Windsor Oaks

This new stop proved to be quite the boon. If you can find the place, at the right time, you’ll thoroughly enjoy their offerings. The estate sits on land that is overlapped by three AVAs (Sonoma Coast, Russian River Valley, and Chalk Hill), so they have the luxury of identifying their wines with whatever appellation suits their marketing strategy.

They offered six barrels for futures purchase, that range widely. At some of the barrel stations, they offered last year’s bottled vintage as a basis of comparison. This is a very classy move on their part; other wineries don't usually bother. The interesting thing about that was that it didn’t have the effect that you might expect. The overall experience today revealed that the year-to-year variation of the wines provided a little uncertainty as to the final, bottled result. Nonetheless, they have demonstrated their professionalism and quality, if for no other reason than they weren't trying to shove last year's harvest down your throat (ahem, Mazzocco).

If you chose to buy futures that day, you were treated to a VIP experience in their barrel room. This was not a small thing. In walking in, we witnessed the winemaker herself standing on the third stack of barrels, thiefing wine for the patrons below, like a momma bird feeding her little chicks. After wading through the chirping crowd, we found ourselves at the first station where a three year vertical of their chardonnay was awaiting us. More on the wines, later, but one exceptional note was that the 2008 vintage was aged in 100% French oak (and here’s the exceptional part) at the customers’ request. Right next to that was a station serving a lobster bisque soup to pair with the wine. Ahhhh…that was nice!

Because they offer such a wide variety of wines and they were taking the opportunity to showcase them, the next station rounded out the list. Taking notes at this point became challenging, but because this was the first stop of the day, we mustered up and soldiered on. While we stood at the table taking notes, a charming member of the Windsor Oaks team introduced himself (Brian) and engaged us in long, deep discussions over their wines. Moments later, he disappeared and returned with three more bottles, and we were happy he did! More about those wines later.

Overall, this was a monumental stop for us, leaving with two cases of futures and a case and a half of their current offerings. I’ll bet you can’t wait to hear about that!

As a side note, through the course the tastings, we learned that Balverne Manor resides in the middle of the vineyards with a spectacular view. For a reasonable rate, the winery provides accommodations for up to three couples, an incredible meal, and all the wine you’d want to go with it. I’m looking forward to maximizing that experience one day.

2011 Reserve Chardonnay Block 8 Russian River Valley (futures) $35/$26/$30

Cool, creamy nose; light vanilla. Lemony, tart on the palate (like lemon filling of meringue pie). Clean mouthfeel.

2011 Pinot Gris Russian River Valley (futures) $25/$19/-

Organically Grown Block 10

Light pink grapefruit nose. Crisp and a little oaky w/ lemon zest on the palate.

2010 Pinot Gris Russian River Valley

Much more settled and less oaky. It has a little better mouthfeel but not as flavorful. Light apricot on the nose.

2010 Red Mountain Cuvee Chalk Hill (futures) $35/$26/$40

Blend of Syrah, Sangiovese, and Cabernet Sauvignon

The sangio really asserts itself on the nose in a classic Brunello kind of sense. Perfect tannins and mouthfeel for this type of blend. The vanilla and mocha comes trough on the palate with a thin note of raspberry.

2009 Super Tuscan Estate Reserve Chalk Hill (futures) $45/$34/$42

Wonderful nose! Bright fruit on the nose. No acidity on the palate, but still had a mild, velvety finish. I expect this to improve with time. See WM NOTES

2008 Super Tuscan

This is blended with syrah instead of cab franc. It has a better palate and nose.  This is a really good wine with the same mild, velvety finish. Very complex notes. Dark blackberry, brambles, black cherry, cassis with hints of cedar.

2010 Zinfandel Estate Reserve Russian River Valley (futures) $29/$22/$35

Nose is consistent with an old vine zinfandel – Jammy and rich, grown in a higher elevation. It has an extremely well balanced palate. The oak and pepper balance with the blackberry fruit is fantastic!

2009 Zinfandel

This older sister has more oak bias but has very consistent fruit to the newest member of the family.

