom bargains. The alcohol content is also often too high for my taste. If I am going to spend $50 or more for a bottle of wine, I will usually opt for a classified Bordeaux than a Napa Cab, but that's just me. Do enjoy Napa Chardonnay, though.
I worked in Napa for 7 years and I 100% agree! The way I deal with the high alcohol and high cost issue is that I’ve identified producers that are less known and on the hillsides. Many producers that grow above the fog line have wines below 14.5% ABV. Otherwise, most of them are too high in alcohol given the ripeness of the grapes. I’ve seen too many vineyards keep grapes on the vines when many of the grapes are already pruning. They intend to keep them ripening. That Texas big money loves them fruit bombs!
Ah Madeline! So good to see you posting, and as always your passion and style and humour - Ah my day has just got better! PS you must come to Australia once it's safe to travel and drink all of our wine! LOL PPS Dusty elements of wine are nice! Good on you for talking about this. Peace Steve
I was in the Hunter Valley last year before everything hit. Had so much fun and the wine was amazing! Couldn’t ship any back home but brought back 4 bottles. Want to do the Yarra Valley next. Absolutely LOVE Australia!! 🇦🇺♥️🍷
@@lindaslattery8341 When you get back hear check out Mudgee its great and close to the Hunter, the Yarra Valley is also amazing! - I live about an hour away from Geloong and 2 hours from Avoca and the Grampians - soo much good wine but we are in lock down again :-(
Thank you for another great video Madeline! I am in Southern California between the Central Valley and Temecula...very happy in Paso Robles, Buellton, Santa Ynez and Temecula! Have been to the Napa/Sonoma regions twice but have not tasted extensively there. I prefer their Chardonnay to the Central Valley's though. Hopefully going back to the Healdsburg area soon. And. love your dress!
This is a great video Madeline. Thanks for giving such passion to educating about Wine and the reasons why regions and varietals taste the way they do.
Awesome to see you posting on TH-cam! This as always is excellent. I’ve always struggled with Napa because it kind of has the best and worst of wine. The best reminds me of Bordeaux, but at at least 5 times the price per quality and the worst are candy canes via either over oaking, residual sugar, or both. When something you find resonated with you it’s worth all of the trouble! -Chris
Enjoyed your presentation as well as your playful humor. Purchased your books for someone who has the ambition to become a Sommelier. Thanks for your passion in spreading knowledge of wine.
Had my first winery wine tasting in Napa Valley (a number of wineries) while a student at nearby UCDavis in the lates 70's. Mondavi, Beringer, Christian Bros, Stirling-all laid back and mostly free wine tastings at each winery. Times have changed dramatically in the valley since 1978-many more wineries have opened (a virtual explosion) and long gone are the free tastings, traffic-free roads and quiet tranquil agri-towns. Its big business now, and hordes of international tourists. You can however still find some truly world-class wines if you know where to look.
Great video. It makes me want to go to my local wine-shop immediately and look for some nice bottles from over there! BTW: Great outfit, very classy and totally fitting to talk about great wines ;-)
You really have to make a visit there! I have the privilege of living in SF and I never take for granted how wonderful Sunday afternoon wine tasting in Napa/Sonoma is! Such a pleasure! And if you do make it out there, I also recommend swinging by the "Green Belt" near Sebastopol. That's where our Pinot Noir thrives!
I loved the explanation of the regional areas as different elevations and slopes and climates I'm from Australia and we have huge differences in regions and even in a small region will be massive differences in growing qualities eg north and south facing blocks in the Mornington peninsula region or the King Valley in north east Victoria compared the ovens /Alpine Valley 2 completely different wine regions with similar elevation but such different terrior and climate but so close to each other I love the coloured maps that made. heaps of sense although I wondered about pacific / ocean influence etc please more such great info from one wine nerd to another in separate hemispheres cheers
I’m willing to spend good money on a goooood bottle of wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, etc… hubby and I went there almost 10 years ago, and lucked out on tasting wine at friendly/approachable tasting rooms, so we bought wine. Went to Napa late September 2020 for an attempt at a last-minute weekend trip. We were VERY put off by most wineries requiring reservations and disappointedly were not able to “reserve” visits on a same-day basis. So we drank beer at Stone Brewing, walked around Oxbow Market for half an hour, then drove home a day earlier than intended. Does Napa Valley Wines have a website that says which wineries STILL require reservations (July 2021)? If not, could it have a page dedicated to up to date info on that? We want to be able to mosey in to a tasting room, not have to commit to reservations.
