In the land of wine plenty—Napa and Sonoma Counties—it is
incredibly difficult to choose what wineries at which to stop. No. Really. It is.
There are over 800 producers legally making wine in these
areas. There are hundreds of amazing
producers. Hundreds with beautiful
tasting rooms. Hundreds with majestic
scenery. Not quite hundreds—but many—that
are historically important. These
beautifully-majestic and quality producers also tend to have something else in
common. There is something so similar
about them. Something so homogeneous. Something so uniform. (Now, this isn’t a criticism; this is just an
observation.)
If you love to drink chardonnay or cabernet or pinot noir or
sauvignon blanc, you are in luck. Napa
and Sonoma tasting rooms abound in these choices. Literally in every direction, there are so
many options of where to taste these varietals of wine, it makes your head spin…and
that is before any wine has been sipped.
So how does a wine lover make this choice of where to sip
today? One option is to go some place
different. Some place completely different. Some place that produces wine from unique
varieties of grapes not always found in the U.S. Like the sangiovese grape. The brunello grape. The aleatico grape. (That last one some of you may not have even
heard of!)
This place is VJB Vineyards and Cellars.
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| The patio at VJB Vineyards and Cellars |
Located on Highway 12—Sonoma Highway—west of the town of
Sonoma itself, this tasting room is Italian, inside and out! Its Italian roots are evident when a customer
walks in and first sees owner and father Vittorio walking through the tasting
room making sure all is ready for the day. The Italian-inspired deli is filled with fresh
tomatoes, mozzarella, and pesto. It is
also filled with the presence of owner and mother Maria—Vittorio’s wife—working
in the kitchen and behind the counter. (After
running and cooking in Italian restaurants for decades, she wouldn’t know what
else to do with herself otherwise!) The
gelato counter, the outdoor seating area, and the villa itself, they all exude
the Belmonte family’s Italian roots that now run through son Henry’s guidance
of the winery as well.
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| Delicious Italian-inspired foods in the deli cases. |
Though three-quarters of the grapes are grown just up the
road on the Belmonte estate vineyards (where the family lives), the wines are very
Italian! Yes, there is a chardonnay, but there is also a wonderfully dry and
beautifully-colored rose from the obscure (in the United States) aleatico
grape. Other wines from Italian
varieties include a tocai friulano, a sangiovese, a brunello (cuttings from
Montelcino, IT), a barbera, a sagrantino, and a dolcetto. Future releases will include a primitivo, a
nero d’avola, and a nebbiolo (one of my favorite grapes, though I am a fan of Italian wines and grapes in general!). There is even a true Prosecco produced in
Italy by a connection of Vittorio and Maria’s that has the VJB label.
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| Some very unique wine options. |
Yes, the wines and facility are unique. Yes, the wines are quality (the last
sangiovese sold out in 19 days!) and award winning (that same sangiovese won
Best of Class, Gold, and 93 points at respective competitions). However, there is also the story of VJB that
makes it an intriguing stop among so many other great producers.
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| Beautiful VJB grounds and patio. |
VJB stands for Victor Joseph Belmonte—Henry’s brother,
Vittorio and Maria’s son. This winery, which was inspired by the family’s
heritage, was actually a dream shared by all, including Victor, in the late
1990s. While working toward this family
goal, Victor unexpectedly passed away in 2000. It might have been easy for the Belmontes to
give up, to not pursue Victor’s dream. However, Henry and his parents used the
loss of Victor to fuel the passion for the Italian-inspired winery and deli in
northern California as a tribute to Victor’s lust for living life. His portrait hangs in the tasting room as a
reminder to all that wine and food are one aspect of a beautiful, well-lived life.
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| Victor Joseph Belmonte |
When you are in wine-lovers’ Mecca—otherwise known as Napa
and Sonoma—it is incredibly difficult to choose which of the hundreds and
hundreds of incredible tasting rooms at which to stop. True, this is a pretty amazing problem to
have, but there is also a solution to this issue. Pick a winery that is unique. Pick a winery that has something no one else
has. Pick a winery with a story. Pick a winery that stands for remembering the
beauty and joy of life…VJB.
VJB Wines Not to Miss
Prosecco: I love a
nice, light, cold prosecco in the summer.
It’s what non-beer drinkers should drink on a hot day! Actually produced and bottled in Italy with
the VJB label, make sure to try this.
Aleatico Rose: If it’s
hot and there is no prosecco or sparkling wine around, roses are my next go-to,
warm-weather drink. This one is a deep pink
with dry strawberry and flowers on the palate.
Estate Sangiovese:
Big fruit and great tannin make this a favorite of many. Make sure to see my notes above of how the
last vintage sold out in 19 days after winning multiple awards.
Mendocino Barbera:
One of the wines with grapes sourced off the estate property, this is
the wine maker’s favorite this vintage.
Frankly, it was mine too. It was
deep with fruit and earth, yet incredibly smooth. This is the bottle I purchased to take home.
Russian River Zinfandel:
Another wine from fruit sourced off the estate property, this is a zin
for zin lovers. This is also a staff
favorite; staff member Jared, who tasted with me that day, loves this
wine.
