P.G. Forte's Blog, page 8

Musical Monday: Watermelon Moonshine (Lainey Wilson)

Okay, this is not--strictly speaking--wine related, but it's teenagers drinking and falling in love and that's close enough. I'm not a big Lainey Wilson fan. I think "I got a heart like a truck" is/are some of the dumbest song lyrics ever penned. And that's even before you add in the "drug" as past tense for "drag" which--hell to the fucking no. 
But this song works for so many of my books. Especially Que Será, Syrah--which releases TOMORROW!
 

Que Será, Syrah

By PG Forte

https://books2read.com/Que-Sera-Syrah

They may be keeping secrets and telling lies, but a little white wine never hurt anyone. ​

Allegra

It’s not every day that you inherit one-third of a winery. I should be on top of the world, floating on Cloud Wine, as they say. Instead, don’t you just know it? I’m about to make one of the biggest mistakes of my life. And that’s saying something. My family has always viewed me as something of a screw-up, not always fairly. But in this case? They’re not only dead right about me messing things up; they don’t even know the half of it. Yet.

Complicating my quest to redeem myself, earn my sisters’ respect, and help them turn our winery into a straight fire success, is my low-key relationship with Sheriff’s Deputy Clay Romero. Sure, there are risks involved in sleeping with the enemy, but ‘what’s meant to be will find a way,’ right? And whether Clay believes it or not, I know we’re fated. With a capital F.

Clay

We’re Capital F somethin’ all right; but I don’t think it’s fate. Ever since Legs (AKA Allegra Martinelli) blew back into town, I’ve been flirting with disaster. Literally. I doubt that woman’s ever met a rule that she didn’t want to at least bend. And, as luck would have it, it’s my job to try and stop her. I love my job, and I think I love her. But there’s not enough wine in Napa to convince me that I’ll be able to hang on to them both. 

Legs keeps likening us to Romeo and Juliet.  And as I keep trying to remind her; that kind of story tends not to end well. I’m sure there are exceptions, but are we gonna be one of them? I guess we’ll find out.

OR BUY THE SERIES:

POUR DECISIONS

https://books2read.com/Pour-Decisions

Meet the Martinelli sisters: Rosa, Bianca and Allegra. These partners in wine have just inherited a once-storied winery in the heart of Napa Valley. They’re living the dream, right?

Not so fast! Because, as it turns out, not everybody is happy for them. And that includes their Uncle Geno who’d assumed the property would come to him.

There are hoops to jump through, barrels to get over, and a mountain of regulations they'll have to scale. But these sisters are crushing it—and we don’t just mean the grapes. They’re making wine, falling in love, and working together to restore their inheritance to its former glory, one pour decision at a time.

Wine Wednesday: Spicewood Vineyards 2023 Louisa (Vermentino)

 

I wrote recently about the Duchman Family Winery in Driftwood, and how much I loved, not just the wine, but the winery itself. Well here's the second outstanding winery I've recently discovered. It's not as close as Duchman, but it's beautiful, it has a fabulous backstory, the wines...well, I've only had one to date, but it was delicious. AND they grow all their own grapes. 

Seriously, my next goal in life is to live on a winery, or at least in a house that's situated in (or adjacent to) a vineyard, and this is what I would want it to look like.

But, let's talk about the wine. I think I've mentioned before that I had my eyes opened to the joy of white wine during a trip to Temecula, several years ago. That was the first time I tried a Vermentino. It's not a Napa wine, or even a Paso Robles one. But for the kind of dry heat that you find in Temecula--and Texas--it's perfect. 

Louisa (that's the name of the wine. And I swear, I take back everything I--or any of my characters--have ever said about wishing more wines had cutesy names) is a pale straw color. It might have a slight greenish tinge, or that might have been the light (see picture). There's a lot of sweetness on the nose. The website tasting notes suggest lime zest, I thought it was more candied green apple with notes of ripe melon. 

This wine is medium bodied, with legs for days! It's very dry, but with distinct notes of caramel apple and just a hint of minerality. Definitely quaffable.

