Steph C.
Yelp
Regusci Winery is home to the meanest dog I have ever met. Her name is Trixie, and she is a forty-pound corgi, a fat loaf of dog on tiny corgi feet. She is very, very cute, but she is a huge bitch. She spent her time observing everyone with acute interest, then lying on her back frozen in belly rub position for fifteen minutes. When people approached to pet her, she growled and snapped. We brought our basset hound Duke who just wants to be friends with everyone, and she hated him. She barked at him, and when we left, she followed like a security guard to make sure he left her property. When he took care of business, she stared at him while she squeezed out a dominance dump right after. Do not be fooled by all these adorable pictures. That corgi is one coldhearted cur.
This is not to say that I didn't find her entirely amusing. She probably added a good amount of enjoyment to our trip. I also liked the fat fluffy golden lab mix, but she was mostly wandering the property while we were there. We definitely appreciated Regusci's dog-friendliness - we called ahead to make sure we could bring Duke along, and they were more than welcoming. We were also able to come in without a reservation.
The tasting room was lovely, spacious and welcoming, with pleasant views of the property. Regusci is on the Silverado Trail, and everything about it is very pretty. Service was excellent. The woman who poured our wine was attentive and knowledgeable, and we had a great time tasting.
The tastings were $25 each, with one fee waived per purchase of $100 or more. Matt B. and I did one each, and we were very happy with what we got. We tried five wines, three "Family Selection" and two "Heritage Selection," which were the expensive ones, relatively speaking. (We don't tend to buy wines over $20 in store, so all of Regusci's wines were expensive for us. Also, I guess, keep this in mind when evaluating my review - I am not an expert.) All the wines were listed with detailed tasting notes, which we used as our guide while tasting and buying.
The first of the bunch was the 2010 Chardonnay, and it was one of the best Chardonnays I've ever had, cool and balanced and not too sweet. The rest were all reds. The 2009 Estate Merlot and 2009 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon came next. They were both pleasant, but not standouts, I guess. My favorite of the tasting was the 2009 Patriarch Proprietary Blend, made with cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and cabernet franc. It was a gorgeous wine, complex with a lovely, rich tone. I preferred it to the finale, the 2009 Angelo's Hillside Cabernet Sauvignon. This was a good wine, but even I could tell that it didn't open up in the same way. The Angelo costs $125 a bottle, and it may be one of those wines you buy and store to drink a couple years later, when it's good and ready.
We left with a bottle each of the Chardonnay and the Patriarch, $36 and $85. We didn't go in intending to spend that much money, but we had an anniversary coming up and decided, eh, we'll at least get one complimentary tasting. Two weeks later, the Patriarch accompanied us to our anniversary dinner, where we enjoyed it fully with our nice fancy food. Even for two wine amateurs, it felt well worth the cost. I look forward to drinking the Chardonnay, and I'll keep Regusci on my list for future trips to Napa. Until we meet again, Trixie.