Anniversary in Sonoma

My wife and I just came back from a trip to Sonoma which was intended to celebrate our second wedding anniversary.....and celebrate we did for sure!  We started with a couple of days in Monterey and Carmel, then drove north to Healdsburg where we stayed for 3 nights.  On our second day in Healdsburg we had to go back to what was one of our favorite wineries, Gary Farrell.  This is a small tasting room full of some of the most amazing Russian River and Carneros Pinot Noir's I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing, overlooking the best view of the Russian River region of Northern Sonoma. 

We were promptly greeted by Steve, who's business card identified him only as "hospitality".  We were not particularly interested in trying all of the common wines they would be pouring for the average visitor, only a couple of the select Pinot's, so we asked if that was ok.  Steve not only accepted our proposal, but offered to raise the bar and show us some Pinot's that he thought were exceptional or different that were not on the menu.

After trying a bunch of wines and generally socializing with the staff, we decided to buy two new bottles for our cellar:  a 2008 Ramal Vineyard Carneros Pinot Noir and a 2009 Rochioli Vineyard Russian River Pinor Noir.  While we waited to check out we mentioned to Steve how we would be going to one of the best restaurants in the US for dinner on that Thursday, Cyrus (http://www.cyrusrestaurant.com/).  Steve told us he had to get the 2008 from the cellar and came back with 3 bottles in hand.  He put our 2008 in a bag and handed it over, put one other mystery bottle in a bag and then opened the 3rd and told us to try it.  This was the 2006 Hallberg Vineyard Pinot Noir and it was absolutely wonderful....smokey, minerally, lots of fruit and acid, really a great Pinot.  Once he saw our approval, he handed us the 3rd bag and said "happy anniversary".  Yes, Steve gave us a $60 bottle of wine to take to dinner with us as a gift.

Obviously this is a great story if we ended there, but its not over!

On Friday, the day after the magical dinner at Cyrus and the consumption of that  wonderful wine, we went back to Gary Farrell winery with a token of appreciation for Steve.  Cyrus prints out the menu of everything you consume on a fancy stationary after you complete your meal.  We had them print two, one of which we wrote a thank you note inside of and brought it back to Steve.  He was visible touched by the sentiment.  He then reciprocated by handing us back a menu.....

This menu was the Gary Farrell Library catalogue, containing 2005-2009 of many of the wines we have grown to love.  Steve simply said, "what are we trying today?" and off we went on yet another amazing journey.  Two and a half hours and countless great bottles later, again we found two bottles we really felt would compliment our collection and purchased them.  Steve again went to the cellar, again brought back more bottles than necessary and again gave us an anniversary gift.....this time, the 2007 Hallberg Pinot Noir, another $60 bottle.

Some may notice above that I said Gary Farrell WAS one of our favorite wineries.  What I mean by that is now it it not just one of, it truly is THE BEST winery we have ever visited and we are waiting on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to change the laws so we can join the club there.  Granted, this is not a winery for the stingy as we spent over $200 on the 4 bottles of wine we purchased.  However, when you factor in the experience, the quality, the view and the "hospitality", not to mention the $120 in free wine we were provided for our anniversary, I can confidently say this is money well spent.

Tip of the Cap to Local Wines

It has been a while since I posted to this blog and a realized that I was way overdue. I have had a lot of wine-based experiences since my last post. After a honeymoon spent Rome-ing through Tuscany and the Amalfi coast of Italy, I have traveled to and through the Oregon and Washington State wine terroirs, and even spent an anniversary in the footsteps of Thomas Jefferson in and around Monticello and the Virgina wine country. Obviously all of these would provide plenty of information worthy of entry into this blog, and eventually I will get there. However, today's post is going to be a tip of the cap to the local wines in the Massachusetts and Rhode Island area that we spend much of our free time visiting and much of our liquid assets supporting.

I will start with what may be one of the largest wineries in the state of Massachusetts, Nashoba Valley Winery in Bolton, MA. If we were to rewind the clock about 5 years I would tell you how I was sick of going to Nashoba and always tasting the same week grape varietals and a bunch of fruit wine that could have been served at my Bar Mitzvah....but that has certainly changed. The newer wines coming out of this place are great! Most of the fruit is local, with a portion of the more difficult to acquire grapes being shipped in. The body, color, diversity and every other possible characteristic I can use have all improved. The only negative is the pricing has increased to reflect the change, but they are worth it in many cases. Some of the best options here are their Dry Blueberry, Merlot and Cyser. For those that have a taste for something with a little more alcohol than the typical wine, I would also HIGHLY recommend the Nashoba Gin called "The Perfect 10". And as if you needed more reasons to travel to Bolton (about 45 minutes west of Boston), the restaurant at the winery, "J's", may be one of the best restaurants in New England for farm-to-table, elegant cuisine.