I'm not sure what I would pair it with. I'd just come from lunch at a semi-local Cajun restaurant. So, does it really go with fried oysters, or is that just what I want to think?

I would also like to try it with a pasta dish, maybe something with a pink sauce and sausage. 

Guess I'll have to buy a bottle and experiment...

RELEASING NEXT TUESDAY

Que Será, Syrah

By PG Forte

https://books2read.com/Que-Sera-Syrah

They may be keeping secrets and telling lies, but a little white wine never hurt anyone. ​

Allegra

It’s not every day that you inherit one-third of a winery. I should be on top of the world, floating on Cloud Wine, as they say. Instead, don’t you just know it? I’m about to make one of the biggest mistakes of my life. And that’s saying something. My family has always viewed me as something of a screw-up, not always fairly. But in this case? They’re not only dead right about me messing things up; they don’t even know the half of it. Yet.

Complicating my quest to redeem myself, earn my sisters’ respect, and help them turn our winery into a straight fire success, is my low-key relationship with Sheriff’s Deputy Clay Romero. Sure, there are risks involved in sleeping with the enemy, but ‘what’s meant to be will find a way,’ right? And whether Clay believes it or not, I know we’re fated. With a capital F.

Clay

We’re Capital F somethin’ all right; but I don’t think it’s fate. Ever since Legs (AKA Allegra Martinelli) blew back into town, I’ve been flirting with disaster. Literally. I doubt that woman’s ever met a rule that she didn’t want to at least bend. And, as luck would have it, it’s my job to try and stop her. I love my job, and I think I love her. But there’s not enough wine in Napa to convince me that I’ll be able to hang on to them both. 

Legs keeps likening us to Romeo and Juliet.  And as I keep trying to remind her; that kind of story tends not to end well. I’m sure there are exceptions, but are we gonna be one of them? I guess we’ll find out.

OR BUY THE SERIES:

POUR DECISIONS

https://books2read.com/Pour-Decisions

Meet the Martinelli sisters: Rosa, Bianca and Allegra. These partners in wine have just inherited a once-storied winery in the heart of Napa Valley. They’re living the dream, right?

Not so fast! Because, as it turns out, not everybody is happy for them. And that includes their Uncle Geno who’d assumed the property would come to him.

There are hoops to jump through, barrels to get over, and a mountain of regulations they'll have to scale. But these sisters are crushing it—and we don’t just mean the grapes. They’re making wine, falling in love, and working together to restore their inheritance to its former glory, one pour decision at a time.

Romance Writers Weekly ~ Why I write Romance ~ #LoveChatWrite

This week, on the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop, we're asked, "Why did you choose to write romance?"

My stock answer to this question is that I chose sex over violence. I was halfway through writing what I thought (at the time) was a cozy mystery. But then I realized that the murder plot wasn't nearly as interesting as the romance. And the rest is history!

Now, hop on over to Jill Haymaker's page to find out why she write romancel. And don't forget to check out her NEW book, Montana Pines Autumn Leaves.

IT’S RELEASE DAY!Montana Pines Autumn Leaves

Cathy and Jerimiah have been best friends and neighbors for years, but when a handsome stranger moves to town and shows an interest in Cathy, will they discover that they want more than friendship. A feel good story of friends to lovers set in the mountains of Montana.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F5CYFS31

ONLY ONE WEEK TO GO!

Que Será, SyrahPOUR DECISIONS, BOOK THREE

Check out the final book in this new, Multi-Author Series.

It’s not every day that you and your sisters inherit a winery. I should be on top of the world, floating on Cloud Wine, as they say. Instead, I’m about to make some of the biggest mistakes of my life. And that’s saying something.

​

Complicating my quest to redeem myself, earn my sisters’ respect, and help them turn our winery into a straight fire success, is my low-key relationship with Sheriff’s Deputy Clay Romero. Sure, there are risks involved in sleeping with the enemy, but ‘what’s meant to be will find a way,’ right? 

https://Books2Read.com/Pour-Decisions

Musical Monday: You're Sixteen (Ringo Starr)

 

So this song is like the ultimate ear worm. You're welcome. Seriously though, it's been stuck on repeat in my head since I was blogging about Strawberry Wine and started making connections. To be fair, the only connection with this song is that single lyric: "Lips like strawberry wine" which isn't all that much.