Hey Isabel, There is a county ordinance that requires most (nearly all) require reservations. This ordinance came out in 1990 as a way to control access to wineries and try to reduce drunk driving. MANY will serve last minute, albeit, it gets busy on the weekends. Personally, I think the ordinance is in need of an update. I get the intent, but it's limited both small wineries and people like you and me from exploring the valley.
Merlot was my first love! I’m not really sure why Marlo has fallen out a favor with the world but not at my house admittedly cab is probably my favorite followed closely by Zinfandel along with some blends these days and there’s a few Pinos out there that I’m rather fond of not a big fan of the Tempranillo‘s little too peppery for me however I am trying to branch out any suggestions anyone!!?…. Oh and by the way I live on the central coast of California where we have some excellent wines Zenz cabs and quite a few others right here in my backyard!… as far as Napa Valley goes or two narrow down a little closer Calistoga I’m still a big fan of stags leap and their signature cask 23 a little pricey but friggin awesome!
Napa is pricing itself out of reach of most consumers. Many other options out there where the quality exceeds the price tag. Most Napa wines the price tag exceeds the quality. All depends on what you can afford. Lots of great reds coming out of Washington these days!
Agree that the prices are high, but they are only high because the demand is there. The Valley is crazy busy right now and the guests have money to spend.
Come to west Texas (Lubbock / brownfield area) the grape growing capital of Texas . Over 5000 acres of grapes . Tempranillo is best grown here . Come taste cheers .... oh if you ever come check out in McPherson Cellars.. Kim’s a good dude !
@@winefolly yes you are correct Mourvèdre is very good especially at McPherson’s. Berklee hill won best Tempranillo at the big San Francisco win competition: seriously come see us . Also Reddy vineyards is making their own wine . It’s in the stores here locally. Lot of boutique wineries around here .
Napa Valley is among the greatest wine producing areas in the world. But there are other great wine producing areas in California too like Paso Robles. Here's all you need to know about it. There's Cabernet sauvignon and cabernet sauvignon blends. Once you get there you have arrived. There nowhere to go but down. Plug for my favorite wine merchant Vivino. California must be drowning in great wine. I sold off all of my top rated Bordeaux. Every one from California was a winner, an intense fruit bomb. None of that overly tannic wine that takes years, even decades of cellaring to resolve. Open, pour, smell, drink. It's always ready for you but are you ready for it? One taste and you will be. Great values too. 30 years ago I bought top rated Bordeaux for the same price I pay for California now. I sold my Bordeaux for ten times what I paid for it. And unlike the French with their terroir snootiness there's none of that in California. I lived in both places so I know.
Love a Lot of Napa Valley wines (heck, we were married in Yountville !) but it is priced in the stratosphere in the last 10+ years... Yearn for the days when their top flight wines are sub $100 per bottle... SIGH.....
@@winefolly Anything you come up with, I like. I do wish you'd do a series on Lodi, and Amador/El Dorado counties. Those mountain wines are really good, and Lodi, has great Zins and Syrahs. I could give you a list of all those two districts have but I'm old and would probably die before I finish.
You're saving yourself a tonne of money, so no worries there! I'm a big fan of the NZ SB but Napa is only a 90 minute drive and everybody here loves Napa cabbage, er, Cabernet 🥬 🍷
Well, I would say one of the long term issues has to do with soil quality (erosion) from places where there was burns. The Napa Valley has really stringent policies. For example, if you're on a hillside vineyard and you lose an oak tree, you need to plant 3 more. So, there's repair work to be done. As far as the degrees and heating up, producers are starting to plant things other than cabernet! (Finally!) So, I imagine we'll start to see more interesting varieties coming from the region. So, even though climate change is very present, I see a lot of smart people working on it in the Valley (and in Sonoma too).