2009 Estate Petite Sirah Russian River Valley (futures) $35/$26/$38

Soft nose with layer of vanilla, fig, mocha. Nice velvet finish, but the palate doesn’t follow as prominently. A nice dinner might bring out more of the flavors.

Now we get to the point in the story where we entered the VIP room for the rest of the experience.

2007 Russian River Valley Chardonnay

French oak and stainless steel (aged 16 months)

Nose: nice, creamy – buttery lemon sauce for crab

Palate: Much more fruit than most chardonnays like a soft apple, tempered with pear.

2008 Russian River Valley Chardonnay

24 months in 100% French oak (30% new)

Nose: Milder nose with hints of lime

Palate: more tropical melon flavor

2009 Russian River Valley

Nose: Soft, almost muted. Paler color than the other two.

Palate: Watery mouthfeel and flavor…I guess the color was right.

2009 Russian River Valley Rose’ of Pinot Noir (Vin Gris) $19/-/$19

Very light, crisp, nose; a little strawberry. Completely refreshing and wet for a rose'.

2008 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir $35/-/-

Nose: Cold and a bit muted.

Palate: Cinnamon and red currant, strawberry-dominated by the spice. Very subtle fruit.

Very light palate. I didn’t get the fruits that were on the nose. Nose had a cinnamon, fig, and sweet rhubarb.  Not for me… -Lisa

2008 Super Tuscan

Nose: Hard to find

Palate: Big! Tannic with cassis, blackberry, mocha

2008 Malbec

Nose: Big jammy fuit, black anise, black currant

Color: Deep burgundy

Palate: I have a different expectation of malbecs, with a desire for more earthiness that just didn’t exist.

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon $35/-/$50

Nose has bell peppers, a little truffle, light pepper, but good dark earth. Needs to open. Palate is deep, rich, and earthy, with no truffle, but a lot of chocolate and cab franc taste to it. Spices open up in this quickly. Fantastic cab!

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon $45/-/$52

Even more accessible nose, coffee, toasty, peppers, spices, rich dark fruits.

2009 Cabernet Franc

Big nose – good bell pepper, but lots of fruit and spice on the nose. Italian hard salami. Great cabernet franc.

Sheldon Wines

Last stop of the day and we run into an old buddy from Siduri of many years ago! JODY! He’s shilling for Dylan and Tobe of Sheldon wines and doing a good job of it! For what it’s worth, since Lisa took over the tasting notes at Siduri, these are also almost all hers.

2010 Vinolocity Blanc $30/$22/$25Only 100 cases produced. Very nice nose; crips but not tart at all. Nutty, with notes of apricot.

2007 Sleepy Hollow Old Vine Chardonnay, Monterey County $36/$30/$35Notes of pineapple; oaky and a little bit tropical. Unfiltered with 100% malolactic fermentation. Yummy!

2008 Krutz Chardonnay, Sleepy Hollow Chardonnay, Santa Lucia Highlands $38/-/$29A little too sweet for my nose, but Jamie likes it. That palate is very smooth and creamy.

2007 Sheldon Pinot Noir Main Coast $28/$24/$25Very light spice and light red fruits, light-bodied, summer pinot

2008 Sheldon Vinolocity $36/$31/$20100% Grenache
Not much of a nose for me. Jamie said a “good Grenache”. I didn’t get the strawberry I look for.

2009 Weatherly Cuvee $42/$35/$3250% Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon / 50% Petite Sirah
You can really smell the petite sirah in this nice round wine. Light on the body but still has some complexity.

2007 Deviant Velocity $28/$23/$35Nice full nose; a bit of syrah smell, or is it gin, or is it cab…no it’s petite sirah. Too light for Jamie, doesn’t have enough punch. Lisa likes the relaxed taste.

Woodenhead

This was a new stop and I was disappointed to learn that they don’t actually SELL the futures that they were tasting from the barrel. While the tasting room location was very nice, there were too many smells going on…body odor from patrons, paint, dog, etc.

2010 Zinfandel Guido Venturi Vineyard Mendocino County

Beautiful nose! Robust red currant, vanilla, all-spice, with an integrated lay of rose. Light-bodied but well integrated spices on the palate. The fruit is on its way…

2010 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

Bright spiciness on the nose. Baked cherry pie, mildly. More spice than cherry but still a pie-like quality.

