Zaca Mesa

TRL/Staff/Wine: 9/9/9

This is a very large tasting room, accommodating at least 18 people. They only charge $10 for a tasting of nine wines, which is refunded with a purchase. This is a very club-worthy winery.

2009 Estate Z Gris: 16/12/9
Strawberry & citric with rose aromas.

2009 Estate Viognier: 20/16/22
No finish, but the nose is huge! Great and creamy, especially for a viognier! Very accessible for a white and good for a viognier. Fruity and floral.

2007 Estate Z blanc: 28/23/28
Very creamy; nice, smooth palate for a lovely pear and citrus nose. Easy to drink with a finish that sits on your palate without the acidity.

2006 Estate Grenache:
Smokey, nice full strawberry/raspberry Grenache – totally enjoyed this one.

2006 Estate Z Cuvee: 20/16/28
Blackberry/blueberry; easy quality, fantastic price.

2006 Syrah: 23/18/28
Spicy nose, some-to-none tannic structure. Spice comes through on the palate. Light-to-medium bodied. Dark wild berries with notes of violets.

2006 Z Three: 42/33/35
Syrah/mourvedre/Grenache. Nice, spicy nose and palate. Medium bodied; needs a little earthiness about it. Good wine for gamy meat.

2006 Estate Mesa Reserve Syrah (“The Mesa”): 42/33/42
Dark berries and beef on palate. Very beefy nose; grilled heaven. Classic syrah! Earthy palate, mouthfeel.

Firestone

TRL/Staff/Wine: 10/7/6

Generally speaking, all of the wines lacked structure and acidic backbone. The tasting room was huge, accommodating three dozen patrons (by my rough count) with charm and sophistication. Overall, the wines produced by this vintner left me with the impression that they were catering to a specific demographic; the young, emerging oenophiles with juvenile palates. The quality reaches new heights of mediocrity, which certainly has a profitable place in the market. Yes…I’m saying they sold out.

2007 Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County:25/19/29
Light nose, mildly spicy and semi-dried fruit (strawberry). Palate mirrors the nose with more “presence”. The right glass will mean the difference. Spice will emerge in the right glass.

2007 Cabernet Franc: 22/17/18
If you’re accustomed to Northern California Cab Francs, then this will befuddle you. It has none of the prominent characteristics you’d come to expect, such as the green pepper on the nose. It is a smooth, flavorful cab franc, nonetheless. It’s an inexpensive date, but not too cheap.

2006 Syrah: 18/14/18
Nose is bright with both fresh and dried cranberries, tempered with a little cassis. The palate speaks of a full-bodied Grenache, not a syrah.

2006 Lineage, Chairman Series: 35/26/-
This is their flagship Bordeaux blend (all five grapes). Northern California has an edge on this Bordeaux blend. Smooth, but the flavors are extremely muted! It has the body of a Pinot Noir and the flavors of…I don’t know what.

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Chairman Series: 35/26/30
No tannic structure. Simple plum/boysenberry. Nose holds back the flavors to come. The most flavorful, to be sure. If you’re introducing someone to Cabernet Sauvignon, this isn’t the one to choose.

Alma Rosa

TRL/Staff/Wine: 7/7/7

As with other wineries in Santa Barbara County, don’t forget the tasting fee. It’s often between $10 and $20. With the wines here, you’re going to be left to wonder how the wine will taste in the right glass. The tasting room was tiny, barely accommodating 5 at the bar.

2008 Clone 115 La Encantada Vineyard : 43/34/32
Uh…no. Young and acidic. The fruit is inaccessible.

2008 Clone 667 La Enacantada Vineyard Santa Rita Hills : 43/34/-
Nose and palate represent themselves as a Pinot Noir but just barely.

2008 Santa Rita Hills: 32/25/36
Nice. Accessible. Fair balance of fruit and spice with more toward the fruit. Well-priced and easy to drink anytime…alone. Stereotypical, basic Santa Rita Hills.

2007 Pinot Noir La Encantada Vineyard Santa Rita Hills: 43/34/36
The clone 667 with the Swan clone; nose is typical Swan but the palate has no spice balance, only simple red fruit.

Sanford

TRL/Staff/Wine: 9/8/8
Charming tasting room, set back from the road, overlooking the Santa Rita Hills. The bar presents their wines in nice burgundy glasses, as they should be. There won’t be any surprises when you get the wine home.

2007 La Riconada Vineyard Chardonnay : $38/$31/$31

Crisp nose with aromas of melon. The candied lemon peel flashes on the palate after the natural finish.

2007 La Entrada Chardonnay, Santa Rita Hills:$45/$36/30

Light on the nose. The palate is light-bodied, citrus.

2007 flor de campo, Santa Barbara County: $48/$38/-

Fermented in neutral oak. Full-bodied. Nose is peachy/nectarine, with hints of a sweet flower (jasmine, I think). Nice tree leaf (sweet), but not sure what it is.

2008 La Rinconada Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills: $54/$43/$43

Lots of cherries on the nose. Not any single cherry, but various species, including the sweet and spicy. The palate has mild spice, but no tannic structure. This is a nice pinot, with broad accessibility, but not for “discriminating tastes”.

