St. Francis

As we walked through the door, we were each greeted with a glass of 2018 Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc. Honeydew nose, melon and green apple with crisp minerality to it. Get this at home. A very good white, especially for the price. 

The first wine we had at the tasting bar was the 2016 Wild Oak Chardonnay. Nose of apple and pear, a rich creaminess on the finish. Aged 7mo in French Oak. Very nice, although not my favorite chardonnay, even of the day. That would go to:

2016 Extended Age Chardonnay from Knights Valley. Toffee and vanilla nose, it was obvious this was aged for much longer. I'm usually not a huge fan of the heavily oaked white wines, but this one had a nice creaminess to it. and a very smooth finish.

Then was the 2018 Sonoma Rose. Citrus and strawberry on the nose, followed by a hint of vanilla, and not too sweet. Blend of Mouvedre, Zin, Sangiovese, and Chardonnay.

Next we moved on to the reds, starting with the 2015 Moon Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged 17 months in oak. Blackberry and kitchen spices on the nose, and a long cherry finish. Big and Bold. Very nice, although a tough sell at that price.

Then we tried two different Zins, a 2015 old Vine Zin from Bacchi Vineyard on the russian river. A light toasty nose, mostly smelled of of black berry (of course). Licorice and a bit peppery on the finish. The second zin was the 2015 Monticello Vineyard. More smoky and licorice on the nose, with still quite a bit of berry, and a more fruity and spicy finish than the previous. I prefered the second one. Both were good, but we had better zins earlier on our trip for cheaper.

This was the last winery for us. We sat and enjoyed the mountains for a while, but eventually had to go. We took home the rose and the Knight valley Chardonnay. By this point in our trip, we'd had so many dark red zins and syrahs that we had to take a break and go for something lighter.

Imagery

Imagery, the sister winery to benziger, originally started as a brewery. It specialized in Italian varietals and experimental blends to differentiate itself from the parent.

2018 wow oiu was the first, a white blend of sauvignon blanc and Muscat. Floral nose and grapefruit taste, I enjoyed the flavors and nose, but it was a touch too sweet for me.

2017 white burgundy was next. A blend of chardonnay and pinot blanc, this one was definitely interesting. Mango and papaya to start, a smooth acidity, and a creamy finish, I really enjoyed this one. Definitely the top white blend of the trip.

2016 sangiovese was next, sweet spice and licoeice nose and taste, with a lingering bit of vanilla on the end.

2016 Barbera had a jammy aroma, strong black cherry notes and a jammy blackberry finish.

2015 petite syrah was next, which had wild berries and cocoa nose turn into a rich dark fruit flavor.

Then we tried the cab, which had a fig and raspberry nose, a little earthyness, and rich red fruit finish.

Lagrein was an interesting wine, an Italian varietal that was bold, dry, had lively tannins and a dark fruit and currant taste.

Next: malbec. An absolute cherry bomb. No green pepper, but otherwise too 1 dimensional to compare to the others we've had. Still excellent.

Last was the port, a mouthful that tasted like having a big bite of a chocolate covered strawberry. Had a bit of an alcoholic bite to it though.

Kunde

Kunde Family Winery was beautiful. One of the largest land plots of grapes in all of California, they have a single sprawling Vineyard that covers both mountain ranges and dips into Napa. We enjoyed our picnic here after the tasting, seated by the garden fountains.

The first wine we tasted was the rose summer blush. It was a blend of Zin and grenache, which are two wines I love, but this one didn't do it for me. Slight cherry notes, but otherwise just ok.

Then was the 2016 chardonnay, which had a floral nose and lemon and pear taste.

Then we tasted 2 zins, the 2016 and the 2016 reserve. The estate wine had traditionally fruit bomb charm, and the reserve was somewhat earthy with a bit of mushroom and black currant notes.

Then was the 2 cabs, again a 2015 and a 2015 reserve. The estate was mossy and earthy, which was expected, but the reserve was very smooth with rich berry notes and a really mellow tannic structure.

Then we had the malbec, which was the first for us on the whole trip. Many wineries in CA only grow it to add to bourduex blends. It had hints of plum and blackberry. Mirroring it was the syrah, which was smoky, had a white pepper finish with currant on the front.

