After all the excitement of our South American adventure, it was time to catch up with our good friends (and sometimes, our travel companions)! And because this is not the time of year we try to find a table for 4 on a Friday night in Venice, we opted for a casual evening at home.
We started out with a beautiful 2019 Marston Family Albion. Marston is a Napa Valley winery located on the western side of the Mayacamas Range. We found them not during one of our trips to Napa, but a few years ago when Vine Vault was hosting tasting events around the state and we went to one in Tampa.
The 2019 Marston Family Albion
I fell in love with this Sauvignon Blanc during that tasting, and have reserved my little stash for special occasions like getting together with friends, because it is so unique. And this was definitely a special occasion as they just got the news that grandbaby #5 will be arriving this year!
The Albion is fresh, yet a bit more complex than many of the Sauvignon Blancs that I might typically choose. It’s super aromatic, and screams peach and grapefruit but with a bit more weight. The minerality brings it home for me.
This was perfect while nibbling a little fruit before dinner. And I told you it was casual, so dinner was Big Mike’s pizza! We love Big Mike’s!
And so with our pizza, we cracked open a bottle of my partner in wine’s current favorite wine for any day consumption – the 2023 Jax Petit Verdot. Jax is a Napa Valley vineyard, located in Calistoga, and we were lucky enough to meet the CEO, Dan Parrott at this year’s Forks and Corks.
This is one of the few 100% Petit Verdot wines that we’ve found, and it’s really an exceptional wine and great value. They only produced 5 barrels of this wine, and I’m told we now own 2 cases of this 😂. That is how much he likes it! (And I’m sure if we had more space, we’d have even more!)
Look at that beauty! Deep purple and full bodied…Gorgeous going into the decanter.
For my partner in wine’s thoughts on the wine, check out this post!
We believe mostly in drink what you like, versus fussing about pairing, and that’s never more true than on a night like last night. It was the perfect kind of night…friends, wine, casual dinner, and great conversation.
What wine did you drink last night? 🥂 Drop it in the comments below!
Venice Wine Experiences 