BUT, my personal connection goes way back. See, I met my husband when we were both sixteen. And on my seventeen birthday he and my sister and...maybe some friends? I don't know, exactly. Threw me a surprise birthday party at which one of my/my sister's friends insisted on playing this song and substituting "John" for "mine" in the line "You're sixteen, you're beautiful and you're mine. Which irked me. A lot. 

I don't care for surprises to start with, AND someone had parked in MY parking spot, so I came home in a bad mood. Then, there were people screaming surprise and this song...

I was and am something of a literalist. I wasn't sixteen, I was seventeen. I also was and am a feminist and the idea of people belonging to other people works so much better in fiction. Especially when the possessive creatures aren't entirely human. In real life, there's a little ick. 

Anyway, despite all of that, I think it's a cute song. And, just to date myself, when all this went down with the song and the party, etc? The song was new. Yikes.

OUT NOW!Gone with the WinePOUR DECISIONS, BOOK TWOIS RELEASING TOMORROW!!!
Check out the second book in this new, Multi-Author Series.

Gone With the Wine

By Kelly Jamieson

Where there’s a wine, there’s a way.

Jansen

I’m trying to start over after a soul-crushing end to my hockey career and my marriage—so I buy a winery. I have no idea what I’m doing, but at least I have a reason to get out of bed in the morning. I hate asking for help, but when I meet the winemaker next door, I’m jacked to have an excuse to see her again. She’s gorgeous and full of life, with grape juice-stained hands, a sunburnt nose, and long legs in cut-off shorts. But Bianca’s not so eager to help a grumpy rich celebrity who thinks he can just buy a winery and become a winemaker.

Bianca

Holy crap, I’ve inherited part of the family winery. That should be a dream come true, but I left Napa to get away from my family baggage. I have no choice but to go home and help my sisters get through harvest season, but I’ll be making a quick exit back to my rising star wine career in Argentina. Meanwhile, our new neighbor is a tall, dark, and ripped temptation. He needs a winemaker, and I need a laboratory—so we make a business deal. But while we work together picking, crushing, and fermenting, the attraction between us is causing another chemical reaction. And with wine and with life, it’s not healthy to keep things bottled up… 

Meet the Martinelli sisters: Rosa, Bianca and Allegra. These partners in wine have just inherited a once-storied winery in the heart of Napa Valley. They’re living the dream, right?

 

Not so fast! Because, as it turns out, not everybody is happy for them. And that includes their Uncle Geno who’d assumed the property would come to him.

 

There are hoops to jump through, barrels to get over, and a mountain of regulations they'll have to scale. But the sisters are crushing it—and we don’t just mean the grapes. They’re making wine, falling in love, and working together to restore their inheritance to its former glory, one pour decision at a time.

https://Books2Read.com/Pour-Decisions

New Release from Kelly Jamieson: Gone With the Wine (POUR DECISIONS, Book Two)

Gone With the WineKelly Jamieson

https://books2read.com/u/38NroZ

Where there’s a wine, there’s a way.

Jansen

I’m trying to start over after a soul-crushing end to my hockey career and my marriage—so I buy a winery. I have no idea what I’m doing, but at least I have a reason to get out of bed in the morning. I hate asking for help, but when I meet the winemaker next door, I’m jacked to have an excuse to see her again. She’s gorgeous and full of life, with grape juice-stained hands, a sunburnt nose, and long legs in cut-off shorts. But Bianca’s not so eager to help a grumpy rich celebrity who thinks he can just buy a winery and become a winemaker.

