I have been buying the wine produced by Mike Smith, winemaker and co-proprietor of Myriad Cellars, since 2008.  In most cases, that should be, by itself, a ringing endorsement of his wine.

He honed his craft with one of the finest winemakers in the Napa Valley, Thomas Rivers Brown.  Initially, Mike worked with Thomas for free for several crushes (seven to be exact), and ultimately Thomas offered Mike a job.  It was in 2006 that Mike was able to purchase grapes and establish his own label with his wife Leah as “copilot.”  My first tasting with him was at Carter Cellars where he was established as the winemaker.  I was sold on his expertise by then. 

This year, many fine wineries are taking their craft on the road.  Recently, we had the distinct pleasure of sipping our way through wines made by some wonderful wineries from Napa who were sharing their wines in Kansas City.  It was awesome to step into the traveling tasting rooms of many well-crafted wines.

This past week, I had the pleasure to visit Relic Wine Cellars.  The winery is located in Napa, CA, up Soda Canyon Road.  It is well worth the drive.  While it is only 20 minutes off the Silverado Trail, it narrows and winds up the mountain side.  Once you arrive, the scenery is truly beautiful.  Quite frankly, one could just sit and look out at the valley and feel the relaxing mood settle in.  I loved the views.

What we came for, though, was the wine. That was truly the value of the trip.