| We were supposed to have been in Argentina last
year, but the pandemic delayed those plans. Postponing the
trip to this year didn’t work out either because Argentina
still won’t let us into the country. Argentina again
postponed to October 2022. As an alternative, we decided to
visit a wine region to which we have not yet been. The two
top choices were Sonoma Valley in California and Walla Walla
Valley in Washington. Sonoma won. Planning this trip included challenges that we have not faced before. Because most California counties are still imposing strict COVID-19 restrictions, we had to deal with the following:
With these factors in mind, we put together a short list of places that we wanted to visit. Our wine expert friends, Keith and Sara, gave us a TOP TEN list of vineyards that we used as a starting point for calculating the logistics. Because of the aforementioned restrictions, we were limited to three or four vineyards a day. |
| Day 0 – Arrival in Sonoma
|
Why not fly to an airport closer to Sonoma? No direct flights. Having to deal with the extra time required for connecting flights is bad enough, not to mention having to endure the mask mandates and social distancing nonsense. The flight to San Francisco was uneventful. Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge would have been a sight to see if it had not been shrouded in heavy fog. Then, a 90 minute drive north to Healdsburg brought is to the Camellia Inn. |
| When planning this trip, we wanted a Bed &
Breakfast experience and I found the Camellia Inn:
Victorian, built in the late 1800s, with five guest rooms. I
don’t recall why I chose the “Sun Room”, it may have been
because that was all that was available for the days that we
were going to be in Sonoma, or perhaps it was the least
expensive. It didn’t matter, I just wanted to lock in
accommodations. This is the picture of the “Sun Room” from the Camellia Inn web site. |
| When we arrived and were brought upstairs to
the room, we noticed that the nameplate on the door was Demitasse,
which is French for a small coffee cup, such as those used
to serve espresso. The name was probably given to the room
as a joke because it was easily the smallest guestroom that
we have ever seen. The picture of the room from the
web site looked nice, but what it doesn’t show is that the
picture was taken from the doorway to the room. Once
settled, we received recommendations on places to eat that
were within walking distance to the Inn. As I had mentioned
before, a lot of places are not open Monday through
Wednesday because of COVID capacity restrictions. However,
we did find a few places that were open and allowed us to
make a late reservation. A five minute walk brought us to Bravas Tapas Bar. The menu was amazing and we ordered far more than we could eat. Nothing disappointed. The wine menu was split between local Sonoma favorites and Spanish wines. In past visits to wine regions, we have lacked discipline and bought much more than we should have, as well as joining wine clubs that we ended up regretting. Typically, a club commitment involves four shipments of three to six bottles of wine a year, for at least a year after membership starts. For us desert dwellers, those are condensed to two shipments in the Spring and Fall, to avoid having wine shipped in the hot months that end up damaged by the heat. For this trip, we took a different approach. Objectives:
|
Day 1 – Wine tasting in Healdsburg First stop of the day. We received a history lesson of the vineyard, founders, and winemakers. L took this photo of one of the Rochioli vineyards from the back deck. |
| Booze | Ratings |
| 2020 Estate Sauvignon Blanc Light and mineraly; reminded me of Loire Valley Sancerre |
I: 89 L: 90 |
| 2020 Estate Chardonnay Nice finish, not excessively oaky (L loved this one) |
I: 90 L: 97 |
| 2019 Estate Pinot Noir Smooth, nice finish |
I: 89 L: 93 |
| 2019 Estate Valdiguié Gamay clone; interesting but weak finish |
I: 60 L: 75 |