Bianca

Holy crap, I’ve inherited part of the family winery. That should be a dream come true, but I left Napa to get away from my family baggage. I have no choice but to go home and help my sisters get through harvest season, but I’ll be making a quick exit back to my rising star wine career in Argentina. Meanwhile, our new neighbor is a tall, dark, and ripped temptation. He needs a winemaker, and I need a laboratory—so we make a business deal. But while we work together picking, crushing, and fermenting, the attraction between us is causing another chemical reaction. And with wine and with life, it’s not healthy to keep things bottled up…

OR BUY THE SERIES:

POUR DECISIONS

https://books2read.com/Pour-Decisions

Meet the Martinelli sisters: Rosa, Bianca and Allegra. These partners in wine have just inherited a once-storied winery in the heart of Napa Valley. They’re living the dream, right?

Not so fast! Because, as it turns out, not everybody is happy for them. And that includes their Uncle Geno who’d assumed the property would come to him.

There are hoops to jump through, barrels to get over, and a mountain of regulations they'll have to scale. But these sisters are crushing it—and we don’t just mean the grapes. They’re making wine, falling in love, and working together to restore their inheritance to its former glory, one pour decision at a time.

Wine Wednesday: Mandola Chianti

 

So I had this wine while I was dining at Trattoria Lisina in Driftwood, Texas. The grapes are from Tuscany and the wine is made exclusively for the restaurant--or the chain, I guess. Apparently the Mandola family has several restaurants throughout Texas and Florida.  
The food was really good. The wine was too, but since the restaurant is located on the Duchman Family vineyard, I was hoping to try some of their wine, but that was a no-go. 
Anyway, this is the first time in a while that I've had an Italian wine. When I was growing up, my family had the traditional straw-covered bottle of chianti on the table almost every night, so this felt about right. 
The wine was a dark garnet color, very intense. The nose was full of violet, blackberry and pine forest notes. The taste was nothing like the reviews. It was not especially dry, nor was it sweet. It was just a nicely balanced, red table wine. It went beautifully with the mezzaluna I ordered. There were notes of dark cherry and hints of leather on the finish. Very enjoyable. 
For more about wine, check out the POUR DECISIONS series! Releasing this month!
https://books2read.com/Pour-Decisions

Meet the Martinelli sisters: Rosa, Bianca and Allegra. These partners in wine have just inherited a once-storied winery in the heart of Napa Valley. They’re living the dream, right?

 

Not so fast! Because, as it turns out, not everybody is happy for them. And that includes their Uncle Geno who’d assumed the property would come to him.

 

There are hoops to jump through, barrels to get over, and a mountain of regulations they'll have to scale. But these sisters are crushing it—and we don’t just mean the grapes. They’re making wine, falling in love, and working together to restore their inheritance to its former glory, one pour decision at a time. 

Romance Writers Weekly ~ The Hard Part ~ #LoveChatWrite

This week, on the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop, we're asked, "What's the hardest part of writing for you?"

What a great question! The answer is super easy. All of it's hard! 

But seriously, it depends on so many things. Beginnings are difficult because unless I feel like I've nailed the opening, I can't move on. I just sit there re-writing the opening until it works enough to get me going. It feels like I'm in my car, ready to head out onto the road, but until I put it in gear (and turn on the engine) we're not going anywhere--no matter how hard I press on the accelerator. 

Endings are time consuming. They're definitely not as difficult as beginnings, but I HATE books that just stop, so I have to feel like the ending is complete or I can't put the book to bed. 

Middles are usually not that bad--because I'm a plotter. I can't imagine what hell pantsers must go through because the only time middles are hard is when I haven't prepped enough and don't know where I'm trying to go.

Caveat: It's not that middles are never difficult, but they're significantly less so--in general. 

Dialogue is occasionally difficult, but again that's mostly because I hate big blocks of dialogue, and mindless chatter, and it's not always easy to convey information through dialogue in an entertaining way. 

Sex scenes aren't hard, per se, but they are also time-consuming. They can get boring. And if they're boring to write, I figure they're going to be boring to read. Also, like dialogue, they have to mean something. And (once again) ALSO like dialogue, they can't just be words on a page, or voices floating in the ether. You need to work in movements and descriptions and that kind of writing can feel tedious.

