Anyone that’s been on a Napa/Sonoma wine tasting tour knows that by the end of said tour one’s tastebuds, senses, and motor skills are no longer fully functioning. So it’s a rare thing when an end-of-the-tour wine stands apart from the rest. Allow me to recommend this particular wine.

It’s the Raymond St. Helena Reserve Cabernet. In fact, upon my return I discovered that Wine Enthusiast Online picked this wine as an Editors’ Choice. The Raymond cab is very, very smooth with lively fruit flavors that aren’t overpowering. At between $40-60 a bottle, depending on the year, it’s a mid-priced wine with wonderful quality.

On a side note, I was less impressed with many of the Baringer offerings — proof that the quality of wine cannot be measured solely by the size or beauty of the winery or surrounding estate. Smaller vineyards have long produced amazing wines.

I think you’ll find that this particular wine is widely available, and is well worth the price.

A bit of History

I’ve just returned from a free-wheeling week, an exotic getaway, if you will, to the land of the mouse. The two-year-old was happy, but an adult can only get so much Snow White and Cinderella.

I think the ghost of Enzo Ferrari heard my silent screams. According to the New York Times, a Ferrari theme park is in the works:

Plans to spread the Ferrari influence further yet are heading in a new, and perhaps unexpected, direction — a Ferrari theme park that is scheduled to open on an island in the Persian Gulf in 2009. The entertainment it will offer is intended to appeal to a range of car enthusiasts, from the Six Flags daytrippers to those whose dream is to someday own a vintage Testa Rossa or Daytona.

In addition to the standard car-themed rides (lame), there will be a grand-prix caliber racetrack (not lame). The article doesn’t mention whether there will be opportunities to pilot the real deal, but we can all hope, right?

As an aside, Abu Dhabi seems to be a pretty amazing place. Golf courses, ultra-high luxury hotels, fast cars. Not a surprise, really, when you think about the kind of oil wealth in the country. Abu Dhabi has increasingly become a true vacation destination for Europeans, and in a few more years, all of us will have more reason to visit.

Via the New York Times (free registration required)