Once again it was time to enjoy some outstanding wine with my friends on Red Mountain.  My first stop was Frichette Winery where Shae Frichette always treats me like a VIP.  The tasting was great, and I was able to pick up our Club Shipment of a 2016 Scooteney Flats Vineyard Malbec and a Quintessence Vineyard 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon as well.  These tasted really approachable but I’m going to have restraint and let them age before I tap into them.

The next stop was Col Solare, and of course, Mitzi, Lisa and the rest of the crew were fantastic hosts.  The tasting included the 2018 Col Solare Rosé, the 2015 Shining Hill and the 2015 Col Solare Cabernet Sauvignon.  As a bonus, I was provided a taste of the 2016 Col Solare Cabernet Sauvignon (our most recent club shipment).  These were some really outstanding wines!  I very much enjoyed my time here.

Finally, my last stop of the day was at Fidélitas.  It had been awhile since I’d seen Bryce Appleby, and it was my first time being served by Alexandra Hager (since she left Frichette and joined the Team at Fidéltas).  Congrats to you Alexandra on your recent Graduation!!!  As we chatted about our summer plans, I was able to taste the 2016 Red Mountain Malbec, the 2016 “The Canyons Vineyard” Red wine, and the 2016 Quintessence Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.  I ended up buying a bottle of the Quintessence Cab – it was really nice, and I could taste the potential for letting it cellar for 5 years and then breaking it out for a special anniversary dinner or something like that!  Bryce offered me a tour of the Fidélitas Wine Library Room that looked nearly 100% fully stocked with some really amazing wines dating back to 2000 when Charlie Hoppes was actually crafting Syrah!  Who knew!!!!   All in all…it was a fantastic day to drink vino on Red Mountain!