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

Anthill is a quality producer that makes wine at the more "elegant" side of the spectrum of California Pinots.  Ruby in color with some blue hues, a bit cloudy but bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, raspberries, slight hay, and spice.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is showing a nice complexity.  Flavors of cherries, black cherries and raspberries with a moist forest floor quality and some minerality.  Good finish.  This seems to be close to peak but may evolve as it matures further.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  Nice on its own but better with food,

One of the best "Classic" producers of California Pinot Noir.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is great with cherries, cherry blossoms, spice, slight fennel and char.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  Great acidity.  At age ten, this is getting close to mature but still very fresh, vibrant fruit.  Flavors of cherries, black cherries, spice and slight rose notes.  Long finish.  This should have another five to eight more years before it slowly fades.  Great with some cheeses, this will work on its own, but better with food.  A nice choice would a creamy Mushroom Chicken

My first time trying this Chardonnay made by  Michael Browne (formerly of  Kosta Browne).  I liked the wine but this is not the style of Chardonnay I look for.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is big  with marzipan, red apples, char, oak, vanilla and alcohol.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is a bit nutty with apples, char, oak and alcohol.  Long finish.  The oak, char and alcohol were somewhat difficult for my palate and these did calm down a bit on day 2.  Good acidity.  These may yet develop and turn out more to my liking with a few years rest.  Right now, these will be a

The Nightwing Chardonnay, which I have reviewed favorably for several vintages, again nails something unusual – a Chardonnay that encompasses all the best of Chardonnay from everywhere – great acidity, expressive fruit, tactile mouth feel, pure pleasure, and lastly, a great food companion. You’ll notice lemon meringue, apricot, white peach, Asian pear, blood orange, a whisper of butterscotch and resin, and lime kefir. Keeping the fruit lively the wine was barrel fermented, aged on the lees for 10 months and only used 23% new French oak.

The allure of Kosta Browne wines has been that, though they are very expressive wines, they are subtle. Shunning the in-your-face-Pinot-with-a-dash-of-Syrah, these wines are meant to reflect the place where they are grown, and the proof of this is that they taste like it. To further this point I received five Pinot Noirs to sample and opened one blind and tasted it. My first thought this was Sonoma Coast, and after looking at the label, it was.

Davis Bynum has a long history in Sonoma, dating back to the early 1970s and has long promoted Sonoma wine before Sonoma was known for its dynamic wines it is today. This 2022 uses six different Chardonnay clones from various blocks on their property to craft a classic Sonoma Chardonnay. You’ll find lemon curd, light resin, apricot, honeysuckle and white peach where the acidity supports the fruit.

As Pinot Noir goes, this is quite simply a very pretty wine. Sure, that’s not the sort of descriptor that most reviews use, but it is accurate. Subtle, soft, almost subversive, this is a Pinot that doesn’t announce itself, it doesn’t brag, it simply waits in the glass for you to try it. There is noticeable but subdued fruit; black cherry, pomegranate, Rainer cherry, light strawberry, pomegranate but they are wonderfully melded together so that nothing stands out – except for the quality of the wine in your glass at that moment.

California is making some very nice Albarinos these days.  At four years from vintage it might be worrying but this was sealed with a screw cap and the wine inside from fresh and bright.  Light green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with apples, peach and a stony minerality.  Medium bodied.  Slightly oily texture.  On the palate, this is more about fruit and some minerality than its crisper Spanish siblings.  It is filled with ripeness and body.  Flavors of red apples and peaches.  Good finish.  This works very nice on its own and would work well with lighter foods.  A nic

This is a blend of 86% Zinfandel with 14% other varietals from the Russian River Valley in Sonoma.  Of course, it is Mike Officer and Carlisle's home vineyard.  Purple in color with some ruby hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is energetic with black raspberries, black cherries, bramble, black pepper and spice (cloves?).  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  Great balance.  On the palate, this is young but really opens with an hour or two air.  Plenty of depth.  Flavors of black raspberries, black cherries, char and spice.  Juicy.  Long finish.  This is delicious on its own and will work

Another great GV from Carlisle.  This bears some resemblance to its Austrian counterparts, but is certainly from California.  Light gold/green in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with limes, granny smith apples and minerals.  Light to medium bodied.  Well balance.  Good acidity.  On the palate, limes, some apples and slight vanilla note.  Tasty.  This drink great on its own and will work well with lighter foods.  It would be a nice with with Quiche.  Drink over the next five to eight years.