The next winery worth of mention is a favorite of ours... Just over the southern border of Massachusetts into Little Compton, RI is Sakonnet Vineyards. Sure, there are 3-4 other wineries in this general area of Rhode Island, but not a single one of the others deserves mention. Sakonnet is a family owned gem hidden down a road that paints a perfect picture of what New England used to be, dairy farms, fields of vegetables, older beach from homes, etc. The tasting room is large and the scene on the weekends tends to be very lively. All grapes are locally grown and no random fruit wines are here to spoil the party. The wines of note here are the Rhode Island Red (a 3 grape blend NV), the Unoaked Chardonnay and the Cock of the Walk White table wine. Keep an eye on their website at www.sakonnetwine.com for events as they have great barrel tastings and other special offers.

Another winery of note, and easily added to the trip to Sakonnet, is called Running Brook Vineyard in N. Dartmouth, MA. This is another winery that 5-6 years back I would have told you to hold off on visiting. They have certainly grown into a wonderful family run little place. "Little" may not be the best label to use as they are currently in full production of 10 standard wines and seems to always have at least 10 more past vintages or up-and-coming bottles to pour a taste of. Their wines range from strong dry wines to be included with a beef pot roast all the way to delicate whites worthy of the flakiest New England broiled Cod or Sushi. Excellent wines, fun tasting room, great family....and locally sourced grapes!!

Finally I am going to throw out one more winery that is worthy of acknowledging on this entry. Wineries, outside of the traditional "wine countries" are far too often located just west of nowhere and miles from civilization. In the rather dated and supposedly soon to be gentrified city of New Bedford, MA is a small city store front that one would never know masks a wonderful little winery. Travessia Urban Winery is a very small facility that solely focuses on making wines using local Massachusetts grapes. Though only 6-7 wines exist at any given time and are often in extremely limited supply, this winery is a gem producing complex, palette pleasing masterpieces. I wont highlight a specific wine, just tell you its worth the trip and let them do the rest!

Artiste, the artful way of making wine

So I had some free time on a recent trip to California and decided to drive a little north of Santa Barbara to the town of Solvang. First off, let me describe Solvang in very short form.....its like stepping out of the boat while floating through the "Its a Small World" ride at Disney. Built to look like a neighborhood in Copenhagen, this European inspired little city is far from the usual hustle and bustle of California. While the main road in the center of town is very busy and can be tricky to walk accross, a leisurely stroll through the town will bring you to many shops, bakeries, and wine tourist traps worth a peek.



Just down highway 246, on the other side of Solvang from the 101, you will reach Refugio Rd. If you take a right you will drive down along some vineyards and eventually find Kalyra and Sunstone Wineries. Both are great stops, but we will save them for another time.



Just past Refugio Rd you will reach Edison Rd. Take a left and then a quick Right and you will find another little street with stores and restaurants on both sides. On the left, in a little, minimal store front, is the tasting room for Artiste Winery (They also have one in Healdsburg). I was met by Lori who was full of knowledge about the winery, wine maker, and the art work that covers all of the walls.

The story of Artiste is simple.... They dont make basic wine. They only make blends, masterfully concocted from their own vineyards and some partners'. The labels are printed copies of local artists, many of whom were also on display in the tasting room. The wines are each named after the painting used for the label. All the wines are small batch, limited production, and once they have been sold out, they are never repeated again.

This is the type of wine I like to bring home, ones that there is NEVER a chance I will see again on a store shelf. To pick a single wine though was a challenge, and as such, I came back with two...

A Good Year is a blend of 2006 Malbec, 2005 Petit Verdot, 2005 Cabernet Franc, and 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a very fruit forward wine with only a slightly off-dry finish. Definitely meant for a healthy piece of meat, this wine is the ultimate bottle to open for dinner and keep with some chocolate for dessert.

Ascension is a very interesting wine. The blend of mostly Zinfandel, Petit Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot create a wonderful crowd pleaser with some good snobby complexity for the wanna-be sommelier in the room. The best way I can describe this is take the biggest, boldest Zinfandel wine you can find, and make it finish like a old-vine Cab. This is an incredible wine for those who just love to drink wine and I would highly recommend picking some up if you are up for the price tag.

As with many of the Santa Barbara Region wineries, quality comes at a price. Most of the wines at Artiste are well into the $40-50 range. Many more are above that. If you do go there though, ask for Lori and tell her that Rick's friend from Massachusetts sent you!!

The James Gang....

