• Wine Regions
    • Napa Valley Wine Country Guide
    • Healdsburg – Russian River Wine Country
    • Sonoma Valley Wine Country Planning Guide
    • Mendocino Wine Country
    • Carneros
    • Paso Robles Wine Country
    • Santa Barbara Wine Country
    • Livermore Valley wineries
    • Lodi Wineries
    • Sierra Foothills Wineries
    • Monterey Wineries
    • Santa Cruz Wineries
    • Lake County Wine Country
    • Yolo County Wine Country
  • Tasting Room Guide
    • Tasting Room Etiquette
    • How to Taste Wine
    • Bocce Wineries
    • Organic Wineries
    • The Wine Country Picnic
    • Vineyard Year
    • Best wine country backroads
    • Winery Wine Clubs
    • Buying Wine at a Winery
    • Wine Varietals
    • Wine Appellations
    • Solar Wineries in California
    • How many bottles of wine in a barrel?
    • Hiking in Wine Country
  • Wine Guide
    • Pairing Food & Wine
      • Which wines for dinner?
    • Which Wine Glass
    • Decanting wine
    • Which Corkscrew works best
    • Corkage Fees
    • Corked Wine
      • Preserving Wine – what to do with the unfinished bottle of wine
    • Hosting a Wine Tasting Party – How to pull it off
      • Hosting a Serious Wine Tasting Party
      • How to Host a Fun and Casual Wine Tasting Party
      • Wine Scoring Sheets | Wine Tasting Forms | Wine Scorecards
      • Checklist for Successful Wine Tasting
    • Wine Gifts for Wine Geeks
      • Best Wine Books
      • Top Ten Wine Cookbooks
      • Best wine fiction books
    • Best Wine Bargains
    • Wine Collection Tips
  • Wine Country Insider
    • Wine Trails off the Beaten Path
    • Quick Getaways
    • Hiking in Wine Country
    • When to Visit Wine Country
    • How to decide which wine region to visit
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Site Map
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
You are here: Home / Archives for Russian River Valley

Which is Better to Visit, a Little Winery or a Big Winery?

August 25, 2017 by Joe Becerra

On a recent trip to the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County, we visited two wineries. These wineries could not be more different from one another. The only similarity in these wineries is that they are both located in the same AVA, the Russian River Valley. On a Wednesday, we visited the Battaglini Winery. The next day it was Gary Farrell. We were guests at both wineries, so we did not need to worry about tasting or touring fees. We were delighted to sit back and enjoy wine, food nibbles, and the beauty of the Russian River Valley.

The Little Winery – Battaglini Winery

Battaglini Tasting Room

The rustic Battaglini Tasting Room

Owned by Joe and Lucia Battaglini, the winery is on Piner Road in the Russian River Valley. The Battaglinis purchased the property in 1988. The major vines are Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, and Chardonnay. The Petite and the Zin were planted in 1885. If you visit, you must take a close look at both of these ancient but hearty grape vines. Joe is the winemaker and vineyard manager, with help from Lucia and their sons and daughter. Battaglini farms 30 acres of vines and produces 2500 cases of wine annually. The Battaglinis sell many of their grapes to nearby wineries.

Joe Battaglini proudly pours his wines

The tasting room is small and funky, accented by memorabilia from Joe’s home town, Lucca, and from his Soccer playing days in San Francisco. Tasting fee, scribbled on a chalkboard, is $15 and waived with a purchase. There is no formal tour, but Joe or a family member will give a quick view of the old vines. There are a Bocce court and picnic tables available for use for wine tasters and picnic goers. The wines are good; we especially enjoyed the Proprietor’s Reserve Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. The wines are made “the old-fashion way, like my Dad back in Italy.” The vines are dry farmed and head pruned.

To visit Battaglini, call ahead and schedule a time to visit. This is an entirely family operated winery, with family members performing all the various jobs of growing grapes and marketing wines. It is a straightforward and fun winery, and very much a throwback to the golden days in the California wine scene before wine tourism became popular.