Other than that, it's a piece of cake!

Now, hop on over to Leslie Hachtel's page to learn what part of writing she finds hard. And don't forget to check out her new book, Finding Me.

FINDING MEComing Soon!

Neasa MacKenzie wants to have an adventure. Living and working in the sixteenth century at Eilean Donan castle, she is lucky enough to meet Skye and Harper, both from the future. And they have a way for her to travel to their time. It is also a chance to check on Davina, a villainous woman who managed to go to the future and might pose a risk.

What she doesn't anticipate is meeting the love of her life and facing untold risks, as well as experiencing the present day through the eyes of one from hundreds of years ago. 

Facing tests of courage and strength, can she hold on to all she has found or will she be thrown back to a past that threatens?

IT'S RELEASE DAY!
Gone With the WinePOUR DECISIONS, BOOK TWOIS OUT NOW!!!
Check out the second book in this new, Multi-Author Series.

https://books2read.com/Pour-Decisions

Gone With the Wine

By Kelly Jamieson

Where there’s a wine, there’s a way.

 

Jansen

 

I’m trying to start over after a soul-crushing end to my hockey career and my marriage—so I buy a winery. I have no idea what I’m doing, but at least I have a reason to get out of bed in the morning. I hate asking for help, but when I meet the winemaker next door, I’m jacked to have an excuse to see her again. She’s gorgeous and full of life, with grape juice-stained hands, a sunburnt nose, and long legs in cut-off shorts. But Bianca’s not so eager to help a grumpy rich celebrity who thinks he can just buy a winery and become a winemaker.

 

Bianca

 

Holy crap, I’ve inherited part of the family winery. That should be a dream come true, but I left Napa to get away from my family baggage. I have no choice but to go home and help my sisters get through harvest season, but I’ll be making a quick exit back to my rising star wine career in Argentina. Meanwhile, our new neighbor is a tall, dark, and ripped temptation. He needs a winemaker, and I need a laboratory—so we make a business deal. But while we work together picking, crushing, and fermenting, the attraction between us is causing another chemical reaction. And with wine and with life, it’s not healthy to keep things bottled up…

Meet the Martinelli sisters: Rosa, Bianca and Allegra. These partners in wine have just inherited a once-storied winery in the heart of Napa Valley. They’re living the dream, right?

 

Not so fast! Because, as it turns out, not everybody is happy for them. And that includes their Uncle Geno who’d assumed the property would come to him.

 

There are hoops to jump through, barrels to get over, and a mountain of regulations they'll have to scale. But the sisters are crushing it—and we don’t just mean the grapes. They’re making wine, falling in love, and working together to restore their inheritance to its former glory, one pour decision at a time.

https://Books2Read.com/Pour-Decisions

Roance Writers Weekly ~ The Hard Part ~

This week, on the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop, we're asked, "What's the hardest part of writing for you?"

What a great question! The answer is super easy. All of it's hard! 

But seriously, it depends on so many things. Beginnings are difficult because unless I feel like I've nailed the opening, I can't move on. I just sit there re-writing the opening until it works enough to get me going. It feels like I'm in my car, ready to head out onto the road, but until I put it in gear (and turn on the engine) we're not going anywhere--no matter how hard I press on the accelerator. 

Endings are time consuming. They're definitely not as difficult as beginnings, but I HATE books that just stop, so I have to feel like the ending is complete or I can't put the book to bed. 

Middles are usually not that bad--because I'm a plotter. I can't imagine what hell pantsers must go through because the only time middles are hard is when I haven't prepped enough and don't know where I'm trying to go.

Caveat: It's not that middles are never difficult, but they're significantly less so--in general. 

Dialogue is occasionally difficult, but again that's mostly because I hate big blocks of dialogue, and mindless chatter, and it's not always easy to convey information through dialogue in an entertaining way. 

Sex scenes aren't hard, per se, but they are also time-consuming. They can get boring. And if they're boring to write, I figure they're going to be boring to read. Also, like dialogue, they have to mean something. And (once again) ALSO like dialogue, they can't just be words on a page, or voices floating in the ether. You need to work in movements and descriptions and that kind of writing can feel tedious.