Siduri

A group of Lisa’s friends joining us enhanced the perennial stop at Siduri. While they made the same annual pilgrimage to barrel tasting, this was their first time at this winemaking juggernaut. By most measures, it didn’t disappoint.

The Pinot Noirs this year were bountiful, but slightly less engaging than years past. In the interest of full disclosure, my opinion on this matter is singularly mine. Our guests were enthralled and enamored with the experience.

I’ve come to realize this trip that trying to take notes at Siduri is more than just a challenge, it’s damn near impossible. I went so far as to try recording my notes on a voice memo on my phone, but after three wines, I realized that the “downstream value” that my notes have would be lost… i.e. being able to refer to my notes when it was time to purchase. That said, my notes aren’t as complete as they could be, but probably no worse than previous years.

I’ve also come to realize that having access to your cellar inventory is invaluable! I’m standing in line, about to order, and it occurred to me that some of the wines I’m about to order may already reside in one of my three cellars at home. A quick trip to the car to retrieve my iPad and, sure enough, I’m well stocked. Phew! That saved me about $1200!

2010 Novy Russian River Valley Viognier $19.50/$/$Crisp melon on the nose that was even crisper as it passed over my palate. Along the way it picked up some lemon and a hint of Fiji apple. It was an excellent pairing with St. George cheese, which they often have in abundance, here. If not for the fact that we purchased 2 cases in the last 12 months, I would have included it in my final order.

2010 Novy Blanc de Noir Willamette ValleySo they characterized this as a sparkling wine without the bubbles…and they were right. It smelled like a typical brut sparkling wine…and it tasted of one, too. It was dry to the point of astringent and lemony. All I could say was “holy sheisse!”

2009 Novy Keefer Ranch Chardonnay $19.50/$/$20As chardonnays go, these days, this is pretty standard. In an effort to appeal to those who miss a buttery chard (of which, I confess, I’m one), the nose is nice and creamy, with light buttery notes and French oak. To further broaden their demographic, the winemakers are making the palate nice and clean. They typically do this by blending it with chardonnay they’ve aged in stainless steel. The lemon, pear, and green apple integrated subtly on the palate. When I say green apple, though, I mean an apple that is not yet ripe. The ironic thing about this wine was that Lisa enjoyed it more, and bought a bottle…and then, this week, I accidentally drank it…and it showed a lot better than it did at the winery.

2010 Novy Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc $19.50/$/$22Crisp, clean nose, implying stainless steel fermentation. The palate was a pleasant surprise, full of pink grapefruit softened with some notes of melon. This is one of the softest sau blancs I’ve had in a while. It’s really, quite good!

2010 Siduri Chehelam Mountains Pinot Noir $30/$/$30I wasn’t really sure what I was smelling on the nose. If it’s a fruit, it’s a dried fruit and dried herbs. The palate doesn’t really follow. Nice mild dried strawberry with a pile of black cherry. It’s actually quite nice for $30.

2010 Siduri Hawk’s View Vineyard Pinot Noir $39/$/$Dried fruit on the nose, probably black cherry. The palate was spicy with notes of dried fruit. I found it a bit lackluster.

2010 Siduri Sonatera Pinot Noir $49/$/$40I’ve been a Sonatera fan for years, but they’re grapes tend to lack a little consistency from year-to-year. What I enjoy about Sonatera is that it’s a Sonoma Coast vineyard and they are among my favorite AVAs for Pinot Noir. This one is a classic Sonoma Coast wine. It has good balance of spice, red fruit (mild strawberry, cherry), and forest floor, with a medium body.

2010 Siduri Lewis Vineyard Pinot Noir $45/$/$45Another medium-bodied Pinot Noir with rich color. The spicy, red cherry and dark fruits draws you in on the nose. The palate is BIG! The tannins are mild because the red fruits attack you!

2010 Siduri Ewald Vineyard Pinot Noir $45/$/$50Fantastic nose! Deep color & consistency. Medium-to-full body. The rich, baked fruit flavors were delicious!

