J Vineyards

Sonoma, CA

In the past year we visited Rodney Strong Vineyards just off Highway 101 just south of Healdsburg.  It turns out right next to Rodney Strong is J Vineyards.  They even share part of the same driveway.  Unfortunately our plans earlier did not include going to J so when we were back in the area for a pickup at another winery we made it a point to visit J as well as Seghesio Family Vineyards, another long time established winery that we have never visited before.  Most of us are familiar with the J labeled sparkling wine but it may not be the standard sparkler we purchase for special events because we think it is too high end.  We tend to buy the Domaine Chandon or Mumm or Korbel that you can find on sale for $10.00-$15.00.  I think the sale priced J is rarely found  for less than $20.00.  Generally if we are going to spend $20.00 we’ll opt for the Roderer, mostly because we have visited Roderer in the Alexander Valley pretty much every year for the past 20 years or so.  Now that we have visited J, I think J will be a regular consideration for those not so regular special situations.

 

Entrance to J

 

 

J is actually run by the daughter of the better known Jordan Winery, known for world class Cab and Chardonnay.  Jordan is another spot that has been on our ‘must visit’ list.  J was founded by Judy Jordan who after graduating from Stanford and working at the family winery for a few years, started a winery focused on sparkling wine in 1986.  The winery moved into its present facility in 1999.  This facility previously was used to make Piper Sonoma, another sparkling wine (and bargain priced) that every year competes strongly in our annual sparkling wine tasting in January. 

 

The best time to visit a sparkling wine facility is early in the day.  We were on our way to taste Zinfandels and other reds so this was especially important this day.  The advantage of visiting a winery that specializes in sparkling wine is that since sparkling wine is usually made from Pinot Noir grapes or Chardonnay grapes they usually pour a still (regular) wine made from these grapes.  In our case we get excited about the Pinot.  At J they offer several different tasting formats.  The most basic, and the one we chose, is called the Signature Tasting.  This includes five tastes ending with the J Cuvee Brut.  This runs $20 per person.  The other tastings done in the (stand up) tasting room are called the Legacy Tasting and this comes in two formats, the all sparkler tasting or the tasting that includes the higher end wines also.  This runs $30.00.  They also have some seated tastings that come with snacks at $45 and the Bubble Room experience that costs $75.00 

 

Tasting Room

 

 

Our Signature Flight was certainly fine for us.  The tasting included a Vin Gris, a nice salmon color Pinot Gris; a perfect first taste.  Then we had the Russian River Chardonnay which was towards our liking.  We then got to taste two Pinot Noirs.  The list showed seven different Pinot’s ranging from $37.00 to $70.00.  We tasted the Russian River Pinot priced at $37.00 and a vineyard designated Misterra Pinot at $50.00.  I personally liked the standard blended Russian River Pinot which is priced pretty close to what you find out their these days.  We finished with the J Cuvee.  Of course the sparkler tasted great.  My palate, along with most folks I think registers that we are drinking a premium sparkling wine but I think sometimes does not register all the subtle differences from one premium sparkler to another.  This one though was definitely up with the better California sparklers we have tasted.

 

The facility got busier as we were there a while so arriving when it opens at 11 is a good choice.  And certainly if you went with one of the premium seated tastings you would avoid any crowd.  My choice would be to go with any one of the Signature or Legacy Tastings and you’ll be fine.  The staff, all dressed in black handled the bar nicely and were as attentive as needed.  I think when it comes to sparkling wine tasting, J is as good or better than you will find at Domaine Chadon, Domaine Carneros or Mumm. 

 

What we liked- Quality Sparkling wine as your first stop on a Sunday of wine tasting.

 

What I bought- We bought a Pinot Gris at $20 and the J Cuvee at $28.  I think you can get the Cuvee at Safeway right now for 30% off for about $20 and even as low as $17.50 when you buy six wines at a time.  It is nice to go home from the winery with that classy looking bottle with the big J on it though.

 

Vitals-

 

J Vineyards

1147 Old Redwood Highway

Healdsburg, CA  95448

(888) 594-6326

www.Jwine.com

 

 

 



 

Sonoma Plaza Tasting Rooms- Part 1

Sonoma, CA

Roche with Walt and Hawkes just at the corner of 1st and Spain

I had a mid-day activity to take care of on a Wednesday in Sonoma so I made the 45 minute drive to downtown Sonoma.  My activity really only took a few minutes which meant I had time to make a stop at a tasting room or two in the Sonoma Plaza area.  The Sonoma Plaza area has always had great bones.  There really is nothing in Napa County that compares and in Sonoma County only Healdsburg has a similar town charm.  The Sonoma Plaza is the largest plaza in all of California and over the years we have been to many events that have taken place there.  It used to be that the main attractions around the plaza were the Sonoma Cheese facility and the Sonoma Bakery and a few restaurants and a good cooking accessory store.  Today the plaza area is booming.  There are many destination type restaurants and there are nearly 20 winery tasting rooms located around the plaza. 