You changed your hair. I didn't recognize you at first. HOT! Very mysterious. Sinister Russian spy temptress from an old classic if you can do the accent? Yeah Napa's ok, but over played like rap. Go to Paso. Desperado. Herman Story. Or over to Dry Creek. Cafaro been crushing it for years, and yet undiscovered (by choice), but could run w/ the big boys. Good for us he doesn't want to. Keeps the price way down.
look up the "Gibbs Marangoni Phenomenon" It's a real thing. Albeit, depending on the temperature of the wine, the room, and humidity, it can range wildly.
Thanks for sharing this and supporting the Napa Valley! Cheers!
I’m so glad there is a super cool, down to earth wine expert that can explain the sea of wines out there without being stuffy and boring. I’m still a wine know nothing but I enjoy your videos. Thank you!
Thanks for saying something!
Have followed fot years. Best communicator.
Beautiful, passionate, educated . She is incredible. Enjoy her and learn a lot
I am from Bordeaux. I like to listen to you speaking about wines with a lot of enthusiasm.
Salut!
When I go to Napa, and taste my first wine , I'm going to pause, smile and say "Holy Crap!" Thanks for helping me to feel like an expert..........
YES ! We're back !
Oh heeeiilllll yah!
@@winefolly 🤘
Best response to tasting wine…”Dude!” U crack me up 😂🍷
Haha best to be yourself no?
Diggining the Mountain Fruit. Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain, Atlas Peak, Howell Mountain. Love your passion for Washington State Wines as well! Favorite Napa Cab.....Chappelet Pritchard HIll Cab Sauvignon. Favorite Merlot- Pahlmeyer-Atlas Peak
You are amazing. Your do such great work. As someone that is new to wine you have made it sooo much easier!
I'm so glad!
Madeleine, sooooo good to see a new post. Hello from Norway! Your books are selling pretty good over here!
Hello!!! ♥ Norway is so pretty right now
Always love your passion for wine! Keep sharing!
Lots of good wine from Napa! Problem is that production costs are so high, they are seldom bargains. The alcohol content is also often too high for my taste. If I am going to spend $50 or more for a bottle of wine, I will usually opt for a classified Bordeaux than a Napa Cab, but that's just me. Do enjoy Napa Chardonnay, though.
I worked in Napa for 7 years and I 100% agree! The way I deal with the high alcohol and high cost issue is that I’ve identified producers that are less known and on the hillsides. Many producers that grow above the fog line have wines below 14.5% ABV. Otherwise, most of them are too high in alcohol given the ripeness of the grapes. I’ve seen too many vineyards keep grapes on the vines when many of the grapes are already pruning. They intend to keep them ripening. That Texas big money loves them fruit bombs!
Don't mind the higher alcohol but exactly what I was thinking regarding better value alternatives. Price no object I'm a big fan though!
@@milkman4eva I’m a Dallas girl born n raised and not the biggest fan o Napa wines
Have mercy, you’re amazing Madeline! That’s all I gots.
Thanks for the Napa overview! I learn something (several things) every time I see a Wine Folly video.
Ah Madeline! So good to see you posting, and as always your passion and style and humour - Ah my day has just got better! PS you must come to Australia once it's safe to travel and drink all of our wine! LOL PPS Dusty elements of wine are nice! Good on you for talking about this.
Peace
Steve
Yes I will!
_"you must come to Australia once it's safe to travel"_ rofl. You still haven't gotten what they are up to.
I was in the Hunter Valley last year before everything hit. Had so much fun and the wine was amazing! Couldn’t ship any back home but brought back 4 bottles. Want to do the Yarra Valley next. Absolutely LOVE Australia!! 🇦🇺♥️🍷
@@lindaslattery8341 When you get back hear check out Mudgee its great and close to the Hunter, the Yarra Valley is also amazing! - I live about an hour away from Geloong and 2 hours from Avoca and the Grampians - soo much good wine but we are in lock down again :-(
Love to see a guide on Texas wines. We just returned from Napa. I wish I had seen your channel ahead of time.
❤️❤️❤️🍇🍷 You're soo much fun!!! Great to see you're back!! 🎊🎉🎈
Thanks so much!!
