Linda Murphy writes: It was with both celebration and some sadness this week that Dick Ward and David Graves poured a selection of Pinot Noirs they’ve made during 25 years together at Saintsbury, arguably the Carneros region’s finest producer.
A massive October 2005 arson fire at a warehouse south of Napa destroyed some $100 million in wine across several producers, including Saintsbury’s 3,000-case library stored there for “safekeeping.”
“We were lucky because we also had some bottles at the winery. Some of those last bottles will be drunk today,” said Ward at the September 26 tasting. The ensuing...