I really did not know where to start.  I did not take the time to do a bunch of research as tasting wine was not really my reason for going to Sonoma.  I looked on-line and found a site called somethingaboutsonomaplaza.com and I recognized the name Roche.  Roche used to have a tasting room, I believe at the winery itself in the heart of the Carneros area, so I made this my first stop.  Roche

Roche's front patio

is located right next door to the Girl and the Fig, one of those destination type restaurants.  They have what may be the best tasting facility in the area.  The main tasting room is in an old craftmans style house and they also have tasting bars on each side in the yard area as well as a small ‘members only’ building towards the back.  You can purchase a tasting flight (five tastes) or wines by the glass and on weekends some small food plates are available for purchase.  There is even a fire pit in the front which might make your early morning or late afternoon outdoor tastings a little toastier.  They make 8 white wines and 8 red wines and a couple of specialty wines.  I opted for the $5 red flight as only chardonnay was available in the whites that day.  It was Wednesday morning at 11AM and there were six other people in the tasting room already.  I chatted with a couple from New York that loved the experience so much (after spending a day in Napa) that this was the only wine club they were joining.  I had fun with them because they were buying prosciutto at 11AM for an early lunch (from a well stocked case of snacks and cheeses) proclaiming they were true New Yorkers.  Most of the grapes for Roche wines come from their property on Highway 121 just south of town although they did have an Amador County zinfandel which I tasted.  I think I liked the barrel sample of syrah the best which was available as a future at a 50% discount from the projected release price of somewhere around $45.00.  The hospitality was great, although the host pushed the wine club to me about 4 times and the place had a nice relaxed feel and I bet on a weekend this place could be party central. 

The Walt tasting room

I told myself I could go to one more tasting room so I headed out and within 30 steps saw the Walt Wines tasting room. We are familiar with Walt Wines because they are the sister winery of Hall Wines in Napa.  The Hall’s bought what was originally Roesller Winery and renamed it to Walt in the last year or two.  While Hall focuses on sauv blanc, cab, and merlot, Walt is pretty much all pinot noir with a little chardonnay thrown in.   Walt winery is in another old house which has a great event worthy back yard.  Ezekiel (Zeke) was the host and gladly accepted my Hall membership to comp my tasting which normally run $10 and $20.  Here I met a couple of gals from North and South Carolina riding rented scooters who had bussed over from downtown Napa for a day in Sonoma.  My first taste of the ‘La Brisa’ pinot noir was terrific.  It was pure Sonoma County (mostly Russian River) pinot.  The single taste alone was worth the price of admission.  Walt makes pinots from vineyards throughout northern California including the Anderson Valley, Sonoma Coast, Santa Rita Hills and Santa Lucia Highlands.  In the past they also had an Oregon pinot.  Zeke had six different pinots open for tasting but since it was mid day on a Wednesday I limited myself to just four.  Everyone was excellent.  

 

Looking out from the window of Walt I spotted the Hawkes Winery tasting room.  I was familiar with the name as they have a tasting room in the Alexander Valley.  On one of our last trips up that way the host at Medlock-Ames Winery had recommended it and said they made some great cabernet.  Zeke from Walt agreed so I strolled across the street.  The tasting room borders the back side of the Girl and the Fig so in total I have gone no more than 150 feet from where I started at Roche.  The tasting room hostess had gone to lunch and would be back in 10 according to the note on the door so I waited out front in chairs and tables set up for outdoor tasting.  The tasting room is in another old house.  The hostess, Yanni, arrived and she told me about the history of Hawkes.  They have been mostly grape growers and have been making wine for the past 10+ years and opened their Alexander Valley tasting room in 2007.  They focus on mostly cabernet but also make chardonnay and merlot.  The tasting fee is $10 and included four tastes.  I tasted the chard which was my style.  It is completely dry, does not go through any malolactic fermentation and sees no new oak.  At $20 it gets a big ‘thumbs up’.  Next up were the 2009 Alexander Valley merlot and then the cab.  Both were really good.  The cabernet is priced at $50 which is pretty close to Napa pricing but probably pretty fairly priced.  The final pour was a single vineyard 2010 cabernet, the Red Winery Cabernet.  This was premium priced but I honestly preferred the blended vineyard cabernet.  The tasting room at Hawkes, as with Walt was void of knick knacks for sale. 