Thank you for another great video Madeline! I am in Southern California between the Central Valley and Temecula...very happy in Paso Robles, Buellton, Santa Ynez and Temecula! Have been to the Napa/Sonoma regions twice but have not tasted extensively there. I prefer their Chardonnay to the Central Valley's though. Hopefully going back to the Healdsburg area soon. And. love your dress!
Thanks from Spain. Napa os a little far but I'll look for Napa wines here!
This is a great video Madeline. Thanks for giving such passion to educating about Wine and the reasons why regions and varietals taste the way they do.
Awesome to see you posting on TH-cam! This as always is excellent. I’ve always struggled with Napa because it kind of has the best and worst of wine. The best reminds me of Bordeaux, but at at least 5 times the price per quality and the worst are candy canes via either over oaking, residual sugar, or both. When something you find resonated with you it’s worth all of the trouble! -Chris
Enjoyed your presentation as well as your playful humor. Purchased your books for someone who has the ambition to become a Sommelier. Thanks for your passion in spreading knowledge of wine.
This is my favorite wine channel
Not a Napa fan but SO GLAD U R POSTING
Had my first winery wine tasting in Napa Valley (a number of wineries) while a student at nearby UCDavis in the lates 70's. Mondavi, Beringer, Christian Bros, Stirling-all laid back and mostly free wine tastings at each winery. Times have changed dramatically in the valley since 1978-many more wineries have opened (a virtual explosion) and long gone are the free tastings, traffic-free roads and quiet tranquil agri-towns. Its big business now, and hordes of international tourists. You can however still find some truly world-class wines if you know where to look.
The studio looks leggggitttttt. Nice dynamic range from the A7SIII. I gotta get back to Napa!
Seriously, that camera is ++ in my book. BECAUSE I WIGGLE A LOT AND IT MANAGES TO HOLD FOCUS!
Great video. It makes me want to go to my local wine-shop immediately and look for some nice bottles from over there! BTW: Great outfit, very classy and totally fitting to talk about great wines ;-)
Always nice seeing new vids from you guys.. thanks for keeping it aimed at us normie wine drinkers!!
I love your comments and “attitude”
Glad you tossed some love towards Carneros. The guide is fantastic BTW!
On my bucket list to head to Napa. I sell wine at Wall to Wall Wine in Omaha. Love the info. Can't wait to watch more of your videos
You really have to make a visit there! I have the privilege of living in SF and I never take for granted how wonderful Sunday afternoon wine tasting in Napa/Sonoma is! Such a pleasure! And if you do make it out there, I also recommend swinging by the "Green Belt" near Sebastopol. That's where our Pinot Noir thrives!
Great Video, Silver Oak my Fav
We went a few years ago .. amazing place .. food and oh course wines
Super appreciate your enthusiasm, makes me extremely interested!!
I loved the explanation of the regional areas as different elevations and slopes and climates
I'm from Australia and we have huge differences in regions
and even in a small region will be massive differences in growing qualities
eg north and south facing blocks in the Mornington peninsula region
or the King Valley in north east Victoria compared the ovens /Alpine Valley
2 completely different wine regions with similar elevation but such different terrior and climate but so close to each other
I love the coloured maps that made. heaps of sense
although I wondered about pacific / ocean influence etc
please more
such great info
from one wine nerd to another
in separate hemispheres
cheers
Going there in September for the first time! Can’t wait!
thanks for all the sound effects
The greatest wine regions of the U.S. The Cabs from there are wonderful [even if too expensive honestly compared to other areas]. Anyway, great stuff!
hahahahaah. love the side note!
I’m willing to spend good money on a goooood bottle of wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, etc… hubby and I went there almost 10 years ago, and lucked out on tasting wine at friendly/approachable tasting rooms, so we bought wine. Went to Napa late September 2020 for an attempt at a last-minute weekend trip. We were VERY put off by most wineries requiring reservations and disappointedly were not able to “reserve” visits on a same-day basis. So we drank beer at Stone Brewing, walked around Oxbow Market for half an hour, then drove home a day earlier than intended. Does Napa Valley Wines have a website that says which wineries STILL require reservations (July 2021)? If not, could it have a page dedicated to up to date info on that? We want to be able to mosey in to a tasting room, not have to commit to reservations.