The Big Winery – Gary Farrell

The Terrace at Gary Farrell

The Terrace at Gary Farrell

Gary Farrell Winery is not big by many standards; 3o,000 case production is medium at most. When considering the plush tasting room and elaborate winemaking facilities, we fit Gary Farrell in the big category compared to Battaglini. Gary Farrell established his label in 1982 and completed the construction of the winery in 2000. In a rather shocking turn of events, he sold his winery in 2004 to Allied Domecq. Later the winery was sold to the  Ascentia Wine Group, who in turn sold it to the Vincraft Group in 2011. Vincraft remodeled the tasting room and hired the current winemaker, Theresa Heredia. 

Gary Farrell

One of three tasting levels at Gary Farrell

Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are emphasized at Gary Farrell, with small lot and vineyard selection labels. The wines range in price from $35 to $75. The quality is high, and we tasted several beautifully-produced wines. They are exquisite, to say the least. The winery has no vineyards; they choose to source their grapes from top nearby vineyards and some that are outside the Russian River AVA. The tasting experience is well executed, with the staff highly trained and knowledgeable with the Gary Farrell label.

Tasting Choices range from $35 to $75 per person and reservations are required. Make a reservation online or call the winery.

So which winery is better to visit?

There are good reasons to visit each of these two wineries, but your enjoyment will probably depend on your lifestyle. If you like old-fashion, laid back and relaxed with no pretenses, go for Battaglini Winery. If you love to be pampered and desire excellent Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, go for the Gary Farrell Winery. My preference always goes to the old timers. Janelle loves the look and feel of the higher-end wineries.  A bottle of wine always has a story to tell. The enjoyment of a bottle of wine increases the better the story behind it.

 

Filed Under: Russian River Valley Tagged With: Battaglini, Gary Farrell

Trending Now – Book Clubs are Meeting in Wine Country

August 6, 2017 by Joe Becerra

Mills Book Club meets annually at a winery

Mills Book Club meets annually at a winery

Book Clubs are Meeting in Wine Country

The Mills Book Club was established in 1989 by Librarian Kris, long before book clubs were as popular as they are now. Today, book clubs are flourishing among friends and neighbors all over the world. Perhaps it was the Mills Book Club that set the trend for book club proliferation! The Mills Book Club is setting another trend these days, holding a book club meeting in wine country. The Mills Book Club has been doing this for the past six years.

It began in 2012 when Mills Book Club member Pat thought it would be fun to hold a book club meeting at her summer getaway home in Healdsburg, CA. The book club enjoyed the event so much that they decided to make this an annual affair and host the meeting at a winery. It seems that to sip wine and discuss books in the peace of wine country brings much joy to the book club. The club picks small wineries, preferably family-owned, and ones where the winemaker or winery owner has time to meet with the book club.

The Mills Book Club wineries

  • Teldeschi Vineyards – 2013
  • Ketcham Estate Winery in 2014
  • Fritz Underground Winery– 2015
  • Lytton Ridge Winery– 2016
  • Battaglini Winery – 2017

The Battaglini Winery is a terrific winery stop in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. Owner and winemaker Joe Battaglini gave us a walking tour and showed us 135-year-old Zinfandel and Petite Sirah vines. His small but quaint tasting room is filled with memorabilia and good cheer.  While we were busy tasting, a couple visiting from Florida came into the tasting room. Upon leaving, the woman said “This is so much fun. Yesterday we were in Napa at a snobby tasting room where the winery was selling $100 Cabernet. Who needs a hundred-dollar bottle of wine?” Certainly not the Mills Book Club members!

Joe Battaglini with Mills Book Club member Mike in the vineyards

Joe Battaglini with Mills Book Club member Mike in the vineyards

The Mills Book Club meets once a month, and members are mostly retired teachers from Mills High School in Millbrae.  A few still teach there and a few others are close friends who wanted to be part of the book club environment. In case you are wondering what the Mills Book Club reads, the following is a list of recent books they have read.

