For bona fide wine lovers, one of life's great pleasures is visiting wine-growing regions and spending time in vineyards and cellars with the men and women responsible for producing the stuff we so enjoy drinking. Among America's premier wine-growing regions is California's Napa Valley. This narrow stretch of land, 30 miles long and just a few miles wide at its broadest point, is only 60 miles north of San Francisco.

	Napa Vintners photos Signs welcome visitors to Napa, where cabernet sauvignon vines are now being trimmed to prepare them for growth. Click photo for larger image.

California produces more than 90 percent of the wine in North America and is the fourth-largest wine producer in the world. (Italy, France and Spain are the first three.) It is a surprising fact that despite having 44,000 acres of vines and 391 wineries, Napa produces only 4 percent of the state's total wine output.

Napa Valley wineries vary greatly in size from those bottling a million cases a year (Beringer, Charles Krug and Sutter Home) to the small family-owned cellars that produce only 200 cases. Napa's vineyards, between the Mayacamas mountains to the west and the Vaca range to the east, have been producing fine wine since the days of the California Gold Rush in 1850. At the end of the 19th century, there were more than 140 wineries operating in the valley but Prohibition in 1920 reduced that number significantly.

The real explosion in acres planted and new wineries established has occurred since the famous Paris tasting held in 1976 when a chardonnay and a cabernet sauvignon from Napa won a blind tasting against the finest red wines from Bordeaux and whites from Burgundy. The world took note and the Napa appellation became the most sought-after designation on California wine. Since 1976, the number of new viticultural regions in California has multiplied and fine wines are being made throughout the state, but Napa Valley remains the grande dame of California wine.

I recently spent a week in St. Helena, the valley's tourist mecca, a charming Old West town with fabulous restaurants and enchanting boutiques. Route 29 meanders through the vineyards from the city of Napa at the southern end of the valley to Calistoga at the northern edge. Visitors are attracted to not only the tasting rooms in many of the wineries along the road, but also the numerous world-class restaurants.

At this time of year, the vineyards are filled with workers busily pruning the dormant vines. This important operation removes 90 percent of the previous season's growth. It is the one-year-old shoots that will produce the current season's crop of grapes.

With a group of colleagues, I was invited to join the workforce and spent a morning trimming cabernet sauvignon vines. It's a job anyone who has pruned rose bushes will understand. Simply cut last year's new growth back to the woody trunk, leaving only a one-inch spur on each of two canes. In the spring, when the sap begins to flow, new growth will pop from these stubs. It takes a team of eight pruners six hours to prune one acre, a job that must be done by hand. With 44,000 acres to prune, the valley provides employment for many workers all winter.

Orderly rows of dormant vines await spring in Napa. The trellis is an example of quadralangle cordon, also known as a double T, commonly used on cabernet sauvignon vines in Napa. Click photo for larger image.

Between the rows, vineyards are planted with a ground cover of mustard, which flowers between January and March. The chromium-yellow flowers contrast with the azure sky to create an appealing landscape. Even nonwine drinkers will be seduced by the natural beauty.

But the real focus of my stay in Napa was to taste some awesome wines. Over the course of a week, there were at least 100 different bottles presented for tasting. Unfortunately, most of them are unavailable in Pennsylvania. My favorites that are sold in our state are available only as special liquor orders, which must be purchased in advance and require several days for delivery. I normally do not review SLO wines and so am making an exception for these bottles.

Artesa 2005 Reserve Estate Chardonnay, PLCB # 17344, $28.99.

This wine was fermented and aged on its lies (pronounced lees and meaning sediment, which adds complexity) for eight months in French oak, 50 percent new. The layers of flavors begin with lemon and apple and end with vanilla and caramel. The creamy texture is characteristic of a top-quality chardonnay.

Raymond Napa Valley Reserve Chardonnay 2005, PLCB # 58633, $15.19. (The number in the system is for 2004. Ask for 2005 to get the wine I tasted.)

This wine is slowly fermented in stainless steel to let the qualities of the grape variety shine through. It has spent three months in new French oak, which imparts a creamy vanilla taste. The wine opens with citrus, green apple and honeysuckle and finishes with vanilla and almond. More in the style of French Meursault than of Napa chardonnay, it is a medium-bodied wine that will pair nicely with food.

Raymond Napa Reserve Merlot 2002, PLCB # 66239, $20.59.

This medium-full bodied wine is a blend of 96 percent merlot and 4 percent cabernet sauvignon. It opens with dried cherry, blackberry, spice and chocolate and ends with berries, vanilla and chocolate in a long finish. Firm tannins suggest decanting the wine would be advisable.

Frog's Leap 2005 Sauvignon Blanc, PLCB # 61530, $12.99.

Made from 100 percent sauvignon blanc grapes from the Rutherford area, this wine is low in alcohol and high in acidity, which keeps it crisp and refreshing. The grapes have been dry-farmed, which means the vines have not been irrigated, as most California vines are. Aromas of citrus, stone fruits and a light floral aroma combine with mineral flavors to make this a taut, well-balanced wine that out-classes many of its competitors.

Frog's Leap 2005 Leapfrogmilch, PLCB # 61166, $18.69.

This wine is no joke, but the label certainly does show a sense of humor and sparks a great deal of conversation. The letters of the label are printed in Germanic script that makes it look like an authentic German one. The wine is 73 percent riesling and 27 percent chardonnay. The riesling grapes are from 60-year-old vines and the chardonnay grapes are picked early and before fully ripening to retain their acidity. The wine is low in alcohol (12 percent) and filled with light floral aromas and aromas of and stone fruits. A touch of honey rounds out the steely acidity. This is a great wine to pair with Thai or Vietnamese cuisine.

Ladera 2003 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, PLCB # 64805, $77.49.

This wine is made from grapes grown on Howell Mountain, a very cool micro-climate that produces low yields. The fruit is intensely flavored. After a 12-day fermentation, the wine is aged for 22 months in French oak barrels, 73 percent new. The aromas of black and red fruits mix with notes of cedar and spice. Powerful tannins produce weight and roundness in the mouth and a long finish.

A special treat was an unusual wine not available in Pennsylvania but one I suggest you look for when you are traveling. It is Chandon Pinot Meunier 2005. Pinot Meunier is closely related to pinot noir and grown in the Champagne region of France, where it is used with pinot noir and chardonnay to make champagne. I have never seen it bottled as a single-variety wine. It seems that a few adventurous winemakers now are experimenting with using the grape for still wines. This wine is impressive. With much the same taste profile as pinot noir, the wine is garnet in color and packed with aromas of blackberry, cherry and raspberry jam. Earth and truffle smells develop in the second layers. On the palate, the wine is soft with smooth tannins, balanced acidity and suggestions of nutmeg and mushrooms. It spent 10 months in new French and American oak. The price should be in the $35 range.