| Of all the places that we visited, Rochioli was the only one that didn’t have a club. There won’t be a second tasting to determine whether we join, but the Chardonnay and Pinot were good enough to have some bottles shipped home. Next stop was to Talty. Keith’s notes said that Michael Talty made some amazing Zinfandels. I used to not be a Zinfandel fan until Keith introduced us to Turley in Paso Robles. I am still apprehensive about mass-produced Zinfandels but am less apprehensive about trying Zinfandels that are well-made. Michael Talty, himself, was manning the tasting room. |
| Booze | Ratings |
| 2018 Filice Connolly Vineyard Zinfandel (100%
Zin) Notes of Hungarian paprika |
I: 89 L: 87 |
| 2017 Filice Connolly Vineyard Zinfandel (100%
Zin) Stuffed bell pepper (with paprika) |
I: 90 L: 89 |
| 2017 Buchignani-Garcia Vineyard Zinfandel (92%
Zin, 8% Petite Sirah) Also Paprika |
I: 89 L: 90 |
| 2018 William Talty Estate Vineyard Zinfandel
(90% Zin y otros) Would go well with pork enchiladas |
I: 86 L: 87 |
| 2017 William Talty Estate Vineyard Zinfandel (90% Zin y otros) | I: 88 L: 85 |
| They were some of the best Zinfandels we have had since we visited Turley in Paso Robles. Zinfandel would fill a void in the Rathskeller and worthy of a second tasting to evaluate for club membership. We ordered a few to take home for a second tasting. For lunch, Michael recommended Di’Avolio in nearby Geysersville for their pizza. We ordered the “Inferno” because of the heat advertised but ours lacked anything that could be regarded as heat. Well, maybe not to a Northerner. Our final, scheduled stop of the day was at Hartford Family Winery tasting room in Healdsburg. Nice corner shop with outdoor seating. The wines were above average but the prices were beyond the top end of what we would pay for them. |
| Booze | Ratings |
| 2018 Fog Dance Chardonnay Very oakey and buttery like Central Coast Chards often are, but not cloying $65 may be too much for this |
I: 85 L: 85 |
| 2018 Russian Vineyard Chardonnay No “pow-zing” on front end, less memorable finish. Also wouldn’t pay $65 |
I: 70 L: 75 |
| 2018 Velvet Sisters Pinot Noir Overpriced at $70 |
I: 85 L: -- |
| 2018 Warrior Princess Block Pinot Noir Better than Velvet Sisters but still overpriced at $70 |
I: 89 L: -- |
| 2019 Hartford Vineyard Zinfandel Spice, pepper, nice finish |
I: 91 L: 78 |
| 2019 Jurassic Chenin Blanc I liked, L did not |
I: 85 L: -- |
L thought that her tasting ability had been compromised because she just didn’t like anything. We might have purchased some to ship home but they had a policy whereby the Vineyard needed to maintain a paper record of full payment information, which was a deal killer for us. We did end up taking a bottle of their Highwire Zinfandel with us, which we drank that night, but other than that, our dealings with Hartford Family Winery are done. Before we left Hartford, they mentioned a place around the corner that always had availability for tasting. I should have taken this as an omen but we had time so we gave it a shot. The upside was that the wines on the tasting menu were inexpensive, but there was a reason for that. |
| Booze | Ratings |
| 2018 Chardonnay – Alexander Valley ($28) Inexpensive but not special enough to purchase |
I: 85 L: -- |
| 2020 “Lord Snort” Blanc (63% Sauvignon Blanc,
37% French Colombard) Overpriced ($28) |
I: -- L: -- |
| 2018 Zinfandel Marshall (83% Zin, 9% Petite
Sirah, 8% Carignan) Jam. Might use it to make sauce. |
I: -- L: 75 |
| 2018 Zinfandel “Postmaster” (75% Zin, 22%
Primitivo, 13% Petite Sirah) Jam. Bland. Sauce. |
I: -- L: -- |
| 2019 Zinfandel “Wentworth” (Zin, Primitivo,
Petite Sirah) Same |
I: 70 L: -- |
| 2019 Primitivo “Lytton Station” Same |
I: -- L: -- |
| 2018 Cabernet Franc “Warm Springs” Actually pretty good |
I: 85 L: 75 |
| 2018 Cabernet “Mercantile” (77% Cab, 23%
Merlot) Cherries |
I: 80 L: 78 |