Latest Choice:

  • Daughters of the Samurai: A Journey from East to West and Back

Recent favorites:

  • Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
  • The Underground Railroad (Pulitzer Prize Winner) (National Book Award Winner) (Oprah’s Book Club): A Novel
  • American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst
  • Everything I Never Told You
  • The Sympathizer: A Novel (Pulitzer Prize for Fiction)
  • West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life
  • Season of the Witch: Enchantment, Terror, and Deliverance in the City of Love
  • The Little Paris Bookshop: A Novel

Filed Under: Russian River Valley, Wine News Tagged With: Battaglini Winery, Book Club meet at a winery, Mills Book Club

100 Year Old Wineries Near Healdsburg

January 22, 2017 by joe

100 year old wineries healdsburg

Korbel on the Russian River near Guerneville, California.

Sonoma County is one of the founding regions of American wine. In the 1800s, there were many vineyards and several wineries. Today, these four 100-year-old wineries represent the magnificent and historical past of California viticulture. The four wineries are a short driving distance from the town of Healdsburg. Plot your stay and trip and visit one or more of these Sonoma 100-year-old wineries.

Four 100-year-old wineries near Healdsburg

Korbel Champagne Cellars

There is a special place in our hearts for Korbel. At the ripe old age of 21, we visited our very first winery, Korbel Cellars. That first visit got us hooked and started our journey of visiting wineries and vineyards around the world. What an impact! Korbel was founded in 1882 by Francis, Anton, and Joseph Korbel. The Heck Family, the current owners, bought the winery in 1954. It is a big-production, sparkling wine house producing over a million cases per year with distribution worldwide. Korbel has an excellent 50-minute tour followed by a tasting. The Korbel tour takes you through the step-by-step process of making sparkling wine in the French tradition. You will also want to check out the fantastic rose garden and the luxurious tasting room. There is also a good deli restaurant, where you can eat while enjoying one of the most beautiful settings along the Russian River.

Tasting Room Hours 10:00 – 4:30 Monday through Sunday. Champagne Cellar Tour Hours 11 – 3:00 Monday through Sunday. Garden Tour Hours 1:00 and 3:00 Tuesday through Sunday. Closed Mondays.Garden Tours offered mid-April to mid-October. (707) 824-7000, E-mail: info@korbel.com, Korbel

Simi in 1966

Simi Winery

Simi is another winery that we visited early on. I could not resist posting this photo taken in 1966. That is my son held by my mother while Janelle and I were inside the tasting room having loads of fun. Grandmothers always come to the rescue. In the photo, you can see that the tasting room was a mega-gallon redwood wine storage tank. We would walk down a few steps to the tasting bar where Isabelle Simi, in her 80’s was handling the wine tasting tasks. Isabelle was the daughter of Giuseppe Simi, who founded the winery along with his brother Pietro Simi in 1876. Isabelle ran the winery from Prohibition until she sold it in 1970 at the age of 84. For those of you old enough to remember Hollywood actress, comedian, and glamor queen, Mae West, Simi had a photo in the tasting room of Mae West with a sexy quote modified slightly: “Come up and Simi sometime.” That’s how fun the tasting room was to visit in those days. Simi Winery offers daily tours (11 am and 2 pm). The Simi tour leads you into the historic stone winery and gives a very informative look at winemaking. Simi owns prime acreage in the Alexander Valley and the Russian River Valley and can produce a lovely array of wines. Simi’s Pizza Café is open, but check the Simi Website to get the latest hours of operation. Today the winery is owned by Constellation Brands.

