freshly sharpened pencils...

napa valley has been waiting for me all my life. yep, my uncle doused my unlearned soul into the culture of california wine and i loved every minute of it. the only wines that i'd ever experienced were off a supermarket shelf (Tesco's!! - the 3 quid bottles!!) and so this experience was a true cultural epiphany. we must have visited 8 different estates, each with at least 3 wines on offer. it was awesome and it's something i'd do again not only here but in different parts of the world. i was taken aback by the one estate owned by Frank Cappola (THE GODFATHER!) who directed all those movies from the Godfather Trilogy to Apocalyse Now to The Cotton Club to.... list goes on and on. there was a set from godfather II in one of the rooms - very striking. tasted his Director's Reserve 1999 vintage zinfandel (bottle worth almost $1000) - some experience to write home about indeed. the old geezer who was spoiling me let me drink all the wine which sorted me out pretty good. i really cant complain - a little inebriation from a touch of class is allowed. we then had a good long drive back around the bay area, through san francisco and the spectacular views into the pacific. alcatraz was one such. have to venture back there sometime soon!