| One question that came to mind was “What is the difference between Zinfandel and Primitivo?” The fact is that they both originate from the same Croatian Crljenak grape. It is unlikely that an expert could distinguish between the two if they were grown and produced in the same region, but the likelihood of making that distinction from varietals grown in new world vs old world conditions and methods is greater. Finding them both in the same bottle is a gimmick. Overall, with a couple of exceptions, the wines were appalling. The only positive was that the service was good. The girl who was serving us was the only one there and was busting her ass serving us as well as two other tables. She brought out far more wines for us to try than the tasting menu included and appeared very knowledgeable about them. We didn’t get charged for the tasting fee because the owner of the Camellia Inn was a partner in the family of wineries that include Soda Rock. We purchased a bottle of the Cab Franc just so that we could leave our server a tip. Other than that, I don’t ever want to see another bottle of Soda Rock again. Done for the day, we headed back to the Inn to drop off our spoils. We mentioned to the Inn manager upon returning that we had difficulty sleeping in the Demitasse room on the uncomfortable bed and were offered a larger, vacant room. It was only available until Thursday, at which time we would have to return to the Demitasse room for our last night. The larger room had its own bathroom and a larger, more comfortable bed. We accepted and moved our stuff to the new room. For supper, we had gotten a reservation at Willy’s Seafood and Raw Bar, which was within five minutes walking distance of the Inn. The menu was organized tapas-style and we tried a few of the plates but were not thrilled with anything. It was very busy and service was slow. If we were locals, we probably wouldn’t return. |
| Wednesday, all of our visits were planned for the town of Sonoma, which was about an hour drive south of the Inn. Our first stop was to Sojourn, in the heart of downtown. |
| Booze | Ratings |
| 2018 Durell Wineyard Chardonnay ($54) Great finish, not too oaky like Central Coast Chards tend to be |
I: 92 L: 95 |
| 2019 Rueling Vineyard Chardonnay ($69) I thought “Montrachet” when I tasted it, turns out it was made with a Montrachet clone. Delicious. |
I: 95 L: 98 |
| 2019 Rodgers Creek Vineyard Pinot Noir ($48) Soft, nice finish and flavor |
I: 89 L: 98 |
| 2019 Wohler Vineyard Pinot Noir ($54) Same |
I: 89 L: 97 |
| 2019 Ridgetop Vineyard Pinot Noir ($69) | I: 92 L: 96 |
| 2018 Oakville Cabernet ($79) | I: 90 L: 93 |
| 2018 Home Ranch Cuvée Cabernet ($59) | I: 92 L: 93 |
| Overall, it was an amazing experience. We stopped commenting after the third wine because “Yum” would have been redundant. It isn’t often that we both like everything on the tasting menu. As far as an empty niche in the Rathskeller, their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir would fill it nicely. We were fairly certain at this point that we were going to select Sojourn for wine club membership, but we purchased some to ship home for the 2nd tasting, anyway. Problem with the logistics – Benovia was almost an hour away from Sonoma, in Sebastopol to the west. How I could have made that mistake, I have no idea. The location on the map made it look like it was in downtown Sonoma but it clearly was not. We called to let them know that we would be a little late and drove out to Sebastopol for our reservation. L’s sugar started crashing so upon arrival, they offered us a charcuterie plate, which ended up being lunch and exactly what she needed. |
| Booze | Ratings |
| 2018 Three Sisters – Fort Ross Seaview
(Chardonnay?) ($55) Buttery, but not excessively so |
I: 85 L: 87 |
| 2018 La Pommaric Chardonnay – Russian River Valley ($55) | I: 89 L: 85 |
| 2018 Martella Pinot Noir ($65) For some reason, this was the Daniel Craig of James Bond heroes. Lighter bodied, no food needed. |
I: 92 L: 93 |
| 2018 Tilton Hill Estate Pinot Noir This one was the Sean Connery of Bond heroes. Full bodied, will cellar longer. |
I: 93 L: 90 |
| 2017 Cohn Pinot Noir ($80) Nice, but beyond price point |
I: 95 L: -- |
| Overall, a lovely tasting experience. L got her blood sugar back in check and the wines were at or above standard. We did choose a selection to have shipped back home for the second tasting but at first glance, Benovia will not be in our first choices for club membership. Our last reservation of the day was at WALT's tasting room back in downtown Sonoma so we drive the 45 minutes back to make it. We were late, and the girl who received us let us know that we had disrupted their tasting schedule. Not a good start. Nobody was available to tell us about the wines; we just received pours until the glasses were empty. Mine ended up nourishing the shrubs next to our table. |
