Trahan Winery

This article was originally published in the Benicia Herald on March 8, 2009.

Chuck Custodio and Ted Osborne may operate a somewhat hard-to-find tasting room in downtown Napa, but they don't appear bitter. In fact, they have found a means of turning the misfortune of having a business located on a street with seemingly perpetual construction and noise into a marketing plan, announcing late last month that they would give a 90 percent discount on tasting to anyone who could actually locate their tasting room.

Custodio, owner of Trahan Winery, and Osborne, owner of Olabisi Winery, share an inviting and friendly space on Franklin Street, between First and Second Streets. The men generally pour their own wines for visitors, chat about how the grapes were grown and offer advice on other tasting rooms to visit in Napa.

This week, I decided to start offering my thoughts on the two wineries, starting this week with Trahan and concluding next week with more on Olabisi.

The 2005 Chardonnay from Trahan is one Custudio almost insists his customers purchase to pair with Caesar salad.

"They were made for each other!," he told my companions and I.

We agreed that the warm and spicy flavors would suit a salad well. I made note of the mineral flavors in the wine that would cut the greens of the cheesy salad well on the palate.

Next, we moved to sampling the 2005 Merlot, a wine bright red and cherry colored in the glass with rich, dark berry aromas. My friend Emily nailed it when she described it as having a a fruity aroma and flavor that gives way to a spicy, earthy scent. She also said the wine was chewy, minerally and of a fairly dry finish. I found it equally complex and satisfying.

Finally, we sipped the 2005 Petite Verdot, made from grapes grown in the Suisun Valley. This wine transported me out to a blooming garden, filled with the scent of roses and blueberries. The taste was very earthy and reminded me of the unsavory sounding yet quite acceptable (for wine, not so much for Benicia tap water) dirt and mulch flavors.

Next week, I'll fill you in on the Olabisi wines, but if you can't wait to get out there and taste for yourself, the Trahan-Olabisi Tasting room is located at 974 Franklin St. and is open from noon - 5:30 p.m. most days.