 

I would certainly go back to all three of these wineries.  I think the spot that Roche has is really great and I think out of towners might like this spot a lot.  I think if I was staying in Sonoma I would stop towards the end of the day and have a glass of wine and sit outside.  For really good wine I would probably go to either Walt or Hawkes depending on if you were a pinot drinker or a cab/merlot drinker.  Both are no frills kinds of places but their presentation was very professional and you got the feelling they really know what they are doing making wine.  There will definitely be a Part 2 and Part 3 of the Sonoma Plaza Tasting Room reviews.

 

What I liked- Midweek wine tasting is great.  Sonoma is really a great destination these days. 

What I bought- Nothing but anything from either Walt or Hawkes is good.

 

Vitals-

Roche Winery

122 West Spain Street

Sonoma, CA 95476

(707) 935-7115

www.rochewinery.com

 

Walt

380 First Street West

Sonoma, CA  95476

(707) 933-4440

www.waltwines.com

 

Hawkes Winery

381 First Street West

Sonoma, CA  95476

(707) 938-7620

www.hawkeswinery.com







Robert Mondavi Winery

Oakville (Napa), CA

I wondered if any locals like us actually visited Robert Mondavi Winery?  I think the general impression is that Mondavi  is a respected and established winery but that it probably is not the winery today that it was 20 and 30 years ago when it was really instrumental in establishing the Napa Valley as one of the premiere wine growing regions of the world.  Back in our formative years of wine tasting in the late 70’s and early 80’s Robert Mondavi Winery was one of the must stops for us.  I remember the stories of why Robert Mondavi went out and established his own winery after disagreements with his father and brother at Charles Krug Winery.  I remember the talk about how Robert wanted to use new technologies including stainless steel in the wine making process where Charles Krug was somewhat stuck in their current techniques.   But I kind of thought that maybe that Mondavi was getting a little tired and the story a little old especially in light of the fact that Mondavi is now part of a large corporation.

We visited the Robert Mondavi winery over the weekend.  We had friends in town from Hawaii and they had requested this stop.  Of course I thought if it was my choice we would have gone somewhere else but I think that would have been a mistake as we had a perfectly delightful tasting experience here.  I have to admit we visited Mondavi a couple of years ago as part of the now defunct Napa Mustard Festival.  This was an event though with lots and lots of wineries pouring and different musical entertainment so it really was not a ‘Mondavi’ experience.  I do remember that we were really impressed with the grounds and all the buildings on the property and the classic feel of the operation.  I’m not even sure we tasted any Robert Mondavi wine at his event.  Our visit last weekend though was a total ‘Mondavi’ experience.  We still heard many of the same stories that we had heard 30+ years ago but we also heard about how far Mondavi wine had come since those days. 

 

I researched the website prior to making our tasting appointment.  They have a variety of tasting experiences available at $15, $20, $30, $50 and $55.  At first I thought I would make an appointment for the fairly quick in and out $15 Discovery Tour but then I thought that with some out of town guests that may not have had the full educational tour and tasting we opted for the 75 minute Signature Tour and Tasting at $30.  We arrived prior to our 10AM tour and the facility was almost empty.  You check in at the Hospitality Center and received little badges which identified our tour.  We had made reservations at least 10 days prior which I am sure is a necessity during busy summer weekends.  They do charge your credit card when you make the reservation.  Our group consisted of 10 people, the eight in our group plus a couple from Brazil.  Our hostess was named Laura.



The view out the back of the property

We started our tour with a walk to a small conference room where we got a bit of an education on the winery, Robert Mondavi, the vineyards and the Mondavi brands.  We learned that the Woodbridge label sells about 10 million cases and that the Mondavi labeled wines from Monterey County sell around 4 million cases.  Wow!!  The wines made on the property (and there are a lot of them) are produced from Napa grapes only.  We then went out on a stroll to the vineyard.  The winery has a couple of hundred acres surrounding the property as well as vineyards in the Carneros and Stag’s Leap district and they also purchase grapes.  Of course it was a beautiful day in Napa.  The whole backside of the facility faces the Mayacamas Mountains to the west.  We then entered the winemaking facility on the property which was completed in the year 2000.  It is a big facility which makes you wonder what the Woodbridge facility must look like.  The facility is several levels with winemaking on the upper levels and barrel storage below.  Everything looks new and clean.  Laura took us through the basic winemaking process and when done we went to another room where a table had been set for us and we started our tasting. 