The next pairing was the red dirt red and the Dun. Cuvee. The red dirt red was a mix of 6 different varietals, and was very smooth, with no 1 grape standing out. The server said it took to whatever food you ate it with. The Cuvee was just as nice, a mix of cab and syrah. A little smokyness and white pepper from the syrah, and the fruity earthy notes from the cab. I preferred it, but MC liked the RDR, so we went with it.

Last, we finished with the 1904 desert port. It was nothing extraordinary, but stl very good. Chocolate and vanilla with a deep cherry nose.

Benziger

The first wine we tasted was the 2018 frank Johnson sauvignon blanc. It had a floral and lychee nose with a nice grapefruit taste.

Next was the 2015 LA Reyna Pinot Noir.  Nose of rose and cherry, and tasted of dark fruit.

Then was the 2016 oonapis, which had berry and cocao nose, berry taste and dark finish. Medium tannins. Alternatively, we tried the 2014 tribute, which was very similar but with mellow tannins and a smoother aftertaste. Personally, while it was better, I don't think it was worth the extra price. Better to buy the 2016 and age it for a few extra years.

2014 three block was next, which had fruity aromas with some spice to it, and a taste of white pepper on the finish.

Last were the 2016 Cab and 2016 dragon syrah. The cab was earthy and vanilla tasting, with nice tannins, and the syrah had a plum and spice side to it.

We finished our wine tasting with a walk through the gardens.

Roche winery.

Roche winery's tasting room was set downtown, just off the main plaza in sonoma. There was an outdoor tasting bar that we were able to make use off. The service was excellent and extremely friendly.

The first wine we tried was the 2018 Sparkling Brut Rose, with soft berry nose and a sweet strawberry taste. It had a bit of a pop to it, which the server said was like drinking a Sprite. We ordered a bottle of this, since it was MC's favorite.

Next was the 2018 unoaked chardonnay, which was very well made. Not too sweet, but with a bright melon and citrus nose, and a honeydew and canteloupe taste. This was my favorite of the whites.

Then came the three full bodied reds. The 2014 pinot was characteristic, with plum and cedar on the nose, dark cherry taste, and a bit of a cola aftertaste, but in a good way. Next was the fruit bomb of a merlot, from 2014 as well. No pepper, and hardly any tannins, this was one of the top merlots I've ever had, and was one of the reasons we ended up with so many bottles from this winery. Deep red currant on the nose, and a velvety raspberry taste. Last was the 2014 Syrah, which was a deep red color with a nice kick of tannins. A nose of smoked meat and black pepper, and deep plum and black pepper taste.

The last wines on the list were sweet wines. We tried both the 2018 Tamarix, which was a sweeter rose of pinot noir and syrah. The perfect porch sipping rose, this wasn't over the top, as all the sweetness seemed to come from a natural fruit taste of strawberry and light cherry, with some peach and honeysuckle on the nose. We ordered a bottle of this, and I got an extra glass of it to end my visit. The last wine was the 2018 Late Harvest Chardonnay. Our server recommended against this one, as she said it was too sweet (it was), but MC insisted. She recommended that if we did drink it, to make a spritzer using it to dull some of the sugars. The tasting notes for it said Keylime Pie and sugar cane, and so that's what I'll have to go with. Definitely a no for me.


The wines were very good, and surprising in how affordable they were. We ended up becoming wine members, and each enjoyed a glass on the patio as the sun went down.

Homewood Winery

Homewood winery was a quaint little winery out further into the farmlands east of sonoma with a small little tasting room, but it's wines were as good as any of the others. It reminded me of the smaller wineries back home.

Veranda white was the first we tried, named for being a easy wine to sit on the porch with. Light tropical aromas. They had a deal of buy 1 get 1, and if we didn't have to ship everything home we might have done so.

MC and I had different flights, with hers being all whites. Her first was the Chardonnay, aged in stainless steel. Nothing mind blowing, but a very solid wine.

Sauvignon Blanc was next, and had very nice pineapple and citrus notes. Would pair excellently with seafood. We took one of these home.

Rousanne was next, on MC's custom white flight. It had a bubble gum type sweetness to it, and was very interesting, and not unpleasant. It had a dry lemon finish.

Tempranillo was the first of my reds, and was my favorite. Soft tannins and vanilla notes made this a very enjoyable wine to try. We bought a bottle of this. A note on pronunciation: Its Knee-o, not nill-oh.

