Sonoma County

• Alexander Valley
• Bennett Valley
• Best of Sonoma
• Dry Creek Valley
• Fort Ross/Seaview
• Moon Mountain
• Pine Mountain - Cloverdale Peak
• Russian River Valley
• Sonoma Coast
• Sonoma Mountain
• Sonoma Valley
• Knights Valley

This was meeting an old friend.  I used to drink this wine quite a bit but had not had it for quite some time.  It just sort of fell out of the rotation for no particular reason and that is a shame.  It is still top notch.  A blend of 68% Zinfandel, 18% Carignan, 12% Petite Sirah and 2% Alicante Bouschet, this is a wine that drinks well young or old but the profile will change depending on which varietals are showing more at that time.  Purple in color with a ruby rim.  The nose is nice with black cherries, slight black raspberries herbal notes and pepper.  Medium to full bodied.  On the pa

This is another take on fruit from this vineyard by a quality producer.  It is a bit lower in ripeness and alcohol than the other producers I have tried but just as good.  Deep ruby in color with some purple swirls.  On the nose there is cherries, slight sour cherries, still a bit of bramble and a hint of gravel.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is concentrated with nice energy.  Cherry and black cherry fruit over minerality.  Some depth and complexity.  Delicious.  Juicy acidity.  Nice finish.  This is drinking quite well and is at the point of turning more claret in style.  Whether you

This is this excellent Zinfandel producer's basic wine.  It is a very nice value.  In terms of style, it is middle of the road between a fruit bomb and a claret styled Zin.  Purple in color with some ruby swirls.  The nose is nice with cherries, black cherries, slight char and bramble.  On the palate, the cherries come thru.  This drinks easy with a slight complexity.  Some cough syrupy notes on the finish.  This probably should be consumed over the next three to five years.  Nice on its own, this will work well with burgers or ribs off the grill.  

Nice to be able to try this with a bit of age on it.  Deeper cherry red in color, clear and bright.  The nose has cherry lozenges, slight mushrooms and dust.  On the palate, this has a full bodied, juicy texture.  Cherry candies/lozenges.  The bottle lists 14.6% abv but it seems higher both in texture and warmth on the finish.  That said, this is enjoyable and probably better as a cocktail than at the dinner table.  It could probably hold up with a grilled steak.  It probably should be drunk in the next few years.  

This is a pretty classic RRV Pinot Noir.  It skirts the line between elegance and brawn nicely.  A nice value for a Pinot Noir of this quality.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has sour cherries, slight root beer, and baking spices.  Really a great texture.  Creamy but with some cut to it.  It dances on the palate which has plenty of cherry fruit and sunshine.  Slight char note underlying the fruit.  Nice finish.  This is young and needs some cellaring or air.  It unwinds a bit in the glass but gives the impression of more to come.  It should be cellared for three to five more ye

Interesting Trivia bit - The original owners of Lanmark were descendants of John Deere of Tractor fame.  Overlook was the name of John Deere's home in Illinois.  The wine is sourced from various locations around Sonoma County.  This is an outstanding value in Chardonnay.  They produce quite a bit of it yet manage to be very consistent from vintage to vintage and bottle to bottle.  It barrel fermented and spends 25% in new French oak.  The lees are stirred every two weeks as it goes thru full malolactic fermentation.  It is green/gold in color.  The nose is very nice with vanilla and peaches

This is a new winery for me to try.  Golden in color.  The nose shows vanilla with peaches.  On the palate, this is medium bodied.  Some peach and grapefruit.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  Overall, a very pleasant Chardonnay.  It drinks well on its own now and will work with lighter fare.  Drink this over the next five to seven years.  

This is starting to show some age.  For me, that is a great thing, but others mileage may vary.  There is also a fair amount of oak present, so oakaphobes, be warned.  Green/golden in color.  The nose has lots of fresh cut timber, some spice, grapefruit and lemon cream.  On the palate, this is full bodied.  Lush texture but enough cut to keep it lively.  Lots of lemons and lemon peel.  Long finish.  This showed better on night 2 with a bit more air to round things out.  It is drinking well now and should conitnue to drink well for another seven to ten years depending how you like older wine

This was the winner of a recent tasting of California Chardonnays.  Very impressive showing and much better than expected.  I have always like their reds, but I believe this was the first Chardonnay I have tried from them.  Green gold in color.  The nose is really interesting with ginger ale notes along with nice minerality and slight pears.  On the palate, this is clean with great minerality.  Just a slight kiss of vanilla.  Deep with a nice complexity.  This didn't change much over night two.  It should make great drinking over the next five to seven years but likely longer if well stored