2009 Siduri Cargasacchi Vineyard Pinot Noir $50/$/$It smelled as though it was pulled out of an old cellar…a bit musty, with forest floor. The palate was nice with dark herbs/fruits, and cinnamon.

2009 Siduri Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir $30/$/$This is a blend of Cargasacchi and Clos Pepe. It adds the bright fruit of the Clos Pepe to the nose with mild tobacco, dark plum and mild strawberry. When it’s all said and done, I love the 2008 vintage sooo much better for the same price.

2010 Siduri Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir $30/$/$Another blend. This time a blend of Sonatera, Hirsch, and Ivywood Vineyards. Peppery nose with a cinnamon finish. It impressed me as more of a food wine, but good, nonetheless.

I’m sorry to say that this is where I “fell-out”, as we’d say in the military. Fortunately, my trusty sidekick picked up the slack for us all. The following are the unabridged notes from Lisa. If it comes across in as a foreign language, there’s not much I can do about it… Hell, I’m not even sure I’m reading her handwriting all that well.
2010 Siduri Hirsch Vineyard Pinot Noir $50
The longer this stays in the glass, the better it smells. A nice, rich, warm fruit dish pie & cinnamon.

2010 Siduri Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir $30Sierra Mar, Gary’s Vineyard & Rosella’s Vineyard – Very accessible fruit on the nose. I can smell Gary’s Vineyard and am losing the nose.

2010 Siduri Rosella’s Vineyard Pinot Noir $49Rich spice, a little smoky. Smells like it’s had the fog come in and settle a bit. Nice full body. Definitely an upper-end wine.

2010 Novy Four Mile Creek Red Table Wine $10No nose. Serve to family who buys 2-buck Chuck.

2007 Novy Stolpman Vineyard Nebbiolo $19Jamie says kind of a caramel flavor. Did not care for it.

2010 Novy Russian River Valley Zinfandel $19.50Very fruit forward zinfandel. Med nose, palate has little finish, but nice easy drinker.

2009 Novy Christensen Vineyard Syrah $29Bold, spicy nose; palate is also spicy, tannic.

2009 Novy Simpson Vineyard Syrah $29First bottle was corked. Fantastic, just like every year.

2009 Novy Santa Lucia Highlands Syrah $27Can smell Gary’s [Vineyard]. Full, spicy, easy to drink.

2009 Novy Rosella’s Vineyard Syrah $29Has a nice nose, not a lot of structure.

2009 Novy Gary’s Vineyard Syrah $33Smells a little mildew, but not corked. Doesn’t follow the others.

2010 Novy Oley Late Harvest Viognier
Almost as great as last year (2009).

Russian Hill Estate

Going from Woodenhead to Russian Hill was a tasting trip in reverse. At Woodenhead, they were tasting out of the barrel, but not selling futures. Russian Hill opted out of the event altogether this year, which, based upon past years, was very disappointing. Case in point, we were making this stop to pick up both syrah and pinot noir from last year. We still took the time to taste their wines though, and it was worthwhile.
Odd story about this pinot noir… The winery decided to engage their customers in the naming process. One year later, they couldn’t release the wine because none of the submissions were either appropriate or legal. People…what are you going to do?

2008 Chardonnay Gail Ann’s Vineyard $32//French oak smell – soft lemon, and lightly buttery. It was aged 50/50 in French oak and stainless steel. It was left 10 months on the lees. Surprisingly, the palate was crisp & lemony (lightly). As further tasting will reveal this weekend, this seems to be the pervasive theme for chardonnays – soft, buttery, creamy nose, but crisp, tart, and clean on the palate.

2008 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir $36/-/$34Enticing nose of baked spices, cherry, and strawberry. Mild soft tannins with a medium body on the palate that follows throughout.

2008 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Estate Grown $36/-/$36Same baked spices with hints of vanilla and cherry (both bing and black). It’s medium bodied with palate follow-through.

2008 Pinot Noir Tara VineyardStronger baked spices with a little cherry on the nose, but no less appealing. No tannic finish – pretty clean with some mild cinnamon.

2008 Russian River Valley Estate Vineyard SyrahThe nose is muted with hints of a velvety finish. It’s showing nicely and suitable for pairing with a peppery dinner.