MC had a wine club exclusive wine named after the wine dog, but unfortunately I didn't take any notes on this one, just wanted to mention it because she liked it.

Merlot was the next red I tried. Fruitier, and no green pepper to it as is found in VA wine. It had a rhubarb nose to it.

Next came the zin. After having so many amazing Zinfandels in Healdsburg, this one did not stand out as much, but it was still good. Black pepper and a nose of vanilla bean and berry.

Semillon was the last white wine we tried. Nose of orange and apricot, it had a floral and honeysuckle taste.

The last red was the interestingly names Flying Whizzbanger. Herbal and cocoa nose, a good porch sipping red blend, but nothing I haven't had before.

Gloria Ferrer

By far one of the best views in Sonoma, with a very nice fancBlanc De Blanc: Citrusy, toasty, with hints of green apple. Very Dry, and my favorite. 100% Chardonnay.

Royal Cuvee: Ripe red berries and fruit, mostly dry, very easy to notice the Pinot Noir it was made with. 67% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay.

Demi-Sec: The sweetest that the winery makes, but not overly so. Citrus and honey ginger notes. 100% Chardonnay.

Brut Rose: Strawberry nose, creamy berry taste. I prefered this over the royale Cuvee. 92% pinot noir, 8% Chardonnay.

Jacuzzi

Jacuzzi was right across the street from Cline, and their sister winery. It was founded with the intention of making traditional Italian wines in Sonoma.

The first wine we tasted was the Arneis. Light tropical notes and a bright acidity. This was my favorite of the whites here, and we ordered a bottle. Next, was the Gilia and Pinot Grigio.The gilia hadhints of bright crisp apple, and the pinot had hints of peach and pair, and would be great with chicken dishes.

Then we moved to the reds, the first of which was the nebbiolo. Big berry flavors with hints of spice on the finish, but still not overly tannic. This was my favorite of the lighter reds. Then we had the pinot noir, which was lighter than most and had a nice soft cranberry taste. 

The remainder of the red wines were darker and bolder. Barbera, Primitivo, Montepulciano, and teroldego. The Barbera had distinct cherry nose and taste. The primitivo had red berry and spice notes, with a toasty oak finish. Montepulciano was excellent, with dark berry nose and a little pepper bite on the finish. The Teroldogo was also very good, and was one of the darkest wines I've had so far on this trip. Nose of dark fruit, firm tannins, and hints of chocolate and coffee on the finish. This was my personal favorite.

Between the Montepulciano and the Teroldego, we took home a bottle of the lighter Montepulciano.

We finished with the sweet wine, the La Dolce Vigna red. It was a light, fruity after dinner wine.

Cline

The old vines were brought over from Italy on potatoes and are over 100 years old, 2000acres. 200 sheep prune and fertilize the land. Built on geysers and hot springs. Family were engineers, made original jacuzzi tub out of a horse trough

Ancient vines zin: kitchen spice
Bridgehead: more fruity, still spicy/vanilla
Live oak: bold, tannic, black currant
Heritageb Thick, blend of first 3
Cashmere: good dinner party wine, lighter and easier drinking but still nice peppery and tannins with fruity nose

MC tasted the chardonnay, viogner, mourvedre, Estate syrah. The estate syrah was really good, smooth tannins a little black pepper, and dark berry. The chardonnay had a beautiful nose to it.

We enjoyed a nice picnic next to the jacuzzi pond.

Kendall Jackson

We sampled both the signature and estate tasting.

The rose of pinot Noir was light, with only a few hours contact with the skins. The syrah, grenache, and pinot Noir blend rose was a richer pink color. They tasted similar, with stronger fruit notes on the blend.

We tried 2 chardonnay, both from the Santa Maria Valley, near Santa Barbara. One was more heavily oaked, while the estate was more buttery.

Next was 2 pinot Noir, one from Anderson valley, and the estate from Petaluma. The Anderson pinot was more fruity, while the estate was fruity and earthy, with richer tannin.

Then was the merlot and syrah. The merlot had the characteristic pepperyness to it, which lead to cooked berry notes.

The syrah was my favorite. Inky, full tannins, and dark berry flavor.

Last were the cabernets. The knight valley cab was the darker of the two, really heavy mouthfeel, nice tannic bite without being overpowering. The Alexander Valley cab had softer tannins and was more fruit forward. We toured the grounds with these two wines, and it was amazing.

