By: AJ McClellan
Well, Monday came and went and while everyone was packing to head home, I was having such a great time that I just had to stay a few extra days! John talked me into being his partner in crime and staying in Napa for the next two days to hang out with Bobby E and go to Bob Foleys property in Howell Mountain to help him bottle the 2011 vintage.
Before everyone took off LA and I grabbed a car and went out to one of my favorite vineyards in Napa, Herb Lamb, owned by Herb and Jennifer Lamb. When we pulled around the corner LA and I both held our breath. The landscape was stunning and the vineyards were perfectly situated to capture the morning and afternoon sun.
We tasted the 2011 release with Jennifer and walked the vineyards while she told us the history of her label, Herb Lamb, and the famed Colgin Herb Lamb. This was one of the highlights of the trip for me…
After we got back John and I went off to meet Bob Egelhoff for a jaunt around Napa Valley. First Bob showed us a mass production bottling line, where they pump out 40,000+ cases a day!
Then we went to Glendale ranch where Bob gets all of the grapes for his Egelhoff label. The Ranch was beautiful, nestled in the mountain side at the perfect 600-800 feet above the valley floor.
After we went around the vineyard Bob took us back to his new property in St Helena and we sat down for a few glasses of wine. Good Times!
The next day John and I woke up at the crack of dawn, dragging ourselves out of bed so that we could go bottle the 2011 vintage with Bob Foley. The bottling line was much different than the one I saw the previous day with Bobby E. Each station was fun, and I have the opportunity to work most of them to see how each step in the process worked…
After a hard day of bottling we went back to Bob’s house and cracked a few bottles of Foley wines, satisfied with a job well done.