Russian Hill Estate

Harkening back to the first winery, on the first day, of our first wine tasting experience, Russian Hill has a special place in our heart and on our palates. If I have an opportunity to introduce people to good pinots and syrahs, this is a stop that is a positive MUST. While their styles of pinots and syrahs vary from other producers in the area (e.g. Siduri/Novy), in many ways I consider them to be standard bearers, against which others are measured.

2008 Russian River Valley Pinot NoirBlack fruits on nose and palate, not sure of the spice, but it’s a mild spice (like nutmeg, not pepper) finishes well. -Lisa
Mild note of caramel on the nose. Full acidity on the finish

2007 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Tara’s VineyardLisa likey! Spices are more distinct with no absence of the rich black fruits on the palate. Spices are much more prominent. The fruit smacks of dried red currant, cranberry, and some spicy herbs. -Lisa

2009 “Nameless” Pinot Noir (futures)Rainy day pinot which has good spice and underearth, fungal notes on the nose, but not huge fruit on the palate. Makes me think of a fog rolling in. -Lisa

Slight smokiness with fewer herbs than others. The fruit is dark and rich with blackberry, redcurrant, mild strawberry. Luscious!

2008 Estate Vineyard Syrah (futures $125/6 bttls)Fantastically smooth! Mild earthiness with a drink anytime kind of quality. Well integrated plum, blackcurrant, and a dried red fruit.

2005 Russian River Valley Windsor Oaks Summit $36//Mild smoky notes. Deep Deep Deep dark red fruits. Mildly spicy, with no earthiness. The nose pulls you in to one of the most delicious palates of a syrah.

Off the Wine Road, onto the shoulder...

In an experiment of sorts, we met a couple in Santa Rosa on the Saturday of the barrel tasting weekend. This was a new couple that had been referred to us for our knowledge in wines, who were interested in getting more involved in the experience. The two of them are foodies, which go nicely with winos (sorry..., “oenophiles” for those of you with fragile egos). They were vacationing in San Francisco for the weekend and we coordinated a day in which they would join us for barrel tasting. Given that this was their first foray into wine tasting, we “prepped” them a couple of weeks prior. As much as anything, we wanted to get a real impression of their preferences in wine and then tailor the experience to them. So, what follows are some notes that we collected while “introducting” them to wine and wine country.

My notes aren’t complete here, as usually occurs when we have company, so bear with me. The first stop, in fact, wasn’t even on the wine road, but I was confident it would be a fruitful stop (no pun intended).

Buena Vista (March 2011)

This is a winery that is often overlooked and highly underrated. It's been a favorite of mine for the last five years and will continue to be in the foreseeable future. The best quality of this winery is their diversity, which is odd when you consider they only really make three varietals. The diversity comes within the wines themselves. As we mapped the relative preferences of our guests, we quickly concluded that, as individuals, they had very competing tastes. Buena Vista became the place where we could solve that problem and satisfy everyone. ...and satisfy them, we did! For their first stop at their first winery in their entire lives, we hit the mother lode, walking out with 3.5 cases of wine! I can't speak to what our guests bought, but, as usual, the green highlighted wines were part of our purchase.

If you enjoy a crisp, clean chardonnay, they have it; if you enjoy a warm, soft, slightly creamy chardonnay, they have it. Pinots range from luscious to dried fruit and herbaceous. This is what I mean by diversity. Moreover, they are supremely well-priced; notice that the guilt-free price (the third of the three) is almost always as much as the retail (the first) and greater than the club price (the second). This is why I've never balked at being a club member, here.

2007 Robert Young Chardonnay Clone 17RY $36/$27/$30Field selection chardonnay from Robert Young
Crisp nose. Light-bodied and modestly acidic. Mild green apple and pear. Nice crispness on the palate.

2007 Ramal Vineyard Chardonnay $36/$27/$35Rich nose. Soft flavors. Wonderful juicy palate. Some pear, honeydew and citric melon.

2008 Ramal Vineyard Pinot Noir Swan Selection $42/$32/$44Strawberry, raspberry, red currant on the nose. The palate follows with hints of vanilla. This is a wonderful Pinot Noir! I’ve always loved it!

2007 Ramal Vineyard Pinot Noir Dijon Clones (777) $42/$32/$38Warm nose, warm wine, warm finish. Not as enticing as the Swan Selection, but a nice wine on a cool day. Dried fruits, with no “lusciousness”.

2007 Ramal Vineyard Syrah $45/$34/$38Blackberry, smoked meat, spice and licorice on the nose. Medium-to-light bodied. I like it unaerated…much better body.

2007 Ramal Vineyard Pinot Noir Dijon Clone (777/828/POM5) $45/$32/$45Very similar to the Dijon Clone 777 with all of the nose, but with a much smoother, fuller-body. The fruit brightens with time on this wine. This is a standard bearer.

2006 Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley $30/$23/$43Nice fruit, soft tannins with earthiness across the finish

2005 Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder $60/$45/$46Brighter red fruit with fewer tannins. Super smooth with under-bearing character. Good value. Good wine.

2006 Ramal Vineyard Pinot Noir Dijon Clones (777) $42/$32/$45Nose is bright red fruit with no spice or herbaceous flavors. The nose is delicious, medium bodied with full integration.

This little side trip from barrel tasting was well worth the time and distance. A couple of my wine tasting tenets were really validated at this stop. 1) Take notes - it shows you're a serious consumer with discriminating tastes. If not for this, we wouldn't have been offered HALF of the wines listed here (including the Cabs). 2) Be prepared to join clubs. Our guests joined the club and saved a LOT of money over the 3.5 cases they purchased. If the average bottle is $40, 3.5 cases costs $1680; club price is $1260, a savings of $420!