First we came to their learning Vineyard, where I tried almost 30 different grape variety. My favorite were the chenin Blanc for white and the nebiolo for red. The Zin tasted like a very fruity version of the wine, but gewurztraminer tasted most like it's liquid form. The viogner and riesling grapes were very tasty, and honorable mention goes to the muscay grape, which was better than the wine. We also saw some beekeeping and a flavor sensory garden.

Foppiano

We tasted sauvignon blanc(lemongrass, honeysuckle) , chardonnay(vanilla, peach) , pinot Noir(cranberry, earl grey) carignane(cinnamon, nutmeg) , zinfandel (dark berry fruit bomb) , and petite sirah(dark berry) . We also tried their wine on tap, a petite sirah nonvintage blend. It was good, although slightly acidic. We enjoyed a picnic overlooking the Ridgeline where we had stayed in Healdsburg.

Williamson

Wine and food pairings. Many recipes found on their YouTube channel.

Gertie gewurztraminer paired with mango ginger cheese. The wine cut through the cream to show fruits.

Tickeled pink rose, soft strawberry, bone dry rose. Paired with truffled gouda. The wine cuts through the cheese to showcase smoky and truffle flavors.

Trinity GSM paired with cheddar and truffle salt. GSM is a red blend, similar to pinot Noir, but softer tannins. The pairing cuts the salt to leave behind the buttery cheese and truffle.

The last pairing was the scandal Zin paired with bacon pepper jam on cheddar. The wine was slightly peppery and and smoky, very soft tannins but bold. The pairing cuts the pepper and brings forward the bacon, then cheese. These wines are hand pressed and separated

The last wine was the elate grange cuvee, a blend of shiraz and cab. Australian style. Paired with herb garlic balsamic jam.

Look up truffle salts when you read this again. We took home the gewurztraminer and pumpkin honey mustard. George, our server, was very knowledgeable, and was excellent at guiding us through our tasting.

Francis Ford Coppola

A last minute decision, we decided to backtrack and go to this winery. It was definitely a sight. Hotel, pool, restaurants, tasting bars were all packed together onto the estate, similar to a wine Disneyland.

Without realizing what we were doing, we walked upstairs for the better view... And the more expensive tasting. Oh well.

The I Mille vernaccia white was the first we tried, and one of our favorites. offering alluring notes of white flowers, hay, kumquat, peach, and pomelo with a pink peppercorn finish. It was a very surprising white.

We also tried the 2016 reserve pinot Noir, syrah, and I Mille petite syrah, and snuck our way in to tasting  the 2017 reserve chardonnay and reserve viogner after we mentioned we liked the I Mille white the best. Highlight was the tasting of the $120 bottle of Archimedes, a luxurious Cabernet Sauvignon wine that delivers strong, but elegant, flavors of black cherries and plums. I don't expect I will ever drink many 3 digit bottle of wines, but this one did not disappoint.

Alexander Valley Vineyards

This winery was a gem. Not much to look at from the outside, but it ended up being one of my favorites.

Then, I taste 3 different zinfandels, each made from different blends of Zin from different areas of the valley.
Temptation was Alexander Valley (30%) Zinfandel has elegant red fruit flavors of raspberry and strawberry, the Suisun Valley (44%) Zinfandel adds ripe, jammy flavors, and the Dry Creek Valley (26%) Zinfandel brings a little structure and black fruit to the blend.

Sin Zin was made entirely from Alexander Valley, while redemption was made from dry creek. The first was the fruitiest of the lot, and my favorite.

Last, we tried the homestead and wine club reserve. The first was their traditional red blend, Merlot 48%, Zinfandel 20%, Grenache 11%, Mourvedre 10%, Cabernet Sauvignon 8%, Syrah 3%. Notes of vanilla, blueberry, spice. Smoother of the two. The club reserve was made by wine club members at a yearly release, where members can make their own blends, and the top one picked by the winemaker is made into a blend for the year. It was Cabernet Sauvignon 72%, Merlot 23%, Cabernet Franc 5%. It had an earthy backbone as defined by the cab, with soda bitterness and blackberry pucker to it. We preferred the homestead.

The capstone of the visit was the cellar tour, which was bored out of the caves. 20k sqft of tunnels are used to age the wine, with barrels lining the walls in very direction as far as we could see. After navigating deeper underground, we sampled the cabernet, one straight from a French oak, and one from a American oak. Despite the French oak being the more expensive of the two, the American oak was smoother. The two are blended together for their release cab.

