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

Certainly not as good as the 2017, I am wondering if I got an "off" bottle although there are no noticeable flaws.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has pears, apples with some minerality.  Also some fresh cut lumber.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is solid.  Apples with a touch of cut.  Moderate finish.  This is should appeal to a wide variety of people (although the price won't).  Drink over the next ten years.  It works better on its own but would work well with grilled salmon.  

This is a blend of 67% Barbera and 33% Sangiovese from Sonoma.  A very interesting take on "Italian Red".  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, black cherries, tree bark, and char.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, nice black cherry fruit with a touch of acidity.  A bit of smoke.  Nice finish.  This worked better with food.  It should be consumed over the next three to five years.   This worked well with pasta in a tomato sauce.  

This is a very nice white from the Bedrock stable of wines.  The vineyard was planted in 1954 as a field blend of Gewurztraminer, Trousseau Gris, Riesling, Roter Veltliner, and Chenin Blanc.  Light gold in color with some green hues, clear and bright.  The nose has minerality, peaches, and some grapefruit.  Light bodied.  On the palate, there is a nice complexity here.  Make sure it is not served too cold or that won't be as evident.  Notes of grapefruit, lemon and minerality swirl on the palate.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  Drink over the next few years.  This will work well with lighter

This is a nice, inexpensive Chardonnay.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has lemons, some apples and spice.  On the palate, this is crisp with apples.  Nice finish.  Serve chilled.  This should be consumed in the next year or two.  It is very food friendly and would work well with sea food or lighter foods.  

This is the base Chardonnay from Rivers-Marie but it is not too far off from the single vineyard wines.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is very nice with lemons, slight grapefruits, a touch of toast with some butter and a hint of vanilla.  Medium bodied.  Lots of energy and vibrancy.  On the palate, this is crisp with nice lemons and some vanilla with underlying char.  Nice finish.  Drinking well but should easily go another seven to ten years.  This went very well with assorted vegetarian dishes including roasted asparagus and eggplant.  

This has 99% Sauvignon Blanc and 1% Semillon.  A nice refreshing wine that is a great summer aperitif.  Very pale, slivery green in color.  The nose is interesting with orange citrus and lemon zest notes.  A nice, slightly creamy texture.  On the palate, flavors of grapefruit and grapefruit zest.  Some warmth on the finish.  With a bit of air, a Sweet-Tart quality comes out which is enjoyable.  This drinks nicely on its own but worked with tomato Bruschetta.  Drink over the next year.  Nice value.  

This is very nice but curiously seemed a bit behind the two prior vintages of this wine.  Perhaps a bit shutdown.  Still, it was very good. Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, slight smoke and an herbal streak (rosemary/tarragon?).  Medium bodied.  On the palate, there is nice cherry fruit, a bit stemmy with an underlying damp earthiness.  Moderate finish.  This will work better with food.  Pasta with mushrooms would be a nice choice.  It will be interesting to watch it develop Drink over the next five to seven years.  

This is 70% from the Napa side of Pride Mountain and 30% from the Sonoma side.  Very young but an excellent wine.  Long gone are the days of Bob Foley's full throttle wines from Pride.  Different, but just as good.  Purple in color with ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose shows cassis, spice, fresh tobacco and slight char.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, cassis and black cherry fruit with some tobacco and underlying earthiness.  Deep and complex if tight.  This will need about seven to ten years to develop to get near peak and then should drink for ten to fifteen

This is a nice Zin that takes its foot off the gas just a bit in this vintage.  Purple in color with some ruby swirls.  The nose has raspberries, slight bramble and spice.  Medium bodied.  14.8% ABV.  On the palate, raspberries with some underlying char and a bit of black pepper.  Nice finish.  This is the type of Zin that should age pretty well.  Drink over the next ten to twelve years.  This is probably better with food; pizza or a burger are nice choices.  

This is a nice, moderately priced California Cabernet.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, bell peppers, cherries and some spice.  Medium bodied with light tannins.  On the palate black cherry fruit with a touch of green bell pepper.  Moderate finish.  This drinks easily and although good on its own, is better with some food.  Chili is a nice match.  Drink over the next three to five years.