Joseph Swan

This is our first stop of the day. I have futures to pick up and I’m curious as to how they survived the 2010 Zinfandel crisis (85% of the grapes practically fell off the vines). As it turns out, they don’t bother…

2010 Trenton Station Syrah (futures) $180 per case/ -This has no nose of oak, just rich blackberry, plum and a mild red currant. It has big spiciness on the palate, with real oak and little else – the other flavors are hiding and will certainly appear in a couple of years.

2010 Trenton Estate Syrah (futures) $240 per caseThis is the richest nose on a syrah that I’ve had in a while! Deep, dark, red fruits… If red fruits had a continent, these would be from Africa; blackberry, black cherry, black currant. The palate introduced a new quality that is hard to put my finger on. The fruit is blanketed by a soft spice that I can’t discern. It may be the tannins, but I don’t know… ARGH! All in all, it’s worth the gamble.

2010 Great Oak Syrah (futures) $240 per caseBlackberry, raspberry, with hints of vanilla bouquet. Wow! That’s really young! It’s full of oak and tannins and little else. It doesn’t lack structure for aging, that’s for sure.

2011 Carignane Cotes du Rosa (futures) $210 per caseFlat, light-bodied Carignane with little character and mostly earthy notes. It should be aged in oak a lot longer. It’s going to be bottled after the 2012 harvest, but it could use a lot more time than that.

2010 Tannat Matthew’s Station (futures) $225 per caseI struggled to pull the nose out this glass, it may simply need to open. It doesn’t present a great deal of structure, but the palate has some red currant, a little smokiness, and green vegetable.
This is used as a blending win in France, it’s grown to add color and velvety finish (tannic) but this one clone has a mild character to it that has unique appeal…just not to me.

2005 Russian River Valley Syrah Great Oak VineyardI like the blackberry, black cherry nose. The color is deep and dark, but a lot more tannic than I expected.

2007 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Trenton View $32/$28/$30Soft cooking spice on the nose. This is a commonly nice Pinot Noir. The red fruit is shy but appealing. If this is a competition, then it doesn’t stand out.

Mazzocco

As club members to Mazzocco and the Wilson family of wineries (which also includes Wilson, Matrix, DeLorimier, and Soda Rock), we have found value in their wines over the years. They are consistently successful in winning awards for their zinfandels, and for good reasons. The complaint that we consistently have, however, is management of their club and tasting room. In October, we stopped in to see if we could pick up our club case so that we could transport it back with us. In spite of the fact that they were one (1) day away from "releasing" the club shipment, they wouldn't accommodate us. In years prior, we would see the club shipment hit our credit cards without so much as an enthusiasm-generating heads-up email. The 99% of us who actually care about such things like a little warning when $400 affects our finances (especially before holiday shopping season). This year, as we concluded our transaction, little attention was given to securing our personal/financial information after we completed the transaction for the futures. In other words, the signed receipt and futures form was left out on the counter, unattended as we left the winery. Oh, and for what it's worth, they couldn't provide us March's club shipment...It had apparently shipped the day before. I can't remember a single time when we've left here and haven't felt like dumping the club. It must the be wine that keeps us from it...

2011 Zinfandel Sullivan (futures) $34/$24/$20The bouquet is undeveloped, but the palate is light-bodied with bright red fruits, such mild strawberry, red currant, and mild raspberry. This is an easy-drinking wine that I’d buy and drink…if it was already bottled. This isn’t a wine that I’d want to commit $268 (club prices) worth of cash outlay, much less the full price outlay.

2011 Zinfandel Stone (futures) $34/$24/$32Very characteristic STONE wine. Even as young as it is, the oak is subtle, revealing the bright red fruits and a splash of dark fruit for body and flavor. The acidity on the palate reminds you that it’s a zinfandel, with cassis, currant (both black and red), raspberry and a splash of blackberry. This is a crowd pleaser at any event and usually worth the wait.

2011 Zinfandel Smith Orchard Reserve (futures) $52/$37/ -Far less fruit and more herbaceous in flavor and nose. This is a wine that is usually fantastic…I don’t know how this vintage is going to fair. It’s too young, too oaky, with nothing on the nose and little more on the palate. This is another thing that annoys me about Mazzocco; they barrel taste zins from the most recent harvest. This is exactly the reason we haven't gone back to Wilson Wines since our first year of barrel tasting; they served a syrah from the recent harvest and it was still effervescent from the fermenting process!