Tasting room open daily 10 to 5:00, (800) 746-4880. E-Mail: info@simiwinery.com, Simi Winery

Foppiano Vineyards

operated by the Foppiano Family. With the sale last year of the Seghesio Family Winery, that makes the Foppiano Winery the oldest family-owned winery in the Russian River wine region. The family owns 140 acres of prime vineyard property in the Russian River Valley. The best part is that the family owns the land outright. That is one reason why their wines are excellent bargains and value wines. Their signature wine, a Petite Sirah, sells for $25 a bottle, an excellent price for this superb wine. Another great feature at Foppiano is their self-guided vineyard tour dedicated to the late Margot Patterson Doss. You may remember that Margot wrote a column in the San Francisco Chronicle encouraging people of all ages to walk and explore the San Francisco Bay Area. Pick up a brochure at the tasting room and take the walking tour that is probably a mile at the most.

Open daily, 11 to 5:00 Phone: (707) 433-7272 Email: info@foppiano.com, Foppiano

Seghesio Family Winery

Seghesio Winery began in 1895, growing grapes and producing bulk wines. Edoardo Seghesio founded the winery and was said to be the first one to bring in and successfully grow the Sangiovese grape. It was not until 1983 that they began to bottle premium wines under their label. Today the winery is most famous for its Zinfandel wines and, in particular, the Sonoma Zinfandel that has won numerous awards and is in many wine shops for under $20. In 2011 the Seghesio Family shocked the wine world by selling the winery to the Crimson Wine Group. The tasting room contains a lot of memorabilia and is a fun place to visit and taste wine. Seghesio also has a Bocce Ball court, should you feel the urge to have some friendly competition while sipping wine.

The tasting room is open daily 10 to 5, Seghesio

Healdsburg 100-year-old-wineries map

Additional information on this wine country

  • Recommended Healdsburg restaurants
  • Recommended Healdsburg Lodging
  • Wine Country Map 
four 100 year old wineries in Sonoma
Cabernet at Foppiano

Filed Under: Russian River Valley, Russian River Wine Country - Sonoma Cty., Sonoma County, Tasting Rooms Tagged With: 100 year old wineries in Sonoma, Foppiano, Healdburg, Korbel, Oldest wineries in Sonoma, Seghesio, Simi

Riverfront Regional Park in the Russian River Valley Wine Country

June 23, 2016 by Joe Becerra

Lake Benoist  - Hike It!

Lake Benoist – Hike It!

Mix wine country with a picnic, hike, and more – Riverfront Regional Park

It it always healthy to mix in some exercise among all the wine and food consumption during a wine country trip. The Riverfront Regional Park in the Russian River Valley provides just that with some easy hiking trails.  The Coastal Redwood  picnic grove provides an added bonus for contemplating nature and enjoying a peaceful picnic lunch. If you are new to Northern California, don’t miss the Coastal Redwood Trees. These are the tallest trees in the world. The park entrance is directly across the road from the Copain Winery, and there are several wonderful and fun wineries to visit within just a few miles of Riverfront Regional Park.

Majestic Redwood Grove at Riverfront Regional

Majestic Redwood Grove at Riverfront Regional

The main hike is around the beautiful Lake Benoist. It is about 2.5 miles and very moderate. At about the half-way point, there is a short spur leading to a small beach on the Russian River. This is a rare look at one of the great wine rivers of the world. The Russian River is a direct influence on the terroir of those great Pinot Noir wines coming from the vineyards growing on its banks. Following your hike, sit and relax among the Redwood Trees. Even on a warm day, the Redwood Trees provide plenty of shade and cooling air to enjoy a picnic lunch and, of course, a glass of Chardonnay or Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley. There are barbecue pits, lots of tables, a volleyball court, and horse shoes.

An easy to moderate hike

An easy-to-moderate hike

“Must see” wineries

This is certainly one of the less traveled roads in Healdsburg and Sonoma County wine country. It is a beautiful road surrounded by vineyards. Our favorite wineries include J Vineyards, Acorn, Foppiano, and Rodney Strong.  J Vineyards has sparkling wine that would be perfect for your picnic at Riverfront. Acorn is a small winery run by Betsy & Bill Nachbaur. They have an old vineyard, providing a field blend for a fantastic red wine labeled Acorn Hill. It is a blend of five different grape varieties. Foppiano dates back to 1926 and is still family run. Rodney Strong is one of the largest wineries in the area and has a beautiful tasting room and picnic area.