The Red Barrel Room

Laura took us through the three steps of wine tasting.  The first is to smell the wine, the second to sip and swish to shock/prepare your mouth (hold it in as long as possible), and then the third sip is when you really enjoy all the flavors.  I think there is some substance to this methodology but something you can forget to do pretty quickly. 

 

We tasted four wines (three on the list plus a bonus wine).  The first was the 2011 Carneros Chardonnay Reserve ($50), next the 2011 Carneros Pinot Noir Reserve ($60) and then the 2010 Stag’s Leap Cabernet ($90).  I thought the Chardonnay was well balanced and not over oaked or overly creamy.  The Pinot smelled and tasted terrific and we all agreed the Cabernet a little too tannic and probably could have used 5 hours of decanting.  I bet the Cab will taste fantastic in 5 years.  We also got to taste a Moscato which was definitely our dessert.  We were also treated with just out of the oven Parmesan and Rosemary Crackers.  The recipe was provided and everyone agreed to make these at home. 

 

At 75 minutes into our experience Laura told us our time was up.  Obviously we were having a good time because it is not often that we have to be ushered out of a tasting room.  I think they run these tasting on a pretty tight schedule.

 

We were then led into the sales room.  Laura hung with us a bit to help with any purchases.  One of the members of our group asked me if we needed to tip our host.  This thought had also occurred to me as she really did a fantastic job.  I said the answer was no but I have to admit it was the first time that this had ever occurred to me at the end of a wine tour.

 

What we liked- There was little to not like about the experience.  I think everyone thought the $30 fee was reasonable.  Certainly you do not do the full tour experience too often and you do not want to be throwing out $30 here and there on a regular basis but I would not hesitate to bring anyone, especially people that are newer to wine and wine tasting, to Mondavi.  A bonus if you are a Robert Mondavi wine club member is the free tasting at five other wineries including Franciscan and Simi Wineries. 

What we bought- We did not buy it but we came home with it- A 2008 Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet purchased by one of our guests.  We are not worthy but we will certainly enjoy it.

 

Vitals

Robert Mondavi Winery

7801 St. Helena Highway

Napa, CA  94574

(888)766-6328

www.robertmondaviwinery.com

Frog’s Leap Winery

Rutherford (Napa), CA

Although we have made a few trip to Napa over the past few months, for the most part we have visited wineries that we have talked about in the past.  When you have friends in town that you want to make sure have a great time in Napa we tend to go to wineries that you know will provide the experience you are looking for.  Last weekend we had a couple from Oregon with us and we only had half a day so we knew three wineries would be the limit.  We took them to Robert Biale because we know their wines are excellent and because it is just out of Napa and one of the closest quality wineries from our home.  As before Biale did not disappoint.  Their Zins and Petite Sirahs are excellent.  We next went to Frog’s Leap and then followed that by stopping at Hall for some excellent Cabernet and then for a cool down with a beer and great snacks at Farmstead which is becoming our favorite end of day stop. 

We had visited Frog’s Leap before but since we did not have time for the full tasting opted for a single taste and we were impressed.  We thought it would be a good place to return to for a full tasting this time.  We were really impressed on our first visit with the building and grounds on the property.  This is a ‘reservation only’ winery and at least in the summer time it is important to make reservations early.  I think I was making reservations on the Wednesday before (we went on a Sunday) and many of the time slots were already taken.  When we arrived on Sunday for our 1:45 reservation there was a sign out front that stated reservations were full up for the day.  There are three different types of Tasting Experience offered.  The first is a seated tasting on their deck which faces the Mayacamas Mountains.  The second experience includes a full walking tour of the grounds followed by a tasting and the third experience is kind of a go at your own pace Garden tasting.  By Napa standards they are pretty reasonably priced.  The seated tasting includes a small food plate and runs $20 as does the full walking tour.  The Garden tasting runs $15.00.  We chose the Garden tasting because I did not want to spend the  90 minutes on the walking tour and assumed the Garden option would be really nice.

 

View from the porch

The grounds are pretty impressive.  Frog’s Leap sits on a five acre property which includes the main Vineyard House (hospitality headquarters), several outbuildings, which I assume are wine making buildings, and then a couple acres of gardens and even room from chickens and farm animals.  Our Oregon guests were impressed with the variety of fruits and vegetables growing on the property.  Scattered amongst the gardens are various seating arrangements and fountains. 

