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Hazy August Afternoon Down in Napa Valley

·Napa County, California·#california#summer#napa-valley#vineyards#wine tasting
A "Tasting Room" sign points left, with many wine barrels stacked on red racks and a large white silo behind them.

Up to Napa Valley for the day. The whole valley sat under a layer of haze — the sky went white at the edges and the hills across the vineyards looked flatter than they should. Still hot, though.

First stop was Rutherford Ranch, where a stack of barrels sat on red racks in the lot outside the tasting room, some of them stained purple around the middle from whatever they'd held last. The vines everywhere were full and green even with the dry gold hills behind them.

Ended up at Cliff Lede in the Stags Leap District for a tasting on the patio, under a pergola with stone pillars. The reds were the draw. Sat there a while working through the pours while the haze hung over the ridgeline, not really burning off.

A "Tasting Room" sign points left, surrounded by many wine barrels, a large white tank, and green trees.A vast vineyard with rows of grapevines extending towards a distant mountain range under a light blue sky.A wide view of a vineyard with green vines, backed by trees and dry hills under a light blue sky.A wide shot of a green vineyard under a blue sky, framed by trees, with dry, rolling hills in the background.A vineyard with green rows, dry golden hills, and distant buildings, framed by trees.A vineyard in the foreground with rows of green grapevines, backed by golden hills with scattered trees under a blue sky.A wine glass etched "Cliff Lede Vineyards Napa Valley" with red wine on a sunny patio with a pergola and mountains.A wine glass with red wine, branded "Cliff Lede Vineyards Napa Valley," sits on an outdoor patio.

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