Hey Isabel, There is a county ordinance that requires most (nearly all) require reservations. This ordinance came out in 1990 as a way to control access to wineries and try to reduce drunk driving. MANY will serve last minute, albeit, it gets busy on the weekends. Personally, I think the ordinance is in need of an update. I get the intent, but it's limited both small wineries and people like you and me from exploring the valley.
Good presentation - really enjoyed it ☝️😊
Santa Ynes Valley ….. soon please 🍷❤️. Regardless, I love hearing you describe all regions, and this is Napa after all.
Are the wine geographic images from a book you have on your website?
love the video and love Napa Valley
Merlot was my first love! I’m not really sure why Marlo has fallen out a favor with the world but not at my house admittedly cab is probably my favorite followed closely by Zinfandel along with some blends these days and there’s a few Pinos out there that I’m rather fond of not a big fan of the Tempranillo‘s little too peppery for me however I am trying to branch out any suggestions anyone!!?…. Oh and by the way I live on the central coast of California where we have some excellent wines Zenz cabs and quite a few others right here in my backyard!… as far as Napa Valley goes or two narrow down a little closer Calistoga I’m still a big fan of stags leap and their signature cask 23 a little pricey but friggin awesome!
I love that you kept the part where you stumble over your words at the beginning! Keep it real!
Love your channel keep up the good work, Love wine and forever drink it till my last day lol.
I love Napa wine so good
Is it true that California uses mega purple and mega red in their wines? Hence the darker colours
With all the fires in the west part of the US, what about the vineyards?
I should do a follow up video and show y'all what's happening and what people are doing about it
@@winefolly yes, please! I’ll be looking for it.
Napa is pricing itself out of reach of most consumers. Many other options out there where the quality exceeds the price tag. Most Napa wines the price tag exceeds the quality. All depends on what you can afford. Lots of great reds coming out of Washington these days!
Spot on!
Tons of good California wine coming out of Paso Robles
Love Washington wines
Agree that the prices are high, but they are only high because the demand is there. The Valley is crazy busy right now and the guests have money to spend.
I wonder what the cost of property is in Napa valley and I wonder how much that affects the cost of the wine.
Love this one! Great to see you again. And, can I say . . . I do love a good Merlot. Just saying.
Me too!
Texas Hill Country wine is underrated. Check out Fredricksburg.
Ontario 🇨🇦 VQA wines ftw💪🍷🥂🍾
I want to go there now. 😍
A fun video...LOVE IT 🍷🍷🍷
Ummmmm...... we didn't get the "where we learn by drinking" dance. Kinda bummed.
St. Francis rocks!!
You are so much fun!
Oh thank you!
3:19 Oh I do, my house Bordeaux is from Blaye and hence 90% Merlot.
Part of the enlightened few!
"Dusty road"? 😧 That sounds delicious. 😝
Princess, you've got some nice wardrobes man. Xx
Thank you awesome video
Napa so good
Super!
Come to west Texas (Lubbock / brownfield area) the grape growing capital of Texas . Over 5000 acres of grapes . Tempranillo is best grown here . Come taste cheers .... oh if you ever come check out in McPherson Cellars.. Kim’s a good dude !
You guys have some great potential there. I've also seen some Mourvèdre no? Really unique wines.
@@winefolly yes you are correct Mourvèdre is very good especially at McPherson’s. Berklee hill won best Tempranillo at the big San Francisco win competition: seriously come see us . Also Reddy vineyards is making their own wine . It’s in the stores here locally. Lot of boutique wineries around here .
I’ve never been able to get myself to spit out the wine while wine tasting.
Wonderful video - as always! And excellent topic. But Bordeaux is pretty far from Paris, so I guess you meant Bordeaux in France :D
I meant Bordeaux wines vs Napa wines were being taste-tested in Paris. It wasn't exactly clear. I'll give you that ;)
Hi there from Italy. Always great material and videos. I wish i can do the same quality stuffs one day in my channel. Thanks
Nice outfit, Madeline.
Amazing!
Very Nice!
Thank you! Cheers!
Love your outfit
I live there. Partrick RD
Where we learn... BY Drinking!
Krug Merlot is my Jam 2021.