When we arrived on the property we were checked in and directed to the Garden area. There is a tasting station where you walk up and pay your fees and receive your tastes.   They quickly noted that we were new to the tasting and provided us glasses and the first taste of Chardonnay.  There were maybe 25 people scattered around the tasting area and two host pouring which was a good ratio.  My knock on the Garden tasting compared to what I assume you would get in the Seated tasting is that we did not receive a lot of information on each wine.  Earlier at Biale for instance we were provided very specific details about each wine we tasted (and as bonus, Robert Biale’s mother stopped by our tasting table).  I think this somewhat has to do with the fact that they are pouring four different wines at once in the Garden depending where you are in the process while in a seated tasting everyone is generally tasting the same wine.  We did like the Chardonnay though.

 

The other wines we tasted were a Zinfandel, Cabernet and a Petite Sirah.  The wines were good but not overwhelming.  They were reasonably priced though with the Chard at $26.00 up to the Cabernet at $42.00.  They do also produce a Rutherford Cabernet at $75.00 as well as a Merlot and a few other wines.    We casually tasted our wines and left the property without making any purchases.  In fact there was not even a mention of where we could purchase wine and no mention of a wine club.  Those are usually good things when you are trying to avoid purchasing more wine.  I think here it must have just been a really busy day.

 

Garden area

I would not hesitate to return to Frog’s Leap with out of town guests because it really is a beautiful facility and the grounds really are top notch. 

What we liked- The casual atmosphere and the beautiful grounds.  Next time we will do the seated tasting though because I would like to learn more about the winery, winemakers, owners and wine.  Also they have one of the best websites anywhere.

What we bought- We did not buy anything but I will look for Frog’s Leap wines in the store and if I find good pricing I would buy any of the wines we tasted.

 

Vitals-

Frog’s Leap Winery

8815 Conn Creek Road

Rutherford, CA  94558

(707) 963-4704

www.frogsleap.com

 

Pinot Days 2013

Pinot Days- 2013

San Francisco, CA

We volunteered again at Pinot Days again held at Fort Mason in San Francisco.  We always like volunteering at this event as it is a little more loosely run for volunteers than some of the other events.  Our assignment was to show up at 8:30 and work until 12:30 (although I was told in advance we would be done by 11:30) and float around for assignments.  Most of the actual hard work had been done on the day prior (Saturday) to the event.  I kept busy moving in wine that had been previously shipped by wineries to their tables, helping unpack wine glasses, moving in some wine that arrived Saturday morning with the winery representatives, and organizing wrist bands.  And we were done by 11:30 or so and ready for the Trade Tasting which began at Noon.  We’ll do this again next year.

 Although some of these events have seen declining winery participation in the past few years I think this year’s Pinot Days was pretty close to last year.  I did notice after reading last year’s review that there were definitely some that dropped out but there were also some new ones.  The event was held on June 30th, and if you remember that was snack in the middle of a heat wave but is was a nice mild breezy day in San Francisco.  We always arrive early in order to secure free parking and we found breakfast at the Marina Safeway. 

Prior to the tasting we studied the booklet that lists the participants and noted some wineries that we thought we might like to stop at but really once we got in the room, we had no formal plans or order to taste from.  We do have some favorites we are loyal to and these are not necessarily thought of as ‘must stop’ stops for most of the participants.  Our first stop was to visit Milla Handley of Handley Cellars.  Handley was one of the first wineries in the Anderson Valley and we have been wine club members for over 20 years.   Handley is the one wine club we have pledged to never drop.  Handley wines are great values and the property is beautiful.  We have been to some really nice events at Handley over the years (including the Winemaker Dinner where Maureen, my wife, got lost in the campground after the event and did not find the tent for hours).  As some of the original wine club members we also have access to rent the Handley Farmhouse which is just steps from the tasting room.  Milla is one of the sweetest women in wine that you could ever meet and she was pouring four different Pinots at the event.  I remember her telling us a year or two ago about how nervous she was about putting out a Pinot priced at $50 from her home vineyard perched way above the Valley (above Esterlina if you know the area).  Today $50 and above is pretty common for Anderson Valley Pinots.  Every one of the Pinot’s Milla poured were excellent. 

