Napa Visit Part 3 Delectus

The major reason we decided to travel to Napa this trip was that a party thrown by Gerhard and Linda Reisacher coincided with our wedding anniversary so we maded a long weekend out of it and attend the very first “Chill and Grill” at the Delectus estate in Knights Valley to celebrate. We have been fans of the Delectus wines for a while. Now we are also fans of Linda and Gerhard and their wonderful group of dedicated family members. The visit began at the winery which, for now, is located in South Napa in an office park. Just because there isn’t a beautiful building located among the vines doesn’t mean that the experience isn’t just as nice….just a different “view”. Inside you will find great wine and a super relaxed experience. We started with barrel samples of the 2007 Napa Valley Merlot. This is a baby wine so it was very tannic but has the structure to really be something after additional barrel and bottle age. We also were able to try some 2007 Cabernet Franc in barrel. This wine was originally produced to blend with other wines but it was outstanding by itself. I’m not sure if Gerhard is going to bottle this by itself or use it for its original purpose but it’s very good now for a barrel sample. After meeting the rest in our group of about 15 we loaded up on a bus for the hour or so trip up to Knights Valley to visit the future winery site and more importantly the four year old vines that are now producing fruit beginning with the 2008 vintage. The site is located just above the legendary Peter Michael vineyard and in the shadows of the “backside: of Mt. St. Helena. The picture below does not do the view justice. We tried a 2008 Cabernet based blend barrel sample. Normally wine this young in barrel is not very pleasant regardless of how it eventually turns out. This one was and will be special. The event, the food, the wine and the company were all exceptional. Look for Delectus to continue to produce outstanding Napa and now Knights Valley red wine for many years to come