Back in March, when everyone else was deep in the throes of
madness over the NCAA basketball tournament, I was experiencing some serious
spring fever…spring fever that I cured by thinking about the time I knew I
would be spending in Sonoma and Napa counties this summer.
I poured over books, websites, and articles about the areas
and the wineries located there. I
dreamed of all the wonderful wines I would be experiencing, many that are not
distributed outside of the tasting rooms in wine country. I begrudgingly chose eight
that I put at the top of my list to visit. Eight tasting rooms which I couldn’t wait to see,
all the time knowing that it just wasn’t fair to choose only a measly
eight. But I tried.
And I’ve tried my hardest to visit and enjoy (which wasn't difficult) each and every
one. Here is my progress so far.
Dutton-Goldfield
Winery
The grape growing and winemaking duo of Steve Dutton and Dan
Goldfield is known for making fabulous pinot noirs. This warm and inviting tasting room is easily
located near the town of Graton, though it is considered Sebastopol. I looked forward to the wonderful pinots
others had recommended to me, and the wines did not disappoint. However, I found some special and somewhat
unusual jewels there in addition to the fabulous pinot noirs. In fact, Dutton-Goldfield shows one of the
reasons I enjoy Sonoma County tasting rooms and winemakers so much: quality
wines made from other than the usual suspects grape varieties of just cabernet
and chardonnay.
Don’t miss: 2013
Chileno Valley Vineyard Riesling—wonderfully dry and refreshing, this has the
minerality, pear, and apple associated with traditional Rieslings, without the
sugar to mask the wine’s complexity.
Think German…with a slight California flare shown through both nose and
palate.
Don’t miss: 2014
Green Valley Vineyard Gewürztraminer—also wonderfully dry while being beautifully
aromatic, this wine is filled with citrus fruit and florals. This Gewurtz was too good to not purchase. It would be great sipping alone or with light
fare. Though all the wines were fantastic,
I chose these whites as don’t miss wines because of the almost-rarity of finding these
bottled varietals.
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| Dutton-Goldfield's tasting room with unique varietals waiting to sip. |
Ridge
Though I would have loved to visit Ridge’s original vineyard
near Santa Cruz—Monte Bello—I happened to be in the Alexander Valley neighborhood,
home to Ridge’s Lytton Springs’ location.
Overlooking 115 year old zinfandel vines, I enjoyed the special Monte
Bello tasting, a quick trip through three vintages of the flagship Ridge wine: 1988, 2000, and 2011.
Don’t miss: Monte
Bello tasting—if you are a wine geek of any degree, the fifty dollar fee is
worth every single penny. Every
one! Seeing how this amazing wine ages
is a treat, in and of itself. The ’88
was beautifully fig brown with muted fruit, dry earth, and white pepper. The 2000 was showing its youth after 15
years. It still has much life left. And the 2011, wow! Silky and smooth today, yet ready to age for
decades, this wine is an investment waiting to be made.
Don’t miss: sit on
the outdoor patio for a tasting, if possible, or a glass of wine. The old vines in front of the tasting room
are fantastically tangled and gnarled.
The vineyard is actually a traditional field blend from the time the
Italian immigrants settled Sonoma wine country.
Get as close as you can and take lots of pictures. I did.
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| Ridge's Monte Bello and gnarly vines--reasons to stop at either location. |
Patz & Hall
Known for creating single vineyard chardonnays and pinot
noirs, the Patz & Hall team recently (in 2014) opened their new Sonoma
House outside of the town of Sonoma. An
absolutely stunning facility, this comfortable and upscale tasting “room” sits overlooking
the newly-planted and first-ever Patz & Hall estate fruit. Though just baby buds now, in the years to
come, these vines will provide the perfect picturesque backdrop in which to
taste wine.
Don’t miss: the back
yard patio is like hanging out at your coolest friend’s house…if that coolest
friend had a beautiful home with all the best wine. Call to make a tasting appointment and to
plan time to relax on this amazing space. A very educational tasting that teaches not only about Patz & Hall wines, but about Sonoma vineyards as well.
Don’t miss: if you
are a pinot noir fan like me, come to taste here! All three of the noirs on the tasting menu
were special wines. Good luck choosing
just one bottle to purchase. So go
ahead, buy all three: 2013 Brown Ranch,
2012 Chenoweth Ranch, and 2013 Burnside Vineyard. In the glass, they each reflect the area where grown.
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| Patz & Hall--great pinots and chardonnays in the swankiest environment. |
Copain
Copain’s wine maker, Wells Guthrie, makes wines in the style
my palate prefers—delicate and complex with a hands-off style of winemaking
that starts in the vineyard. The
facility is located on East Side Road in my favorite Sonoma location, the
Russian River Valley. The view over the
valley and across to the other side (and also impressive Williams Selyem)
begins a wonderfully intimate tasting.
By appointment only and paired with small bites made in the Copain
kitchen, the wines are showcased marvelously as wine educators tell all the
intricate details of each wine from vineyard to bottle to glass.
Don’t miss: 2011
Laureles Grade Chardonnay—a rich, smooth, and soft chardonnay, this wine shows
Guthrie’s propensity to make wines in an old-world style. If you want a big California butter-bomb chardonnay,
this is not for you. Its time in neutral
oak leads to the citrus fruit and minerality one would expect in a Burgundian
white; however, from grapes grown in Monterey, there is something very bold
about it.
Don’t miss: 2012
Kiser “En Haut” Pinot Noir—meaning “the high” En Haut is sourced from vineyards
several hundred feet higher in elevation than its sister wine “En Bas.” Both are spectacular examples of pinot noir,
and if I tasted tomorrow, I might flip my favorite. But on this particular
day, “En Haut” won because of its mint and eucalyptus characteristics, two of
my preferred traits in a pinot.
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| Copain's intimate tasting experience in one of my favorite places--the RRV! |
Choosing only eight (I actually chose nine…just because)
elite wineries on my to-visit list for a long wine vacation was nearly
impossible. Really. Think Sophie’s
Choice and then you know my difficulties.
(Okay, maybe not quite that dramatic, but you get my point.) However, none of the four I have visited thus
far have disappointed. All have lived up
to the recommendations and research. I
purchased wine at all; multiple bottles in fact.
I haven’t been able to visit them all yet; and
unfortunately, I think at least one will not happen. Hirsch Vineyards has very limited access by
the public, with only certain days and times available for visitors. These limited dates book quickly, and I waited too long. I think
this one of my elite will stay on my to-visit list. (Silent tear is seriously rolling down my
wine-loving cheek right now.)
None the less, I will continue on my journey to visit the
other four wineries on my wish list. One
very remote spot is on my schedule for next week.
Red Cap Vineyards, you’re up!