Getting to Riverfront Regional Park

From San Francisco, take Exit 498/Old Redwood Highway and drive through Windsor for 2 miles. Turn left on Eastside Road and drive a mile to the entrance. From Healdsburg, take Old Redwood Highway exit and then Eastside Road. Continue along Eastside Road for about 4 miles.

Helpful resources for this trip

  • Sonoma County Parks – Riverfront Regional Park
  • Old Redwood Highway Wine Trail
  • Dining and Lodging in Healdsburg
  • Aerial view of the park and the Russian River
  • When to visit the Sonoma wine country

More hiking in Sonoma and California wine country

  • Healdsburg Ridge Hike
  • Armstrong Grove – Russian River Valley and Redwood Trees
  • Hiking and running in California wine country

Filed Under: Hiking in wine country, Russian River Valley Tagged With: Lake Benoist, Redwood trees and wine country, Russian River Valley

Gracianna Winery on Westside Road

November 11, 2015 by Joe Becerra

gracianna winery

The beautiful setting of the Gracianna Winery Tasting Room

Gracianna Winery on Westside Road

One of the most beautiful backroads in California wine country is Westside Road near Healdsburg CA. It winds through the Russian River Valley and along the banks of the Russian River. About halfway from Healdsburg on Westside Road is what many refer to as the Miracle Mile. This is where we find the Gracianna Winery tasting room. The Miracle Mile is a term coined by the local vintners and vineyard growers. It refers to the terroir in this area, a mix of climate and soil that provides the ideal growing conditions for Pinot Noir and other cool climate grapes. Visit any of the several wineries along this stretch and you will enjoy some of the finest Pinot Noir wines made in California.

We stopped in at the Gracianna tasting room last week and visited with owner Lisa Amador. Gracianna produces two wonderful Pinot Noir wines. One is from their 1.3 estate Pinot Noir acres just behind the tasting room. The other is from the Bacigalupi Vineyard, a nearby neighbor. John Bacigalupi farms some of the oldest and best vines in the Russian River Valley. The Gracianna winery has been a long time dream of Lisa and her husband Trini Amador III. Perhaps the most interesting facet of the winery dream was Lisa’s story about how she and her husband had stumbled upon their then 15-year-old son secretly making wine in their garage. Sixteen years later, Trini Amador IV is the winemaker at Gracianna Winery. In his early adult years, Trini gained his winemaking experience being mentored by the famed Pinot Noir winemaker Bob Cabral at the William Seylem winery. Trini has taken those skills and adding his own touch to the wines of the Gracianna Winery.

We tasted through the lineup of Gracianna wines. A typical tasting is five wines for a tasting fee of $15.  The fee is waived with a purchase of two bottles of wine. We very much enjoyed the two Pinot Noir wines. They reminded us of the character of some the Burgundy wines we tasted while touring the Burgundy region of France a year ago. We also enjoyed a spicy and deep fruited Zinfandel. The Gracianna wines are made at a custom crush facility in Santa Rosa. Currently, 1200 cases of wine are produced with a plan to hit the 2000 case mark in a couple of years. With 500 wine club members, the demand is high for those 1200 cases of wine.

There is a cozy picnic area outside the tasting room and also one just beyond the Pinot Noir vineyard on the edge of the Russian River. Tasting is by appointment daily 11 to 5 from March to the end of November. Check the Gracianna Website for complete tasting and touring information.

gracianna tasting room

Gracianna tasting room and the picnic area

Trini Amador has written a gripping novel based on the life of his maternal grandmother, Gracianna Lasaga, a French-Basque girl living in Nazi-occupied Paris in the 1940s. You may want to add this to your reading list. It can be purchased at Amazon.com  Gracianna

Additional Westside Road Resources

  • The Westside Road Wine Route
  • Westside Road YouTube Videoh
  • Healdsburg lodging and dining

Filed Under: Russian River Valley Tagged With: Golden Mile, Gracianna Winery, Westside Road