Milla Handley

Our next official stop, although there was probably a random stop or two in-between, was at MacMurray.  I know I have mentioned this before but MacMurray Pinot is our (mostly Maureen’s) standard that we judge most Pinots against.  Kind of like craft beer where all beers are judged off of Sierra Nevada (although I think for IPA Lagunitas is now the standard).  MacMurray Pinot, whatever it is, just presents consistently those classic (Russian River) Pinot flavors and this holds true even when you are drinking the Sonoma Coast MacMurray instead of the Russian River designated Pinot.  MacMurray has been owned by Gallo for four or so years now.  Kate, Fred MacMurray’s daughter is still an ambassador for the brand but she was not at the event this year.  Instead the table was manned by a Gallo representative (and Chico graduate) that has marketing responsibilities throughout the Gallo portfolio.  We really enjoyed talking to her.  She had two recently hired and good looking Gallo junior representatives with her (one male and one female) learning the ropes.  She told us what Gallo is doing to spruce up some of their wineries including Louis Martini in St. Helena and she was most enthusiastic about the redo of the tasting room at Edna Valley Vineyards in San Luis Obispo. 

Fred MacMurray

 

We tasted both the Sonoma and Russian River Pinots and they were excellent.  We still were not able to garner an invite to the MacMurray Ranch on Westside Road near Healdsburg.  For those of you that have driven by it, it really is beautiful and for those of you who may be Fred MacMurray movie fans, the story of how Fred and his family would spend their summers out of Hollywood and at the ranch are really fascinating.  The Ranch really is open only once a year as it hosts the Taste of Sonoma in the late summer.  We have not gone before because I think it is about a $200 event.

Honestly we were not great tasters at this event.  Our friend Walt would have approved of our lightweight status this day.  I do not know why it was but both of us knew pretty quickly that we were not going to be able to spend hours tasting wine this day.  We knew that we were going to be making Strawberry Daiquiris in the backyard later in the day but for some reason we did not have a lot of tasting spunk.

 

I think we visited less that 20% of the wineries employing different techniques. We tried some new wineries, and then when Maureen rested a bit I tried a couple of wineries with good looking pourers but in general, although we really enjoyed ourselves, we did not do a good job of exploring and tasting. 

 

Some of our highlights and reasons we visited a particular winery- Beauregard Vineyards from Santa Cruz, because their farming history in Santa Cruz dates back for decades.  Blair Estate of Salinas as one of our daughter is named Blair.  Davis Bynum, now owned by Rodney Strong because we had really enjoyed Rodney Strong wines (including the Davis Bynum) at a recent tasting and because, this was one of the good looking pourers.  Expression from Napa came recommended.  Goldeneye Winery of Anderson Valley, because we are fans- I really liked the bargain priced Decoy label here.  JCB (Boisset) because we have visited Raymond a sister winery and we know that the Boisset brands are quality throughout.  Miner Family because I really like their Gary’s and Rosella Vineyard designated Pinots.  Morgan of Carmel Valley because their wines are very reasonably priced for the quality.  Thomas George of Westside Road , Healdsburg as each time we have tasted these wines we have been impressed.  Lastly we stopped at Walt the Hall Winery owned Pinot and Chardonnay maker.  Walt makes many many Pinots and we tasted one from Sonoma and one from the Anderson Valley.

And we did make one more stop- We had noticed earlier that Kosta Browne was a no show.  We had tasted their wines before and we know they have a cult like reputation.  They did show but apparently they showed up late on purpose.  They were pouring three wines.  They drew by far the longest line, although only five minutes or so, and I waited in the line once.  I’m not even sure which wine I had. I was just caught up in the frenzy and was happy to get something.  Maureen did wait twice more and she probably does remember what she drank but I ventured out for some easier pickings.  It is cool to have one of these wineries show at these events.  Certainly they have gained quite a following. 

 

So despite our lack of toughness this day I’d say it was a very good day and we look forward to this event next year.

 

Vitals:

Pinot Days

Ft. Mason, San Francisco

Every Year- Mid/Late June

www.pinotdays.com

 

Guest Blogger: Brynn DeBarr

Livermore Valley

 

 

My three girlfriends and I met my sister, her boyfriend, and their two friends at Page Mill at about ten to noon on Saturday, May 4^th. We had just completed the Hike for Hope, which profits a local hospice organization. It was a gorgeous 4.4 mile hike at Del Valle Regional Park which was just a short 10-15 minute drive from the local Livermore wineries. We had planned on changing into flip flops and cute summer dresses, but we were pretty tired, and really just ready for some relaxation…and wine. As I was the designated driver, I decided to taste at just one winery. We puttered around in the Page Mill parking lot for about 10 minutes until about 11:59, and then walked inside. We were surprised to see a few other couples already tasting as we thought the winery opened at noon, but we quickly found a nice spot at the counter. My sister had said that most wineries don’t care for large groups, so we pretended that we were two groups of four (I don’t really think they cared either way, perhaps because it was early enough in the day.)

