Fresh off vacation and I’m feeling replenished and inspired. Spending 4 days in Sonoma amongst the vineyards will do that to you. Siege and I made our home base in a Windsor timeshare thanks to our longtime pal Mikey. For geographical clarity, Windsor sits just North of Santa Rosa off Highway 101. A sleepy little town with what I am certain is the cleanest “downtown” I’ve seen in my life. I mean freaky clean! I was looking for garbage on the floor, a tossed chip bag or gum wrapper- something! Not a bad thing though. If nothing else Windsor is a cool place to leisurely stroll around the “Windsor Town Green” slurping down gelato from Powell’s Sweet Shop.Okay, so we didn’t drive all that way to walk around a meticulously kept town center. We were in search of summer wine. The type of wine you could bust out on a scorching Sacramento afternoon and feel good about it. Sipping a robust, intense Cabernet, Merlot, or even Syrah in the dog days of summer just doesn’t do it for me. Now, I could totally get down with some lighter varietals: Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, any of these will do. This is not to suggest that most reds sit collecting dust during the hotter months of the year. Zinfandel is great for pairing with nicely charred meats, burgers and such. Barbera, too, can take grilled chicken and balsamic glazed veg to the next level.
With our quest, the open road before us, and nothing but time, we set out for Anderson Valley (AV). This AVA (American Viticulture Area) has built quite a reputation over the years for churning out some great Pinot Noir. I’ve also read great things about the production of Riesling and Gewurztraminer. The Anderson Valley is a stunning piece of California land, located just less than 100 miles north of San Francisco. The climate is ideal for the aforementioned Pinot Noir, due to the sunny warm days and the fog that rolls in off the coast in the morning and at night. Sounds like a perfect place to grab some tasty grape juice to beat the heat.
A word to the wise, if you plan on visiting this lovely slice of wine country, keep in mind, these wineries are truly generous with their pours (not necessarily a bad thing), so take it slow and be responsible. There, I’ve made my obligatory PSA for the year! Another bonus- out of the four tasting rooms the highest charge was a mere $6.
The first winery we visited was Breggo Cellars. Despite one of the tasting room sales associates having just a smidge too much sarcasm and attitude, the wine was killer and the overall experience was good. Most of the wines we tried were more than palatable and well priced, but the varietal that we enjoyed the most was their 2008 Anderson Valley Gewurztraminer. It had a very pleasing bouquet and taste. I can safely describe it as being both exotic and refreshing all at the same time!
At the suggestion of our hosts from Breggo, we turned our attention to Roederer Estate a few miles up the road. After sampling some 8 or 9 different wines at Breggo, we were in dire need of even tastier beverages to quench and cleanse the palate. Roederer seemed to fit the bill. Roederer offers a number of great values in the world of sparkling wine. Both of us enjoyed pretty much everything we tried, but the warmth of the tasting facility tainted the experience. It felt like it was 85 degrees in there! Needless to say, we made our visit short and sweet and moved on to confines of our air-conditioned vehicle in search of a couple more winery gems.
Thus far, Siege and I having already consumed what we considered world class Pinot, Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Champagne, we wondered if the fantastic voyage would continue. And that’s when we came to Navarro Vineyards. Aside from being a beautiful place with gorgeous views, we found the wines to be less than memorable. If you’re going for sheer quantity, though, this is your place. You'll have your choice of 14 or 15 wines and no tasting fee.
All is not lost SG readers! The day ended on a high note as we made our way to Toulouse Vineyards. A small producer of very fine wines including: Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, and Riesling. All of which were very well made and extremely drinkable. The staff at Toulouse were laid back, unpretentious, helpful and friendly. It’s one of those tasting rooms where you drive up to along an unpaved road to a barn/shed structure and say to yourself, “Is this the tasting room or are we shooting the Texas Chainsaw Massacre part 4: Terror in Terroir.” Let me assure you, there was nothing frightening or scary about this place, just high quality grape juice in rural Mendocino County. Our favorite was the 2008 Rose of Pinot Noir. It was a beautiful refreshing example of the quintessential summer wine, the perfect way to end our day in the AV.