2008 Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills: $60/$48/$47
Much more spice on the nose, with dried red fruit. Another accessible wine, but this has good character to it. The palate is more surprising as compared to the nose. Modestly bright, with spice to balance and linger. This one you want to drink in a relaxed, meant for long-lasting pleasure environment.

2007 Domino del Falcon Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills: $75/$60/$42

Made from a single block, implying limited production. Big spice on the nose. Light-bodied with delicate fruit on the palate. The spice on the nose is almost absent on the palate.

Gopfrich

It's always a pleasure to see Ray and Bonnie. You can't get a more intimate tasting experience that to be interacting solely with the grower/winemaker himself. Quiet, unassuming, and very charming, Ray Gopfrich is the quintessential boutique winemaker in Dry Creek Valley. Truth be told, Ray sells 90% of his grapes to other winemakers, which is why the available quantity under his label is so limited. It doesn't matter, though, if you remember to make his place an early stop.

(Read more about Gopfrich on the Reviews page.)

2008 Zinfandel (Futures)

Light bodied; mild fruit.

2008 Syrah (Futures): $22.50/-/$35

GREAT! Notes are tough to take as this is full-bodied and complex. Balanced fruit and spice; black cherry, mild anise, black currant. (split a case of futures)

2007 Zinfandel

Great nose. Very fruity & spicy (just enough).

2007 Syrah

Mild nose; light bodied. Fruit was very subtle. Not the best vintage for this wine. Under it's own power, I think it would have left a more favorable impression, but after the young, voluptuous 2008, it never stood a chance.

Sbragia

So, while Sbragia does have a barrel or two on their patio during this event, they don't sell it as futures. Quite frankly, they don't have trouble selling their inventory, but it never hurts to generate early enthusiasm for a release. In past years, they've been tasting the Gino's Vineyard Zinfandel, but it seems to be waning and, in its place, they're promoting their estate zinfandel (La Promessa). It's very different in character, but ultimately has broader appeal than the tightly balance Gino's had.

2009 La Promessa Zinfandel: -/-/$42

Very jammy nose. Yum! For a great open-it-up, jammy drink-of-fun. Do this one. (-Lisa)

2008 Schmidt Ranch Sauvignon Blanc

Too warm to taste.

2006 La Promessa Zinfandel: -/-/$30

Drier than the '09 - not as jammy. Still has fruit on the nose, but a lot more spice on the palate.

2006 Andolsen Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: $35/-/$43

Smells like toasted Italian/American meat sandwich and strawberries. (full case)

2006 Monte Rosso Cabernet Sauvignon: $50/-/$39

Notes of sesame seed. Good but the Andolsen is much more appealing. Personally, I've never been compelled by wines made from grapes from Monte Rosso.

2006 Cimarossa Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon: $75/-/$50

I enjoy Howell Mountain cabs (not as much as Mt. Veeder, but nonetheless...). This one was very smooth and would be great with any steak. Very well balanced. It was almost too big to be imbibed alone, unlike the preceding cabs.

Fritz

As I've likely mentioned in the past, Fritz is a regular stop when we're in Sonoma County. In earnest, we really like the wines here, the people are very personable, and the value of the wines are just right (not too cheap, not too expensive). When you return to a place year after year (albeit once or twice in that span) and the winemaker and tasting room staff recognizes you, why wouldn't you make a point to return every time? Of course, it's a lot easier to plan the stop when you have to pick up the futures from the year before (Lost Canyon Pinot, this year).

2009 Estate Reserve Zinfandel (Futures) : $192/$186/-

Very green but rich in color, texture. I'm almost always up for a half-case of Fritz Zinfandels (as evidenced by the verticals in my cellar), but it was hard to make the leap past the youth of this wine in the barrel. We're talking about 6 months in the barrel... I have faith that they'll produce a good wine. (half case purchased)

2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Grown (Futures): $240/$210

Blended with 6% Malbec. Good tannins; medium bodied with notes of black currant and a tart prune (as if there was such a thing). (half case purchased)

2007 Lost Canyon Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Saralee's Vineyard

You'll want to let this sit in the glass a bit, but opens to a nice fruit (subtle) and a lot of spice.

2007 Vino Valpredo Squeezebox Red

After everything we'd just had, this had a nice nose, but a bland palate.

2006 Estate Zinfandel

Truffles on the nose (unusual for their zinfandel) like you'd find on a petite verdot with just a touch of anise (very characteristic).

2007 Estate Reserve Zinfandel : $37/$30/-

Good zinfandel. It's nice to see them building distinctions in their offerings (adding Reserves for the more discriminating tastes/wallets). (half case)

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon: $35/$28/$30

Light to medium bodied. Bland palate.

2007 Late Harvest Zinfandel: $35/$28/$22

Good flavor with a rich body and strong fruit. The only aggravation I have with dessert wines is that, over the last five years, their price points have climbed faster than other wines. That's not an indictment on this wine, but just late harvest/port wines, in general.

2006 Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Weak, nice nose, but not all there. I suspect that tasting this after the late harvest zinfandel didn't do it justice. This is usually one of my favored cabs in Sonoma County.