The Traveling Grape

Nothing makes for a perfect Sunday more perfect than sharing a bottle of incredible wine with a special friend in a beautiful surrounding with impeccable service.

If you ever visit the RTP area, I highly recommend you not only stay at The Umstead Hotel but treat yourself to an intimate dinner at Herons which features an open kitchen and a commissioned art collection. The staff there is top notch in customer service but without that air of snob that many elegant restaurants tend to have. After enjoying one of their entrees from the Southern-infused menu make you way into their bar and lounge area (or have dinner there instead) to relax for the remainder of the evening.

I talked about my fabulous dining experience at Ans Restaurant in Cary Saturday, which happens to be owned by the same owners of The Umstead. It is without hesitation I share with you that this is my favorite place to go unwind. Their lounge is chic but very relaxed as people around me are thoroughly enjoying their evening whether on a date in a cocktail dress comfy and close on one of the many couches in the corner, a business meeting at the bar in power suits, chilling with friends in jeans watching the game or hanging with the girls outside on their large deck overlooking a 3-acre lake complete with a lit walkway.

Herons and the lounge offer 25 wines by the glass and a very diverse and well thought through wine list. Justin, their Sommelier, is one that obviously cares about his customers and listens to what you are expressing to him. They offer wine flights with dinner which is hard to find in this area. Sunday evening I was running late to meet my friend and knew that it was my job to order the wine, so I called the bar to make my selection and have the wine delivered to the table. They were so patient and caring with helping me make my selection and as promised, as I finally got there and greeted my friend there was the wine, on the table, pleading to be enjoyed.

Hmmmm, so what was the pick of the evening you wonder…..a 2003 Cosentino “The Poet” Meritage Blend. “The Poet” is a blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Cabernet Franc, and 18% Merlot. Each lot was aged separately in French oak for 30 months, then blended and bottled unfined and unfiltered. This is one of their more than 30 award-winning hand crafted wines.

I am a huge fan of blends and for me “The Poet” did not disappoint. It was a tad warm for me so we put it on ice which for both us of really added to the enjoyment. This wine is very dark in the glass with a pleasing nose of dark fruit and a hint of vanilla. I found this a fantastic full-bodied wine that is big, intense and extremely well balanced with a pleasurable lingering finish. It’s one of those wines where after you take a sip you just want to sit back, close your eyes and let the flavor hang around for a while. Oh another reason I love this place, they don’t make you feel rushed and drive me crazy by stopping by the table every time I take a sip to refill my glass. They let me enjoy my wine down to what I feel is the best sip of the glass, the last, because it is open with the fruit really coming through.

Cosentino Winery in Napa began in 1990, founded by Mitch Cosentino, when they moved from his winery in Modesto California. They are now located on Hwy 29 in between Yountville and Oakville. Mitch grew up in the California wine region and is a self-taught winemaker who has learned his craft through research and personal experiences with fellow winemakers.

They are fairly a small production winery producing about 12,000 cases per year and have been awarded allot of praise. Their wines have been served at many prestigious events, including a Presidential White House State Dinner, the Masters Golf Champions Dinner, and other events for Governors, Senators and Heads of State, such as Queen Elizabeth and the Prime Minister of Italy.

Mitch is dedicated to producing artisan wines that express the true “terroir“ of each individual grape. “I don’t eat just one type of food… so why should I make just one type of wine?” – Mitch Cosentino.

This Sunday, find a cozy place to relax, sit back and enjoy “The Poet”. Cheers

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 at 8:50 am and is filed under Napa Wineries, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.