Dude brah!
NorCal all the way.
So cute😍
I could need a wine right now...problem is, I have to go to work in half an hour :-(
NoooOOoo. you need Oolong... or something stronger
Napa Valley is among the greatest wine producing areas in the world. But there are other great wine producing areas in California too like Paso Robles. Here's all you need to know about it. There's Cabernet sauvignon and cabernet sauvignon blends. Once you get there you have arrived. There nowhere to go but down. Plug for my favorite wine merchant Vivino. California must be drowning in great wine. I sold off all of my top rated Bordeaux. Every one from California was a winner, an intense fruit bomb. None of that overly tannic wine that takes years, even decades of cellaring to resolve. Open, pour, smell, drink. It's always ready for you but are you ready for it? One taste and you will be. Great values too. 30 years ago I bought top rated Bordeaux for the same price I pay for California now. I sold my Bordeaux for ten times what I paid for it. And unlike the French with their terroir snootiness there's none of that in California. I lived in both places so I know.
1:26 lol did she steal the wine?
Now do Sonoma County :)
Come to the Texas Hill Country for hospitality and some great wine.
Y’all definitely have some serious potential… all that granitic soil!
Love a Lot of Napa Valley wines (heck, we were married in Yountville !) but it is priced in the stratosphere in the last 10+ years... Yearn for the days when their top flight wines are sub $100 per bottle... SIGH.....
Sorry, but Bordeaux is my favorite so...Opus One. It's not just hype, it's American Mouton Rothschild with California grapes. It is pricey though.
Hit the like button before even viewing.
awe geez thanks!
@@winefolly Anything you come up with, I like. I do wish you'd do a series on Lodi, and Amador/El Dorado counties. Those mountain wines are really good, and Lodi, has great Zins and Syrahs. I could give you a list of all those two districts have but I'm old and would probably die before I finish.
I grew up on MT. Veeder. Lol
wow that's awesome! Views!
Cask 23……when you find it you will thank me!…….hint…….Staggs Leap. Shhhhhhh, stop!…….just pay the price, don’t look back, enjoy!
I just drink NZ sauvignon blanc. I'll go stand in the corner......
You're saving yourself a tonne of money, so no worries there! I'm a big fan of the NZ SB but Napa is only a 90 minute drive and everybody here loves Napa cabbage, er, Cabernet 🥬 🍷
hahaha
You're hilarious. NZ SB is great.
This smoke show knows her shit! Nice!
1:26 You like symbolism, don't you ?
How has climate change and all the fires affecting the wine there? Ash? Ruin? Heat?
Well, I would say one of the long term issues has to do with soil quality (erosion) from places where there was burns. The Napa Valley has really stringent policies. For example, if you're on a hillside vineyard and you lose an oak tree, you need to plant 3 more. So, there's repair work to be done. As far as the degrees and heating up, producers are starting to plant things other than cabernet! (Finally!) So, I imagine we'll start to see more interesting varieties coming from the region. So, even though climate change is very present, I see a lot of smart people working on it in the Valley (and in Sonoma too).
You changed your hair. I didn't recognize you at first. HOT! Very mysterious. Sinister Russian spy temptress from an old classic if you can do the accent? Yeah Napa's ok, but over played like rap. Go to Paso. Desperado. Herman Story. Or over to Dry Creek. Cafaro been crushing it for years, and yet undiscovered (by choice), but could run w/ the big boys. Good for us he doesn't want to. Keeps the price way down.
West Side Rhône’s are the best.
@@jerrykisling8814 I believe you.
🥰😘
Zu viel Alkohol..das ist das Problem
Napanese!
hahahahaha! moment of... cabernet?
Extremely Overpriced, you can get better wines for the price from Argentina, South Africa and even France.
Several winemakers have told me that legs on the glass has more to do with improper washing then quality wine…..just sayin
look up the "Gibbs Marangoni Phenomenon" It's a real thing. Albeit, depending on the temperature of the wine, the room, and humidity, it can range wildly.
Will do! Thanks Madeline I recently bought your book and really like it !
This chick is amazing, lmao.
O.o 🤪🚬🍾⚰️
Seems like she had a "tasting" before they shot this video