We return to the beautiful and intimate Cervantes Room at El Quijote in the Chelsea Hotel. I am so grateful for this moment.

Six weeks ago, we hosted a wonderful tasting, with a surprise visit by Chiara Pepe, devoted to still wines and sherries made from Palomino in Spain, and the various Palomino wines made by us, in California. The event was exotic and wonderful, with perfect service by the staff of El Quijote, and simple but generous snacks prepared by the kitchen.

There is no surprise guest this time, but I feel pretty confident that the wines will hold the room.

We will begin with Martinis, provided by the red-jacketed team at El Quijote. Then we will flow immediately into a tutored tasting of Chardonnays and Cabernets made from select sites in Napa. I will pour one of my amazing Sylphs wines, from the now defunct Guman vineyard, and our new, just-bottled, 2023 Rebirth of Scholium Mt. Veeder Chardonnay.

From here, we will proceed to two historical Napa Cabernets, followed by our two new, just-bottled, Rebirth of Scholium Napa Cabernets; one from Mt. Veeder; one from a vineyard that I knew 20 years before on the Silverado Trail

We will discuss the nature of Napa Valley wines, especially in two different contexts: one, in the context of the new natural wine and their opposition to convential wines; and two, in the context of Napa itself: hillside versus flatland, this mountain versus that one.

We will close with Champagne, of course. You will be able to place special orders for the 3 Scholium wines I will be showing.