Page- Our first stop

I’m really not a wine aficionado, I pretty much like any chardonnay you put in front of me, and I know that wines are typically served white to red, and lighter to more bold. We started with a Sauvignon Blanc, not my favorite varietal, we then moved on to their Pinot Grigio, which I believe the server said was an award winner. I enjoyed their Chardonnay, especially as it had an oaky flavor.  Red wines and I are just becoming friendly, although I do tend to radiate toward a Zinfandel. Their Zin did not disappoint, however, it is only available for purchase by wine club members.  The tasting room was small, but intimate, they had the typical knick knacks you find at most tasting rooms, as well as some pretty funny cocktail (wine) napkins. There was a cute covered porch which I thought would be a darling place for a private tasting or to have lunch. The servers were all friendly ladies who probably couple their passion for wine (as evidenced by their bedazzled tee-shirts) with pleasant attitudes. Additionally, they had powdered sugar dusted, homemade brownie bites, and a few olive oils to sample. The tasting fee is a very reasonable $5. I wouldn’t come to this particular tasting room with a large crowd, but it would be perfect for a two or foursome.

Art at Big White House

We were in route to the Crooked Vine; I was following behind my sister’s boyfriend. I saw it on my right, but they passed it. We ended up at the end of the road at a winery called Big White House. The tasting room was neither big, nor white, but it had ample parking and some cute wine barrels carved like Jack-o-lanterns, so we decided to go in. This tasting room was more warehouse like, but had awesome artwork blanketing the walls. They also had a house dog, I think his actual name was “Alfie,” but we were told that this dog loved nothing more than rolling in the dirt, so he had received the nickname of “Dusty.” We were greeted warmly by the staff. After taking in the paintings, and taking a few pictures of the art that resembled some of my friends, the seven of them paid the meager $5 tasting fee. I was starting to feel the effects of the hike, as well as what would later be a pretty gnarly cold. I listened as they started talking to the servers. It turns out that one guy was a Cal Poly grad, like my sister, her boyfriend, and my friend Ashley. It was a hot day, so I decided to take a seat on one of the several Adirondack chairs outside. My friends followed and they were super stoked when one of the servers came out and refilled their glasses as we basked in the sun- that’s top notch service! To be honest, I’m not even sure what they tasted. I know that they had an opportunity to try two barrel tastes from wine that was going to be bottled sometime in the near future. We were alone initially, but a large group of late-twentysomethings showed up on their bikes. Next came a few couples, and then the first limo we’d seen all day. I love people watching, and I had a front row seat for all the action. I think we were at Big White House for about an hour and a half. We were getting pretty hungry so we asked for nearby restaurant recommendations. As it was such a nice day, we wanted something with outside dining. The server made a couple recommendations that were just up the road.

 

Tents at Garre Winery

We separated from my sister and her friends as they were going to do more wine tasting. We opted for a winery called Garre. They had a tasting room, as well as a café with indoor and outdoor dining. I also think that the space is used for weddings and other special occasions as we saw a large white tent set up. We were told to seat ourselves, which we did, under the cover of a few shady umbrellas outside. The menu was of decent size. I decided on a chicken chipotle sandwich; my friends had a pulled pork sandwich, and salmon salads. I opted for unlimited Diet Cokes and the girls got ice cold pale ales. They did have an extensive wine list as well. The food was good, and the service was too. I think that the Livermore valley has a lot to offer in the way of wineries. I had been here once before for a friend’s birthday. We had a limo and visited a few of the larger wineries, Wente and Concannon. Both of those wineries are very nice, and much larger. I think that they are more accustomed to catering to the larger parties, so I really think that you can customize your wine excursion to any size group. Tasting fees in Livermore rarely exceed $10, and it is a quick drive from most parts of the Bay Area. Plus, the weather is hard to beat in the springtime; then again, I like it hot!

 

 

 

Vitals-

Everything you need to know about Livermore area wineries.

http://www.lvwine.org/

 

Shadow Ranch/ Palissandro Vineyards

Fair Play AVA- El Dorado County

We were in El Dorado County for a Bike Ride (the Motherlode Century) put on by our old friend.  We don’t ride.  Instead we help out by volunteering at an Aid station along the route and other such tasks.  The Ride was Saturday so we got to do just a bit of wine tasting on Sunday.  El Dorado County wine country is a big area.  There are a few wineries in the Coloma area where we were staying, more wineries in the Camino area just off Highway 50 and just past Placerville and then even more wineries in an area south of Highway 50 first in Pleasant Valley and then into Somerset and Fair Play.  We like the Camino area because it is very close to the highway and really easy to get to but since we were already up there we decided to head to the Fair Play area.  Fair Play is a separate AVA (American Viticultural Area) and the vineyards lie between 2,000 and 3,000 feet in elevation in deep decomposed granite soils.