| Booze | Ratings |
| 2019 Bob’s Ranch Chardonnay ($70) Oaky, nothing extraordinary. Wouldn’t pay $70 for this. |
I: 65 L: 70 |
| 2018 Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir ($75) L: Very bright, but very tight I: Weak finish |
I: 78 L: -- |
| 2017 “The Corners” Pinot Noir ($75) L: Slightly better than the previous but slight diesel notes I: For $75 they could have done better. Dull. Not terribly impressed. |
I: 70 L: 65 |
| 2018 Brown Ranch Pinot Noir ($75) Lots of sediment. Not a knock, but unusual to see in a tasting. |
I: 75 L: 70 |
| 2017 Clos Pepe ($75) Meh. |
I: 70 L: 72 |
| They put a lot of weight into where they’ve sourced the grapes from but the wine is all made with the same style. Flawed process, doesn’t matter where the grapes are sourced. Nothing purchased and nothing worthy of further consideration. 45 minute drive back to Healdsburg. All the fancy places that we wanted to try were either closed on Wednesday (thanks again, COVID) or no reservations were available. Fortunately, the Bravas Tapas Bar had availability so we went there again. It was even better the second time. |
| I should mention something about the breakfast component of the Camellia Inn. The breakfasts were nourishing, but not tasty or memorable. I found myself restraining suggestions for vast improvement, which unless diplomatically provided, usually isn’t received well. They did make adjustments for L’s request for lower carbs, which was a positive. The drive into Sebastopol was accompanied by the fragrance of dairy farms. To exacerbate this sensory onslaught, the glasses that they provided us with were rank with perfume. It turned out that the soap that they provide in the restrooms was heavy with perfume, which transferred to everything that everyone touched. Not a great way to set a table for wine tasting. Between the cow shit and the soap stench, we gave it a go. |
| Booze | Ratings |
| 2020 Russian River Valley Pinot Gris ($20) I: Reasonable priced. Crisp, nice acid. Apricot and citrus. L: Meh. |
I: 92 L: 95 |
| 2019 Burnside Road Pinot Noir ($48) Great flavor but falls flat on the finish |
I: 88 L: 92 |
| 2019 Sexton Hill Pinot Noir Coffee notes, heavier than the Burnside. Decent finish, smooth. |
I: 92 L: 94 |
| 2019 Winery Block Pinot ($46) L: Very tight, chalky, no finish I: No finish, dull |
I: 80 L: 82 |
| 2017 BCD Syrah L: Smells chemical, tastes off I: Diesel smell, something is off. Petting Zoo? I didn’t dislike it as much as L did. |
I: 78 L: -- |
| 2019 Russian River Gewurtztraminer ($20) Dry (which we love in a Gewurtz) and lively. Reminiscent of French style. Very reasonably priced. |
I: 92 L: 95 |
| 2020 Theresa’s unoaked Chardonnay ($20) Sharp, no mineral, but no oaky butter, either. Bright, nice acid. | I: 90 L: 93 |
| Overall, the distractions from the cow shit and perfume were definitely a negative factor. The wines were reasonably priced but at first glance, not worthy of wine club consideration. The prices were decent so we had a few bottles shipped home. My favorite was the Gewurztraminer. I don’t care for the sweeter German styles, far preferring the dryer French and sometimes Austrian expressions. This one was the latter, and the price point was excellent for the quality. Around Lunchtime, we drove to downtown Sebastopol to “The Barlow”, which is the shopping district in downtown Sebastopol. |
| The PAX tasting room looked like an old school service station converted into a bar. |
| Booze | Ratings |
| 2020 Gamay Noir “Alta Monte” Two vineyards of Gamay blended. Nice flavor, bright, would make a nice opener. |
I: 92 L: 93 |
| 2019 Chenin Blanc More like South African Chenin Blanc. Different flavor profile than any Chenin Blanc we have tasted here so far. “Zingy”. |
I: 90 L: 90 |
| 2020 Rosé of Pinot Noir and Gamay Noir Reminiscent of overripe cantaloupe (Thumbs up). We have nothing like this in the Rathskeller. |
I: 90 L: 94 |