MacRostie’s new digs on Westside Road

June 17, 2015 by Joe Becerra

MacRostie tasting room

The MacRostie tasting room as seen from Westside Road

MacRostie Winery and Vineyards on Westside Road

After 28 years of making very fine Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in Sonoma Valley, Steve MacRostie finally has his dream tasting room and Pinot Noir winemaking facility.  It is a beautiful piece of vineyard property located on scenic Westside Road that runs along the Russian River. There are many beautiful attractions along this road, and the MacRostie Estate House adds another element of splendor to the area.

steve-macrostie

Steve MacRostie – wine pioneer in California

Early on in his career, Steve established himself as pioneer winemaker with his tantalizing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines. Steve began making wine in 1974 and soon became interested in producing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in a true Burgundian style –  fresh, crisp, and food friendly. In 1987 he established his MacRostie label and began producing wine in Sonoma Valley. He sought out vineyards in the Sonoma Coast region that provided the terroir ingredients of fog and cooling breezes. His main winemaking facility is in a warehouse-style building in Sonoma Valley. The opening of the MacRostie Estate House in the Russian River Valley marks a new era in Steve MacRostie’s winemaking career.

MacRostie tasting room

MacRostie Estate House

What a wonderful spot to enjoy Chardonnay and Pinot Noir! We visited the Estate House last week. As we walked toward the entrance, the doors opened and we were greeted with a delightful glass of Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. This is standard for all visitors who arrive at the tasting room. What a very nice welcoming touch. Beautiful vineyard views of the Russian River Valley surround the tasting room.  Besides the welcome glass of wine, there are two other features seldom found in a wine tasting experience. Wine tasting at MacRostie is sit down, elegant but not over the top. One can sit outside on the terrace or in the main area at tables or on a relaxing chair or sofa. The server comes to you and explains the wine. The staff goes through some serious training, so a tasting is very educational. A second added touch is a side-by-side comparison of wines. There are two glasses at each table setting, sometimes three depending on the tasting. This gives wine country travelers the ability to compare two wines of the same varietal made from different vineyards or in a different style.  We tasted the Russian River Valley Chardonnay alongside a vineyard Chardonnay, the Wildcat Mountain Vineyard.  In the Pinot Noir category, we enjoyed the Russian River Chardonnay and the Goldrock Ridge Vineyard from Annapolis on the Sonoma Coast.  The side-by-side tasting is a great way to educate your palate and to discover the subtle differences in two wines.

MacRosite seated wine tasting

Outdoor wine tasting with fantastic views of the Russian River Valley

The MacRostie Estate House also has a separate small winemaking cellar equipped with state-of-the-art winemaking equipment. This is where Pinot Noir will be made from the 2015 harvest of their Russian River Valley vineyards. These days Steve takes a secondary role in the winemaking, tending to more of the vineyard management and business aspects of the winery.  The main winemaking duties belong to Heidi Bridenhagen, who handles the majority of the winemaking duties.  Steve says he appreciates the fresh ideas that the young people he hires bring to his winemaking methods.

To get to the MacRosite House, take Mill Street under Highway 101. Mill Street becomes Westside Road. Drive for about nine minutes on Westside Road and look for the winery on the right.  Take it slow and enjoy the beauty of this area of wine country.  The MacRostie House is open daily from 11am to 5 pm. Reservations are recommend especially on weekends.

Additional wine country details

  • Westside Road Wine Route
  • Eastside Road Wine Route
  • Most scenic wine country backroad

Filed Under: Russian River Valley, Russian River Wine Country - Sonoma Cty. Tagged With: MacRostie winery

Walling Road – Secret wine road in Sonoma

April 30, 2015 by Joe Becerra

walling road winecountry

Walling Road in Geyserville wine county – Views of Dry Creek Valley AVA vineyards

