FOLIE
A DEUX
by Sergio Sismondo
This winery is located on the east side of the St. Helena Highway, North of St. Helena, towards Calistoga. The tasting room is located in a remodeled house on top a small knoll. The atmosphere is informal, relaxed, friendly, and festive.
OUR
CHOICES.
We tasted a range of red wine new releases, including Cabernet-Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Syrah and a variety of Zinfandels made from Amador county fruit. Following is a list we compiled, with our ratings.
| Cabernet-Sauvignon, | Napa Valley, | 2000 | 89 | |
| Cabernet-Sauvignon, | Napa Valley, | Reserve, | 2000 | 90 |
| Rose "Menage a Trois", | 2004 | 86 | ||
| Sangiovese, | Napa Valley, | 1999 | 88 | |
| Sangiovese, | Napa Valley, | 2001 | 88 | |
| Syrah, | Lani's Vineyard, Amador Co., | 2001 | 88 | |
| White "Menage a Trois" | 2003 | 86 | ||
| Zinfandel, | Bowman Vineyard, Amador Co., | 2000 | 88 | |
| Zinfandel, | De Mille Vineyard, Amador Co., | 2000 | 88 | |
| Zinfandel, | Eschen Vinenard, Fiddletown, | 1999 | 87 | |
| Zinfandel, | Eschen Vinenard, Fiddletown, | 2001 | 88 | |
| Zinfandel, | Harvey Vineyard, Amador Co., | 2001 | 89 | |
| Zinfandel, | Wild Bunch Vineyard, Amador Co., | Reserve, | 2001 | 88 |
Our
choice for the best value is the Harvey Vineyard Zinfandel
Priced at $28, which we rated 89.
 |
This year we tasted a wide range of new releases, both red and white, a variety of Zinfandels, Merlot, Sangiovese, a Meritage white named "Menage a Trois", and the fine Frost Gewurztraminer of 1999. All the wines were good, and we rated them in the upper 80's and 90's.
- Our choice for first place among the wines we tasted is the Zinfandel, Wild Bunch Vineyard, 2000, which is priced at $24 and we rated 91.
- Our second preference went to the 1999 Bowman Vineyard Zinfandel, from the Shenandoah Valley, Amador County. It is priced at $22 and we rated 89.
- Our "Best value for money" choice goes to the White Blend, "Menage a Trois", 2001, which is priced at $15 and which received our rating of 88.
- The various Zinfandels we sampled are included in the extensive Zinfandel listing in this web site, in the section "Wine Listings / California - Zinfandel".