Other than that, it's a piece of cake!

Now, hop on over to Leslie Hachtel's page to learn what part of writing she finds hard. And don't forget to check out her new book, Finding Me.

FINDING MEComing Soon!

Neasa MacKenzie wants to have an adventure. Living and working in the sixteenth century at Eilean Donan castle, she is lucky enough to meet Skye and Harper, both from the future. And they have a way for her to travel to their time. It is also a chance to check on Davina, a villainous woman who managed to go to the future and might pose a risk.

What she doesn't anticipate is meeting the love of her life and facing untold risks, as well as experiencing the present day through the eyes of one from hundreds of years ago. 

Facing tests of courage and strength, can she hold on to all she has found or will she be thrown back to a past that threatens?

IT'S RELEASE DAY!
Gone With the WinePOUR DECISIONS, BOOK TWOIS OUT NOW!!!
Check out the second book in this new, Multi-Author Series.

https://books2read.com/Pour-Decisions

Gone With the Wine

By Kelly Jamieson

Where there’s a wine, there’s a way.

 

Jansen

 

I’m trying to start over after a soul-crushing end to my hockey career and my marriage—so I buy a winery. I have no idea what I’m doing, but at least I have a reason to get out of bed in the morning. I hate asking for help, but when I meet the winemaker next door, I’m jacked to have an excuse to see her again. She’s gorgeous and full of life, with grape juice-stained hands, a sunburnt nose, and long legs in cut-off shorts. But Bianca’s not so eager to help a grumpy rich celebrity who thinks he can just buy a winery and become a winemaker.

 

Bianca

 

Holy crap, I’ve inherited part of the family winery. That should be a dream come true, but I left Napa to get away from my family baggage. I have no choice but to go home and help my sisters get through harvest season, but I’ll be making a quick exit back to my rising star wine career in Argentina. Meanwhile, our new neighbor is a tall, dark, and ripped temptation. He needs a winemaker, and I need a laboratory—so we make a business deal. But while we work together picking, crushing, and fermenting, the attraction between us is causing another chemical reaction. And with wine and with life, it’s not healthy to keep things bottled up…

Meet the Martinelli sisters: Rosa, Bianca and Allegra. These partners in wine have just inherited a once-storied winery in the heart of Napa Valley. They’re living the dream, right?

 

Not so fast! Because, as it turns out, not everybody is happy for them. And that includes their Uncle Geno who’d assumed the property would come to him.

 

There are hoops to jump through, barrels to get over, and a mountain of regulations they'll have to scale. But the sisters are crushing it—and we don’t just mean the grapes. They’re making wine, falling in love, and working together to restore their inheritance to its former glory, one pour decision at a time.

https://Books2Read.com/Pour-Decisions

Musical Monday: Kisses Sweeter than Wine (Peter, Paul and Mary featuring Andy Williams)

 

I don't think I've ever heard this particular version of this song. I went looking because I remembered it vaguely from my very much younger days and last week's song triggered those memories. 
It hits different now--all those grandchildren, and getting older business. 
It has nothing whatsoever to do with tomorrow's release, but buy the book anyway--it's great!

ONE DAY 'TIL RELEASE DAY!
Gone with the WinePOUR DECISIONS, BOOK TWOIS RELEASING TOMORROW!!!
Check out the second book in this new, Multi-Author Series.

Gone With the Wine

By Kelly Jamieson

Where there’s a wine, there’s a way.

Jansen

I’m trying to start over after a soul-crushing end to my hockey career and my marriage—so I buy a winery. I have no idea what I’m doing, but at least I have a reason to get out of bed in the morning. I hate asking for help, but when I meet the winemaker next door, I’m jacked to have an excuse to see her again. She’s gorgeous and full of life, with grape juice-stained hands, a sunburnt nose, and long legs in cut-off shorts. But Bianca’s not so eager to help a grumpy rich celebrity who thinks he can just buy a winery and become a winemaker.