Old House and Tasting Room- Shadow Ranch

We have visited the area infrequently over the past 30+ years.  The first wineries to the area arrived in the early 80’s but it seems like in the past 5-10 years the number of wineries has flourished.  There are a few known wineries in the area, Perry Creek probably being the most well known, but most are small probably most producing less than 10-15,000 cases per year.  We headed this way planning on making two or three stops and only one that we had targeted because we are wine club members.  Our first stop was to be Palissandro Vineyards, a small family winery that opened about two years ago and we just happened along the second weekend they were open and liked the family so joined their club.  More on Palissandro later as their gates were closed when we drove by.



1888 Barn at Shadow Ranch

So we stopped instead at Shadow Ranch.  My wife liked their sign and their entryway.  The winery is up a long well maintained road and near the top of a hill.  Here you find a large home and a barn.  The buildings date to 1888 and have a Gold Rush era feel.  The tasting room is built into one side of the house and includes the original fire place and flooring.  It is a small but very tasteful room.  There is also a really nice outdoor area that could be used for tasting on a nice day or for just hanging out.

 

We were the first tasters of the day and I could hear loud music blaring as we got out of the car.  Our host later told us it was the new Justin Timberlake which apparently is not too bad.  There is a nice variety of wines from Sauv Blanc to a Port.  Our host, a nice looking youngish gal, poured us the list starting with the Sauv Blanc.  Nice sized glasses were used which is always nice and not something you necessarily always see in these areas.  We could tell all the wines were well made as there was not a stinker in the group.  The winery sources from three main vineyards, two down this way and one in northern El Dorado County. We especially liked the Zinfandel and Syrah and of course the Sauv Blanc.  We were off our game a bit because we did not find out too much about the winery, winemakers, owners, etc., but they have a pretty nice thing going here. The wines were priced from $16.00 to $32.00

Tasting Facility at Palissandro

Next we went back down the street to Palissandro.  As I mentioned above Palissandro is a new winery concentrating on Italian Varietals.  The owners, Shaun and Jeannie Blaylock, moved to the area in 2009 with no particular winery experience.  The property had become available through a foreclosure and the Blaylocks were looking for a new lifestyle/passion.  With help from their neighbor and winery owner Robert Van der Vijver, they were onto their first harvest in the fall of the same year.  I think what struck us on our first visit here was that for one, the wines were not bad for a first vintage, and we kind of liked the whole story of how they got into the wine business.  Shaun had had a couple of earlier successful careers so I thought maybe this guy has the magic touch a bit.

 So we arrived at their somewhat funky tasting room and were greeted by a couple of young gals.  One of them is the best friend of the Blaylock’s daughter who is currently away at school learning the business aspects of the wine business.  They were very eager to make sure we were comfortable and get us tasting some wine.  Also as we arrived they had just taken some Cheese-on-Bread out of the oven which smelled and tasted great.  We started with the Rosa, a Barbera Rose.  I like Rose’s and it seems like everyone is making one now, mostly because of the quick cash flow and this one was nicely priced at $15.00. We then tasted the Vino Da Tavola (Wine of the Table), a blend which was also nice at $14.00.  But where I think Palissandro will make their mark is with the Sangiovese and Barbera and some of the blends made with these wines. These were all priced in the low to mid $20.00s.  They also make a Cabernet, yes not Italian, under the Carus label.  So I think we were pleasantly surprised and happy to see that Palissandro is coming along ok.  While the grounds may not be as nice as they were at Shadow Ranch, there is ample porch seating and there is a bocce ball court available for guests.

 

After two wineries, yes, what has happened to us, we decided to head home as we were pretty happy with our two stops.  My one tip for this area is that it helps to follow a map.  If you make one wrong turn, which we did, you can be headed up to the higher country of El Dorado County.  At least this day the pine trees looked and smelled really nice.

 

What we liked- Casual and quiet tasting. It was Mother’s Day, but we were the only tasters at both spots. 

 

What we bought- A Syrah and Zin from Shadow Ranch and from Palissandro we brought home two club shipments which included a Barbera, a Sangiovese, a Sagiovese blend called Felice and a Carus Cabernet.

 

Vitals- 

Shadow Ranch Vineyard

7050 Fairplay Road

Fair Play, CA  95684

(530) 620-2785

www.shadowranch.com

 

Palissandro Vineyard

7449 Fairplay Road

Somerset, CA  95684

(530) 620-2063

www.palissandrowinery.com