Walling Road, a secret wine road in Sonoma County

Walling Road is a secret wine road in Sonoma County, very near the town of Geyserville. There is only one winery open to visitors at the end of Walling Road, but it is the sheer beauty of this road that is attractive to wine country purists. Hardly any wine country travelers venture down this road. It is lined with vineyards and has expansive views of the Dry Creek Valley. Many of the vineyards are said to be owned by the Gallo Family. Walling Road is only a couple of miles long, and it’s worth the short drive down this road to visit the Frick Winery. It is a one-person show at Frick Winery. Bill Frick is the winemaker and handcrafts an array of Rhone-style wines in tiny lots. These wines include ones made with Syrah, Viognier, Cinsault, Grenache, Counoise, Carignane, Grenache Blanc, and Mourvèdre. The tasting room is open on weekends only. Consult the Frick Winery Website for current tasting room hours. To get to Walling Road, take the Canyon Road exit from Highway 101 and head west until you see Pedroncelli Winery. You should see the sign for Walling Road and Frick winery on the right.

Pedroncelli winery is also worth a visit. The Pedroncelli winery is one of the oldest in the area (founding date of 1927) and is family-owned. The Pedroncelli Winery is open daily and makes terrific wines at reasonable prices. We love the Friends White and the Friends Red. These are blended wines and are very tasty for around $10. The best wine at Pedroncelli is the Mother Clone Zinfandel. For $18, it is about the best “Bang for the Buck” wine in Sonoma County. If you are adventurous, you can also visit the J Rickards Winery and the Silver Oak Cellars, both near each other on Chianti Road. Chianti Road is the first right as you exit Highway 101 to Canyon Road. For more wineries and wine tasting, after visiting Frick and Pedroncelli, continue along Canyon Drive until it ends at Dry Creek Road. Dry Creek Road has many exciting wineries and tasting rooms.

Walling Road Winery Map

Additional Geyserville resources

  • Lodging close by in Geyserville
  • Restaurants nearby in Geyserville
  • Healdsburg Wine Country and Planning Guide

Filed Under: Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, Wine Country Backroads Tagged With: backroad wine country, Frick winery, Walling Road Geyserville, Wine Country Photography

Ultimate Russian River Wine Experience: Benovia – Gary Farrell – Dutton-Goldfield

April 7, 2015 by Joe Becerra

This is a guest post by Stephanie Friedman, the direct-to-consumer manager at Gary Farrell.  I heard through the grapevine about this very interesting wine tour at these three Russian River Valley wineries. Stephanie agreed to give readers of Wine Country Getaways the lowdown on the Ultimate Russian River Wine Experience.

Ultimate Russian River Wine Experience: Benovia – Gary Farrell – Dutton-Goldfield

In the heart of Sonoma County, down the main stretch of highway and along the windy backroads of the renowned Russian River Valley, you can discover some of the most beautiful vineyards producing world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Vineyards so breathtaking in landscape, you can’t help but slow your car down well below the speed limit to snap a quick pic, and wonder where you can find the wines produced from these incredible sites. Well, wonder no longer … The Ultimate Russian River Wine Experience will lead you to them.

Three esteemed wineries have teamed up to offer the ultimate Russian River Valley tour and tasting experience: Benovia, Gary Farrell and Dutton-Goldfield. Three names are known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, each a gem in their own right, yet even better when combined as a day-long, best of the Russian River Valley itinerary.

Benovia house

Benovia House

The day begins with a morning tasting at Benovia Winery, at a rustic ranch house nestled in the midst of their estate vineyards. With the home-style feel comes impeccable hospitality, and of course, exceptional wine. This small winery was built by a family of people who eat, drink and breathe a passion for making something special, and it’s felt throughout the entire tasting of co-owner/winemaker Mike Sullivan’s handcrafted single-vineyard selections, which are known for their exquisite balance and purity of flavor.

gary farrell winery

The terrace at Gary Farrell Winery

After working up an appetite, guests head west to Gary Farrell Winery, a Russian River Valley pioneer perched high on a hillside with a million dollar view overlooking the foggy riverbank. Here, a behind-the-scenes winery tour awaits, highlighting Gary Farrell’s incredible 30+ year history and hallmark winemaking style, one of beautiful balance, elegance and sense of place … a legacy that winemaker Theresa Heredia is both respecting and evolving with her own outstanding thumbprint. After the tour, guests are seated in the winery’s new private salon to savor a tasting of highly-acclaimed single vineyard wines accompanied by an artisan box lunch.

