Kathryn Hall Release Party at HALL Wines - Napa Valley Region

Last week I had the pleasure of attending one of St. Helena's premiere parties of the year, the Kathryn Hall Release Party at HALL Wines in the beautiful quaint town of St. Helena.  Vintners, Kathryn Walt Hall and Craig Hall go big every year and this year was no exception.

Kathryn Hall herself, introduced the full bodied, jammy 2012 Kathryn Hall Cabernet.  This cabernet is sourced from the winery's own Sacrashe property in the hillsides of Rutherford as well as Bergfeld Vineyard.  As a connoisseur of Cabernet, I was definitely not disappointed.  

This year's theme was a straight up Texas Hoe-Down.  Music by the country band, Twang Ditty and plenty of Texas style food to enjoy.

The food was catered by Feast Catering.  Some of the delicious nibbles included; grilled hanger steak tacos, Texas gulf shrimp and celery slaw, oak grilled corn and whole pigs cooked on the spit with Texas mop sauce.

The party was set on the Great Lawn just behind their 1885 renovated barn.  A beautiful afternoon was spent by all sipping HALL wines, nibbling small bites and enjoying the vast vineyard views.

To enjoy a different vantage point of the vineyards and grounds, we stepped up to the contemporary tasting room and enjoyed a few more sips from the veranda.

I enjoyed an extra treat by meeting up with my girlfriend, Pricilla Willis, who was up visiting the area from Orange County.  Pricilla authors the fantastic food and wine blog, She's Cookin' and we met a few years ago in Idaho on a potato harvesting tour.  So great to catch up with her!

If you are thinking about visiting HALL Winery yourself, they are hosting a fantastic fundraising event on October 17th., Harvest Hounds!   Support Napa Humane by bringing your pups with you to HALL St. Helena, and enjoy 2-for-1 tastings in our Dining Garden, with the tasting fee donated to Napa Humane. There will be lots of great activities including an agility course on the Great Lawn, and doggy favorites like frisbees, tennis balls, and gourmet treats from Ma Snax Superior Dog Treats. Plus, Napa Humane will be here providing a complimentary chip check to make sure your dog's microchip is active and the information is current.

Once again, I thank HALL Wines for the invite to their very special Kathryn Hall Release Party!

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The Very Swanky Kathryn Hall Release Party

Eleven years ago, last Saturday, September 13th, it was a scorching 104 degrees at Dominic's and my outdoor wedding.  Fast forward to 2014, it wasn't quite that hot, but close...in the 90's and we enjoyed every minute of both days.  This past Saturday we happily spent the afternoon of our wedding anniversary at the Kathryn Hall Release Party at Hall Wines in St. Helena.

They certainly know how to throw a party.

From grape stomping...

....to hanging out and sipping wine on these totally swanky inflatable love seats they had placed along the vast lawn area.

With the temperature being so warm, shade was a high priority.

Along with the wine and water, Colorescience powdered sunscreen was passed out to guests to help protect us from the UVA/UVB rays shining down on us.

Small bites were plentiful and these duck bites were a favorite of mine.... absolutely delicious...

We tasted more than a few bites in between sips...these tuna and cucumber rolls paired well with the Kathryn Hall Cab.

Mini pizzas are always a hit with me...

And then some refreshing chilled carrot soup hit the spot......

 ....before retreating to more shade.....

Before we headed out to our next destination we spent a little time in the barrel room within the circa 1895 barn.  Wonderfully refreshing and I SO want to host a party in this gorgeous barn! ....One day.

Thank you for the invitation, Hall Wines, to spend the afternoon sipping, tasting, eating and dancing with you!

Tickets can be purchased at EVENTBRITE for the 2015 party!!

To view some really fun party pics, check out the Hall Wines Flicker album!

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Hall Cabernet Cookoff Event

This past weekend, I was invited to attend the Hall Cabernet Cookoff fundraising event held at Hall Wines in the gorgeous town of St. Helena in the Napa Valley.  The weather cooperated, it was sunny and in the 70's....a perfect afternoon for scrumptious food paired with delicious 2011 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon.

Fourteen sample small bites were prepared by both San Francisco and Napa Valley based professional chef teams.  All ticket sales benefited Napa Valley non-profit organizations.

My first bite of the day was this very flavorful ox tail mini taco prepared by Paula LeDuc Catering.  Oh so good.

The Hall Cabernet Cookoff is a complete interactive event, which made it even MORE fun.  After tasting, we were able to cast our vote as to which bite we felt paired best with the Hall Cabernet....and we had 2 1/2 hours to accomplish this mission.  So much fun.

 We tasted power flavored pizza drizzled in balsamic.......

 Pork belly deliciousness......

Some of the other favorite bites included:  wild boar ribs, lamb and fava beans, salted cod, and brisket in a cherry BBQ sauce....so many to choose from and enjoy.

After we cast our vote, my friend, Devi, and I explored the upstairs view from this 1885 renovated barn.

 I want to have a party here....

The tasting room was in a separate building, also overlooking the lawn area.  Very modern, large in size and so comfortable, we didn't want to leave!

We chose to sip some wine on the deck, just outside of the tasting room, overlooking the vineyard and grounds.

Bookmark the Hall Cabernet Cookoff for next May.  It is a MUST do.  You can't go wrong....I, myself, cannot WAIT!

The participating chefs this year, included:

Oenotri
The Grill at Meadowood
Kara's Cupcakes
CA' MOMI
Bounty Hunter
Mark Hopkins
One Market Restaurant
Yankee Pier Larkspur
Paula LeDuc Catering
Culinary Mercenary
Earth's Bounty Kitchen
Press Restaurant
The Farmers Market Pantry
The Pear Southern Bistro

For more information on the event, please visit:  Hall Cabernet Cookoff

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