Gustafson

We traveled out of the main wine tasting areas to get to this winery, but it was worth it. By far the most amazing views, overlooking the Sonoma lake.

We tried 8 wines, first of which was the rose sirah. It was dry, but very good. Hints of cranberry.

Second was the sauvignon blanc, with mineral and tropical fruit nose. Then was the riesling, which tasted like a German riesling but wasn't nearly as sweet at only 1% residual sugar.

The Zin was earthy and peppery, cold soaked and aged in American and French oak.  The syrah was most recommended for aging. It had notes of spices like clove and allspice, with dark berry flavor.

The cab had, of course, a traditional earthy nose, with hints of coffee on the nose, but opened to a fruity and peppery finish. The petite sirah was leathery, chocolate on the nose with dark berry and currant taste.

The Zin and sirah desert wine port blend was an excellent finish. It had notes of vanilla and blueberry.

We finished the tasting by having a picnic over the gorgeous views

Trentadue

We sampled the shoestring sangiovese, named for its small plot size on the Vineyard. It had soft tannins, light berry notes, to be paired with light red Italian dishes.

We also tried, and purchased, the Victorian house Zin. Made from vines that date back to 1886, this Zin had a nice fruity nose and a pleasant peppery finish.

This was the first winery we tried montepulciano at, and it was a good first experience. Extremely smooth with hints of blueberry, vanilla, and plum. These first 3 wines were all Italian style.

La storia wines were their more modern wines. MC tried the cuvee 32 (trentadue means 32 in Italian). I tried the La storia Zin. It was more fruit forward than the Italian style, very good but a bit lighter on the tannins. Last, we tried the petite sirah. It was very dark colored, with notes of dark berry, vanilla, brown sugar. We also took a bottle of this home.

We toured the winery, and saw the Vineyard, area where separation of grapes from Vine happened, and the aging and bottling areas.

Ferrari-Carano

We tasted the gewurztraminer, the fume Blanc, viogner, all three pinot noirs, the Siena red blend, the Zin, and the cabernet sauvignon. The cab was a traditional style, earthy. The Zin was good, but so were all the other zins from other wineries we went to.

The Siena was a red blend made mostly of sangiovese, with malbec, cab, and petite sirah, and it was very good. Light Tuscan style wine with soft tannins, not too heavy on the finish. We got this. Recommend to be paired with fruit, chicken, duck, and tomato based sauces.

We also got the fume Blanc. This wine has aromas of pineapple, grapefruit, peach, and a touch of minerality. The Fumé Blanc has bright acidity and crisp freshness from the cool, stainless steel tank fermentation, while the subtle oak character from neutral French oak barrels adds body, complexity and depth. Best paired with spicier Asian or Mexican dishes.

There were 3 pinot noirs we tasted. The first had light tannins and mouthfeel, and was the fruitiest. The second was a traditional pinot with a nice tannic bite with plenty of fruit forward notes. The last was tannic and earthy, almost like a cab. The second was my favorite, but MC is the pinot lover so we went with her choice snf got the first one. Both were very good though

Korbel

We sampled, in order of dryness, Le Premier, Blanc de Noir Master Reserve, Rouge, Extra Dry, Sec, and Moscato Frizzante. The sec and Moscato were too sweet for me, but the Rouge was surprisingly good. We ended up getting a bottle since thyley onle sell it at the winery.

Premier was good, but not any better than other champagne I've had, such as the extra dry. Blanc de Noir was the best of the day, dry but very smooth. Just a little pricy.

Sonoma portworks

We sampled 3 different ports, a petit verdot (fruit bomb), a Norton(raisin, chocolate) , and a 7 year cask reserve (tobacco, leather, cognac, dark berry) . We also tried 2 vinegars, a red and a gold, and 2 desert ports. One was a sherry with hazelnut essence, and the other was a zinfandel chocolate essence port. They also let us try their members only reserve port since we were on our anniversary trip. We decided on the chocolate port and the petit verdot port.

They also had 2 Grappas, a whiskey style wine with a high alcohol content. One was a port barrel aged one that tasted very similar to bourbin, and the other was a Fig style that tasted similar to the cookie. They were both really good, but it's hard to beat the real thing.