2011 Zinfandel Seaton (futures) $34/$24/-Even better nose than the Stone , but still a little too young to judge on the palate. This could go as a big, well-loved Mazzocco zinfandel. -Lisa

Fritz

We started our odyssey at Fritz on Friday, this year, but was surprised to see that the tasting was from bottled samples, through no fault of the winery, however. The Wine Road event organizers bungled and ignored Fritz's communiques that they wouldn't be participating on Friday's. Being the professionals that they are, Fritz accommodated those who were signed up to start there, anyway, and poured from barrel samples that had been bottled (as a contingency).

Now, on to the wine!

This is really a place where you need to inquire/coax/cajole/seduce your way into their reserve offerings. As much as I have enjoyed their estate grown wines over the years, their reserve wines are...well...reserve quality.

2010 Vino Valpredo Bianca Mia $14/$11/$12
Chardonnay/Sau Blanc Blend: bright melon on the nose. Light-bodied palate, with mild, crisp lemon and cumquat. If you don’t care for Sau Blanc, but would like a light, crisp, palate-cleanser, then this is a good buy.

2009 Vino Valpredo Squeezebox Red $20/$16/$17Zinfandel/Syrah/Cabernet Sauvignon Blend: The nose is very enticing with delicious, sexy flavors. The palate is light-bodied, implying a mild summer blend. I would positively LOVE this wine if it had just a bit more body...but then again, I'm partial to full bodies (wink).

2008 Estate Zinfandel $25/$20/$20The nose on this has changed ethnicity; this wine has historically been full of anise on the nose, but this has a new breed in it. The anise is gone and in its place is black currant, rhubarb pie, and brambles…yes, brambles. As it rolls over the palate, this zin demonstrates an identity crisis. Light-to-medium bodied, typical of their wines, but this is a zin wanting to be a syrah… which explains the nose. Don’t mistake me, it’s a nice zin, but you should definitely set the appropriate expectations for yourself.
“I don’t know…I’m too confused.”-Lisa

2007 Dry Creek Valley Syrah $30/$24/-You can get a sense of the body on the nose, but the flavors are muted. It could be that it simply needs to warm up, a bit.

“Ahhh! There it is!”-Lisa

The tannins on the edge of the nose find their way into the open on the palate. The nose of modest earth, dark, slightly bitter fruits, greets you more assertively on the palate. As syrahs go, it’s not bad and you’d find it quite suitable for a relaxing day alone, but if you’re looking for a syrah to plant your petunias in, this isn’t it.

2010 Estate Malbec (futures) $40/$28/-Fully engaging nose with a bit of tobacco, wood, then it settles down quickly and loses that nose leaving just the earthy skin. The mouth feels more fruit than the nose did, but I struggle to name them. -Lisa

This one is still young and woody for me, hiding the fruit inside. I’d be curious to see what it’s like in a couple of years, but not curious enough to buy it on futures. As a club member, I’ll get a bottle in June. If you're not a club member, sign up. If you're not going to sign up, get a half case of futures and lay it down for a year or two.

2011 Reserve Zinfandel (futures) $50/$32.5/$24Aha! Now this is the Fritz zin, I know! The nose has the appeal of old, with bright fruits and a splash of red currant. The woodines on the palate leaves me with “holy oak, batman”, but it gives me the sense that it’ll mature w/ time. The palate does follow with appropriate hints of red currant, a watered-down plum and very mild pepper. This’ll be another club bottle, and I have no qualms about waiting for that.

So, this is one of the things I love about Fritz... After sampling their wines for the day, Brad Longton (the winemaker) passed through the tasting room, recognized us, and took time to stop and chat about his wines. (My best attempt at name-dropping...) In the course of our conversation, Lisa solicited his personal recommendations, that we might use to augment our purchase. The following is the fruits of her efforts (that pun was for you, honey).