Just north of Santa Barbara, in the heart of California's central coast region, is the little town of Paso Robles. The town is made up of a bunch of vineyard, some rolling hills, a few windy canyon roads, the 101 and its exit roads. Down one of these, about 5 miles, on the right is a small saloon called Tobin James Cellars. I was brought here by Lindsey in an attempt to entertain my inner (and maybe not always so inner) Red Neck..... How is that possible? A winery that caters to the Bush beer drinkers of the world??
Tobin James Cellars (http://tobinjames.com/) is a very fun and energetic winery. The tasting room is built like a western saloon, somewhat reminiscent of the White Horse in Nashville, and country music fills the air. As you may have been able to figure out, I am a fan of all things country, so without having tasted a drop of wine I was already a fan. However, the appeal could have been short lived if the wine didnt hold up its end of the deal... ...and that it did with ease.
Typical of the Central Coast region of California, the best wines for Tobin James were really the Syrah's and Zin's. The Pinot's were decent, but a little light which is again typical of this region. Many of the wines available in the tasting room are also available on their website. As such, you may notice that the prices are very reasonable. Some of the most notable of these are the 2006 Notorious Cabernet. Many restaurants have this wine on their reserve lists, but it is a very approachable bottle at only $18. This is, by far, one of the smoothest Cab's you will ever have the pleasure of trying. Also of note is the Black Magic Petite Sirah. Considering the French nature of this varietal, the fruit is extreme and the finish is very delicate. Again, at $25, this is very affordable for a fine wine.
All of this sounds great and makes Tobin James a good place to visit, but I cant fail to mention The James Gang. This is the title of TJ's wine club. What really distinguishes The James Gang from other wine clubs is sheer size. The James Gang has over 9000 members worldwide. Additionally, this may be the ONLY winery I have been to in all of California that has confidently stated that they can and do ship to Massachusetts, direct to club members. Lance, the co-wine maker of Tobin James, ensures that shipments contain a great diversity of wine to make them well worth the money. I was sold!!
Now, in reading the details on the website about the $145 wine club shipments, one may not be overly impressed. The challenge is that the wines sent to The James Gang are not the wines sold to the public. Every shipment contains bottles that are from $30-60 each, making it a great value.
One of the wines that Lance informed me would be in the next shipment is the 2006 Fatboy Zinfandel. I am a big fan of Zin's from almost all regions. I have spent large amounts of money on great Zin's that I am scare to take out of my cellar. This wine, though not on the list, sells for $55 at the tasting room. I will drink the Fatboy when it arrives, though, as this may be one of the most amazing wines I have ever tasted. Zin's have a tendancy to be very big, very spicy, dry and peppery finishing and in urgent need of big food. The Fatboy is a definite exception. It is very fruit forward and purely enjoyable. Im sure, however, that it would complement a nice big piece of meat or some good BBQ just fine.
Maybe, for those of my friends paying attention to this blog, I will have to open this wine when I fire up my new grill this spring for all to enjoy!!

As Promised....Tin Barn Vineyards

As mentioned before, we stumbled upon this little group of wineries on 8th Street East, just outside of downtown Sonoma. Actually, here is the web link to learn more about them all: http://www.eighthstreetwineries.com/. The first one that we called on was Tin Barn Vineyards. It was Thursday, late afternoon, and I was told by the very welcoming voice on the phone that they were actually not open....but since she was there preparing shipments for the wine club we were welcome to come on in.
Tin Barn Vineyards, http://www.tinbarnvineyards.com/, was very appropriately named. It is in the back corner of a steel garage-like industrial building. Sandy Maus, who also handles marketing for all of the 8th Street East Wineries, was even nice enough to put the big plastic sign out to flag the very small door for us. Once inside, we easily could have mistaken this room for some of the downtown Sonoma tasting rooms. It was very inviting with a small bar and stools.
Sandy told us a little bit about the company. According to Sandy, and interesting to me was that the wine maker, Michael Lancaster, REFUSES to make a Chardonnay. And as such, their first pour of the day was an excellent Sauvignon Blanc. The 2006 Sauv Blanc was very crisp with a touch of citrus and a very clean finish. I would have stopped right there, but Sandy opened every bottle in the place for us to try and I couldnt let her down.
I had two favorites on this stop, but only one came with us. The Russian River Zinfandel was amazing, but has comparably large production volume and, as Tin Barn can ship through a 3rd party to MA, we opted not to take one home. The winner was....
2007 Carneros Pinot Noir. Only 98 cases of this wine was produced, but I would happily volunteer to drink them all on my own. This is a very food-friends Pinot. The initial fruit is very light as it is still a young wine, but the finish is not overly oaked or tanic...Surprising as it is was aged in 75% new French oak barrels. The price for a bottle of this gem is $34. I will tell you, it is money well spent. We didnt get this one all the way home. Instead, we finished it the night before we left with a meal at "The Girl and The Fig" in downtown Sonoma.
FYI --> The 2007 season was a near perfect one for the Sonoma area. This was especially true in the southern area where Carneros is located. However, it was considered to be a very low yield season so the expectation is that most wines of this vintage will have much lower production.