Bianca

Holy crap, I’ve inherited part of the family winery. That should be a dream come true, but I left Napa to get away from my family baggage. I have no choice but to go home and help my sisters get through harvest season, but I’ll be making a quick exit back to my rising star wine career in Argentina. Meanwhile, our new neighbor is a tall, dark, and ripped temptation. He needs a winemaker, and I need a laboratory—so we make a business deal. But while we work together picking, crushing, and fermenting, the attraction between us is causing another chemical reaction. And with wine and with life, it’s not healthy to keep things bottled up… 

Meet the Martinelli sisters: Rosa, Bianca and Allegra. These partners in wine have just inherited a once-storied winery in the heart of Napa Valley. They’re living the dream, right?

 

Not so fast! Because, as it turns out, not everybody is happy for them. And that includes their Uncle Geno who’d assumed the property would come to him.

 

There are hoops to jump through, barrels to get over, and a mountain of regulations they'll have to scale. But the sisters are crushing it—and we don’t just mean the grapes. They’re making wine, falling in love, and working together to restore their inheritance to its former glory, one pour decision at a time.

https://Books2Read.com/Pour-Decisions

Wine Wednesday: Duchman Family Winery 2023 Roussanne

 

This gorgeous winery is very close to where I live, and yet this is the first time I've been there. There is also a fabulous Italian restaurant on the grounds and, IIRC, when we first moved here there was some sort of drama happening, and it either it was closed several days a week, or you could only get a tasting if you made a reservation. Whatever. There were other wineries in the area--and some amazing breweries, as well, so we didn't go. Until recently. 
NOW, or so I've been informed, they're open every day for wine tasting, so YAY!
I haven't done one yet, I simply enjoyed a glass of their lovely 2023 Roussanne while I was waiting to be seated for dinner at the restaurant. 
Interesting not-so-fun fact:  Whatever the drama was, the scars are obvious. You can't bring your wine with you from the winery grounds to the restaurant's terrace (have I mentioned that the two buildings are RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER?) and you can't order Duchman wines in the restaurant. Which is kind of nuts. 
But I digress...
I'm relatively unfamiliar with roussanne. I first tried it in Temecula, a few years ago...more than a few, I guess, at this point. And I remember that I really liked it. I liked this one, too, and I imagine I'll be buying a couple of bottles over the summer. 
The wine is a light gold (it also won a gold medal at the San Francisco International wine competition, so that fits, no?). The aroma reminds me of pear candy--not the first wine I've said that about. It's a very particular scent. Very Cavendish & Harvey-esque. But that's a story for another day. 
It's a very Spring-like wine. Definitely one that you'd want to drink outdoors...or that you'd drink indoors to make you think you're outdoors because sometimes the weather here--ugh! Not last summer, though. Last summer was perfect.
There's an herbal/floral note to the nose, as well. Maybe honeysuckle and hay? I think that needs exploring. The mouthfeel is creamy. There are hints of citrus and peach. And, yeah. I might be revisiting my assertion the Viognier is the best picnic wine. 
Oh! I should point out that the winery grounds are beautiful and they grow the grapes for their wine right there in front of you. Which is what I expect from a winery. And one of the things I love best about visiting. I love tasting wine in the place where the grapes are grown. This is the second such winery I've discovered in the last few weeks and I'm so, so happy about that. 
For more about wine, check out the POUR DECISIONS series! Releasing this month!
https://books2read.com/Pour-Decisions

Meet the Martinelli sisters: Rosa, Bianca and Allegra. These partners in wine have just inherited a once-storied winery in the heart of Napa Valley. They’re living the dream, right?

 

Not so fast! Because, as it turns out, not everybody is happy for them. And that includes their Uncle Geno who’d assumed the property would come to him.

 

There are hoops to jump through, barrels to get over, and a mountain of regulations they'll have to scale. But these sisters are crushing it—and we don’t just mean the grapes. They’re making wine, falling in love, and working together to restore their inheritance to its former glory, one pour decision at a time.