| 2018 “The Vicar” Grenache Mourvedre I: Decent finish, but dull. Not better than Rhone varietals that we have had L:Not a fan. Something not hitting. |
I: 80 L: 85 |
| 2020 Gamay Noir “Alpine Peaks” I: My abstention wasn’t because I didn’t like it, I just forgot to rate Very bright, almost looks like a Rosé |
I: -- L: 90 |
| 2019 Syrah, North Coast Soft for a Syrah. Using Jaffurs as a basis for comparison. Nice finish. |
I: 85 L: 80 |
| 2020 Syrah, The Bench Vineyard | I: 80 L: 91 |
| 2019 Syrah, Sonoma Hillsides Full bodied, nice finish. Not as heavy as Jaffurs but enjoyable. |
I: 92 L: 88 |
| 2018 “Armaugh” Syrah Dull, unimpressive |
I: 75 L: -- |
| Overall, an enjoyable experience. Our server was very knowledgeable and brought us more wine to try than was on our tasting menu. We were more impressed with the Gamay varietals than the Syrah, although we did pick up one of the latter. Although we will probably not select PAX for club membership, we will still buy their Gamay from the web site as Gamay isn't represented well in our Rathskeller. There was almost an issue involving payment because they were not suited for processing payment without creating a paper record, but they were able to offer the alternative of having someone call us for payment information when the order was processed. For lunch, we walked five minutes to the Blue Ridge Kitchen. Service was so slow that we had to call ahead to Hirsch to let them know that we would be a little late. The Hirsch Vineyard tasting room is located in downtown Healdsburg, so a 20-minute drive north. The tasting room was very small, mostly due to reduced capacity restrictions, so we were the only ones there. |
| Booze | Ratings |
| 2019 Hirsch Estate Chardonnay ($60) More oaky than I like but nice acid |
I: 85 L: 87 |
| 2019 Hirsch Vineyards Pinot Noir – San Andreas
Fault ($60) Bright, nice flavor, but weak finish. Maybe not worth the price? |
I: 82 L: 85 |
| 2018 Hirsch Block S Pinot Noir ($95) Okay but beyond price point for the quality |
I: 85 L: 90 |
| 2017 Hirsch Vineyards Pinot Reserve Best of show. Smooth, velvety, decent finish. |
I: 95 L: 95 |
| Not terribly impressed but the last Pinot was nice. Not likely to be considered for club membership but we did have some Pinot sent home. We had another couple of hours before supper so we called Flowers to find out whether they had any reservations available for the afternoon. They did not, but they did offer to seat us for “bottle service”, in which we wouldn’t get the tasting menu but could order a bottle. |
| Booze | Ratings |
| 2020 Sonoma Coast Rosé | |
| 2018 Sea View Ridge Pinot Noir ($80) | |
| 2017 Sea View Ridge Pinot Noir ($85) |
| No ratings, even though they were all good. A couple of issues, though. First, I did an online search, as I usually do, to find out whether there are any online distributors selling the same wines, and was surprised to find that all of the wines on the tasting menu were available at Total Wine. Additionally, the prices at Total Wine were lower than what Flowers was charging, even with a club discount. Evidently, Flowers’ prices were recommended retail but distributors get wholesale pricing and can sell for as much or as little as they want. Sometimes the larger distributors like Total Wine can sell for less than the winemaker, but they can afford to do so. Second, we wanted to buy some of the 2020 Sonoma Coast Rosé but because of limited quantity, it was only available to club members. Because we had decided not to make any club decisions until evaluating all of our choices, this would have prevented buying any Rosé now. For this, we made an exception and joined the Flowers club. We had to commit to a year of membership, after which we will make another evaluation to see if we will want to continue. For supper, we were able to make reservations at Campo Fina, an Italian restaurant, five minutes walking distance from the Inn. Food and wine were both above average. |
| After checking out of the Inn, we headed south to our first of two stops. I made a friend right away. Her name is Chloe and she went where she pleased. Then some inconsiderate people with small, shrill dogs showed up and Chloe left. |
