Napa Valley : Nicholson Ranch tastings

One of the highlights of my recent San Fransisco trip was wine tasting at the much awarded Nicholson Ranch Napa owned by an old college friend Deepak Gulrajani.

Deepak is the classic desi story of IIT and Silicon Valley but then there is always a twist in the tail -he became a vintner. Of course we ran through all his wines and labels because this is what happens when your Indian friends land up with a paltan

The 2016 pinot with hints of lavender and spice was amazing and it has won best of class North America ( San Fransisco Chronicle Awards ) in its category. So has the 2015. The Chardonnays haven’t done badly either . Deepak now has his own Gulrajani estate label at another vineyard and I love the names- Narasimha a Cab-Sangiovese blend, Sanjaya/Indian for Sangiovese .

I could go on but if you are ever in Napa swing by. It’s a members only sales model because this a a micro vineyard but you can buy at the vineyard store or taste a flight with stories by the wonderful raconteur Arthur . Read more about the wine making and the wines at www.nicholsonranch

A list of wines on the Tasting menu

Entrance to the tasting room

The Other label – Gulrajani estate . Nararsimha is a powerful Man- lion In Indian lore

So much to enjoy besides the wine – the flowers and the view on this boutique property

That’s me with American cousins Rajeev and Vandana

The tastings are going well as you can see . In Napa now most vineyards take you by appointment so do check in advance

This was quite full bodied as it should be – glad it was a cold sunny day

Arthur the estate raconteur sharing the stories from grape to bottle and awards

Ya those bites came in handy as the tasting progressed .. Luckily I didn’t have to drive .

And a little Ganpati tucked into the tilework for auspicious beginnings