2010 Jenner $25/$18/ $29

This has a lot more cherry, and frankly, alcohol on the palate. The nose is a clean, crisp pinot with all the right red fruits, and I’m drinking it cold. As this warms up, the rich spices begin to show on the nose and palate. This is a fantastic pinot that is completely drink now! -Lisa

The more it warms up, the more the body and fruit reveals itself. So smooth and delicious, this is an everyday pinot with a green closure that means “GO”!

2009 Lost Canyon Pinot Noir Morelli Lane Vineyard $45/$34 /$39The mouth feel on this wine is perfect! This is how all wines (at least all pinot’s) should feel. The nose is all about green leaves (winemaker says tea). The palate is a little puzzle, because the nose says green, but the palate says red dark current…just light. -Lisa

Slightly herbaceous and slightly sweet flower on the nose. I agree with green tea aroma suggestion. The mouth feel is soft and cleansing. I prefer a less acidic pinot, but this has a place on every table.

2009 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel Reserve $50/$40/$44Smelled a wonderful rich, dark strawberry and deep red fruit with full earth and body. I have no idea how to aptly describe this zinfandel when it is such a full fruit palate without loss of body. Wonderful. -Lisa

Blackcurrant (but no anise) dominates the flavors on the palate in such an appealing way that you don’t want to set down the glass to eat anything! (or take notes!) The nose sucks you in with the complex blend of dark black fruits. The body is heavier than any zin they’ve produced in recent memory and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!

2012 Barrel Tasting

Let the games begin! It's that time of year again when the winemakers are anxious to get some feedback on their "brews" still stewing in the barrels. (They'll kill me for mixing non-wine metaphors.) And let the feedback come in the form of cha-ching$$! Futures are a fantastic way to stake your claim to the last remaining "gold" in northern California. It also keeps the wineries afloat for another season (wink - just kidding).

All right, enough blathering... We're going to take a slightly different tack this year. Yes, we'll make some standard stops (if for no other reason than to pick up last year's futures), but we'll be invading some new territory, as well. Spontaneity is the word of the day (if I can spell it right).

Friday
Fritz - of course
Mazzocco - to beat the weekend rush
Freemark Abbey - wait, what?! They're in St. Helena, not Sonoma... Yep, I wanted to return to Napa Valley for a quick stop or two before the weekend swarm.
Grgich Hills - ugh. More to follow on this stop...
Jessup Cellars - Wine club pickup and a surprise in the chardonnay department...

Saturday
Joseph Swan - Picking up last year's

Woodenhead - New place to try; discovered that they don't SELL futures

Russian Hill - Opted out of barrel tasting this year, but it's worth a stop (and a pickup)

Siduri/Novy - Met friends here in the p.m. Learned something new...Always make this your FIRST stop

Sheldon Wines

Sunday

Windsor Oaks

Sapphire Hill

Lessons Learned from this year's event:

1. Going into the weekend without so much as a rudimentary plan will really limit the number of places you end up going. This year was eleven (11)...a far cry fewer than any years past. As a consequence, we missed (yet again) A. Rafanelli. Spontaneity has its consequences.

2. Two bodies intersecting at a tangent, share energy, in pursuit of equilibrium. In other words, if you find yourself off tasting on your own "path" and agree to meet another group, on THEIR own path for just one stop, you will find that you're respective momentums will be dramatically reduced. Such was the case on Saturday @ Siduri. The stop lasted 2.5 hours, twice as long as it would have if both groups had started/ended the day on the exact same path.

3. If you want to go out to wine country during the wine tasting event, but don't want to particpate, you may have a problem. I learned for the first time that wineries (who are particpating) are not allowed ANY tasting for patrons who haven't purchased the tickets. You're not even allowed to PAY for a tasting.

4. I think I'm going to stop measuring our "success" by the number of wineries and, instead, measure it by the number of wines tasted. We made two stops this weekend that, by most measures, would be considered 3 stops, each! We tasted two dozen wines at Siduri and Windsor Oaks, each!

5. With all of the wine tasting at one stop, I need to come up with a new way to "slow the sizzle" of my palate. After a certain number of wines, my tongue is fried (and so is my ability to make subtle/substantial distinctions in flavors. What the hell's the point, then?