| Booze | Ratings |
| 2018 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($48) Pepper, baking spice, decent finish |
I: 85 L: 75 |
| 2018 Russian River Pinot Noir ($55) Cherry tootsie-pop, nice burn going down |
I: 88 L: 78 |
| 2018 Meredith Estate Pinot Noir ($72) Super smooth, soft tannins |
I: 92 L: 90 |
| 2019 Sauvignon Blanc, Russian River Valley
($36) Aged in oak, mistaken for Chardonnay |
I: 94 L: 96 |
| 2018 Georganne Pinot Noir ($66) Reminiscent of Burgundy Pinot, super smooth, nice finish |
I: 90 L: 88 |
| The Sauvignon Blanc was a surprise. On our third night in town at dinner at Bravas, we had ordered a glass of this and mentioned to our server that she had brought us Chardonnay by mistake. Evidently, they had received the same observation before so she just brought us the bottle to show that it was actually Sauvignon Blanc. The ageing in oak gave it a more lactic quality, as well as the yellow color that Chardonnay typically has. For Pinot Noirs, the best of show was the Georgeanne. We had three of those shipped home, as well as other favorites. I doubt that we will end up selecting Merry Edwards for club membership, but the Sauvignon Blanc was unique enough to justify buying more from the web site. For our last stop of the day, we drove to A. Rafanelli in North Healdsburg. This place was one of the few that was not open to the public without reservation, even before COVID. We needed a gate code just to drive it. We were early and there was still a group inside doing their tasting so we enjoyed the garden outside. There was a persimmon tree decorated with a bunch of hummingbird feeders. Dozens of hummingbirds and hundreds of bees swarmed the feeders. |
| Tasting rooms like this are my favorite. Family-run, with the tasting room right in the middle of the same barrels used to age the wine. This was the only vineyard where we got a tour of the place by the winemaker. |
| Booze | Ratings |
| 2019 Zinfandel (with some Petite Sirah) ($47) Nice spice and finish |
I: 90 L: 94 |
| 2018 Merlot (19% Cab) ($44) Sharp tannins, has potential for ageing |
I: 92 L: 92 |
| 2018 Cab (10% Merlot) ($62) Reminiscent of the humidor room of a tobacconist shop. Smooth, nice finish. Reminds me of Bordeaux. |
I: 95 L: 91 |
| Although Sonoma isn’t known for Merlot, this was the best that we had seen here, and would fill a niche in our Rathskeller. Although Rafanelli doesn’t have a club as most others do, they do have an A List on their website for which membership allows discounts. Our trip complete, we returned home. We decided to limit club membership to only the top two. Although we already joined Flowers' club, it is unlikely that we will continue after the obligatory year.
|
| Winemaker | Qty | Booze |
| J. Rochioli | 2 | 2020 Rochioli Estate Chardonnay |
| 4 | 2019 Rochioli Estate Pinot Noir | |
| Talty | 3 | 2017 Filice Connolly Vineyard Zinfandel |
| 3 | 2017 Buchignani-Garcia Vineyard Zinfandel | |
| Sojourn | 2 | 2019 Rueling Vineyard Chardonnay |
| 2 | 2019 Rodgers Creek Vineyard Pinot Noir | |
| 2 | 2019 Wohler Vineyard Pinot Noir | |
| 2 | 2019 Ridgetop Vineyard Pinot Noir | |
| 2 | 2018 Oakville Cabernet | |
| 2 | 2018 Home Ranch Cuvée Cabernet | |
| Benovia | 1 | 2018 Three Sisters Chardonnay |
| 1 | 2018 La Pomarie Chardonnay | |
| 1 | 2018 Martaella Pinot Noir | |
| 2 | 2018 Tilton Hill Estate Pinot Noir | |
| 1 | Rosé of Pinot | |
| Balletto | 1 | 2020 Russian River Valley Pinot Gris |
| 2 | 2019 Burnside Road Pinot Noir | |
| 3 | 2019 Sexton Hill Pinot Noir | |
| 3 | 2019 Russian River Gewurztraminer | |
| 3 | 2020 Theresa’s Unoaked Chardonnay | |
| PAX | 2 | 2020 Gamay Noir “Alta Monte” |
| 1 | 2019 Chenin Blanc | |
| 2 | 2020 Rosé of Pinot Noir and Gamay Noir | |
| 1 | 2019 Syrah, The Bench Vineyard | |
| Hirsch | 3 | 2017 Hirsch Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve |
| Merry Edwards | 3 | 2018 Meredith Estate Pinot Noir |
| 6 | 2019 Sauvignon, Russian River Valley | |
| 3 | 2018 Georgeanne Pinot Noir | |
| A. Rafanelli | 2 | 2019 Zinfandel |
| 2 | 2018 Merlot | |
| 1 | 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon | |
| 1 | 2018 Estate Blend |