Dutton goldfield Pinot Noir

“Beast & Pinot” at Dutton Goldfield

The afternoon warms up out toward Sebastopol, where Dutton-Goldfield offers guests the option of two fabulous wine and food pairings, crafted by certified Sommelier Nicole Kosta. For charcuterie lovers, the winery’s signature “Beast & Pinot” pairing is the highlight, featuring exquisite Pinot Noirs paired with artisan meat selections. Or, a more traditional option of single vineyard wines and local artisan cheeses is offered. No matter what the choice, the incredibly knowledgeable staff makes the experience both educational and fun.

One day, three wineries, lunch and “beast” pairings … the Ultimate Russian River Wine Experience lives up to its name! Reservations can be made by contacting any one of the wineries – $125 per person, and transportation is offered additionally with 15% savings from Beau Wine Tours for URRWE guests.

Benovia | wineryvisits@benovia.com | 707-921-1040
Gary Farrell| concierge@garyfarrellwinery.com | 707-473-2909
Dutton-Goldfield | nicole@duttongoldfield.com | 707-827-3600

Filed Under: Russian River Valley Tagged With: Benovia, Dutton Goldfield, Gary Farrell, Russian River Valley wine tour

Ketcham Estate

August 22, 2014 by Joe Becerra

Ketcham Estate winery

Mark Ketcham and his Pinot Noir wines

About Ketcham Estate

This is one winery I had never heard until one of our wine friends arranged for us to meet Mark Ketcham and taste his Ketcham Estate wines. Our friend Pat bid on this special wine tasting with Mark Ketcham at a school fundraiser. We are happy she had the winning bid and even happier she asked us to tag along. The tasting took place in Mark’s fabulous house in the Russian River area near the town of Healdsburg. Mark is one of many successful business owners we find today in the world of wine who, once retired from their successful businesses, decide to start a winery.  As the old saying goes, “To make a small fortune in the wine business, one must start with a large fortune!” Mark Ketcham has long been a wine aficionado, especially of Burgundy wines. When he sold his computer company, he set out to find the perfect spot for growing Pinot Noir grapes. As we sip his Pinot Noir wines, he tells us that he evaluated over 100 properties using a Harvard Business School evaluation method.  His home and his estate vineyard are located at the northern end of the Russian River Valley.  His vineyard is a stone’s throw from J Vineyard and Rodney Strong. But Ketcham has one thing not found at either one of those wineries, and that is water. There is a creek that runs along his property and provides a substantial water table. The clones of Pinot Noir Mark is using grow in a lateral direction. He chose those Pinot Noir clones so they would have some struggles in finding the necessary nutrients, instead of growing strait down into the water table. Mark has hired a full-time vineyard manager and has provided a home for him and his family on the property. Kudos to Mark on providing for his employee.

Mark admits that although he knows much about wine, he would never attempt to make wine. That, he leaves up the specialist. It is rather curious that Mark has had three or four winemakers since the first vintage of 2002. He began with winemaker Mike Browne of Kosta-Browne fame, and we got the vague notion that Mark must be quite demanding in what he expects in his wine. Mark recently hired a new winemaker, Mark Topel. Mark and his wife Donnis own the Topel Winery and have a tasting room in downtown Healdburg. The Topels’ winery is located in Hopland, about 35 miles north of Healdsburg. Mark and Donnis purchase grapes from Mark Ketcham, and I am assuming that is what led to the  Ketcham winemaking stint for Mark Topel. It was very fun to try the three Ketcham Pinot Noirs, different vintages and from different vineyard plots. The Pinot Noirs are well made and very delicious, and I think priced correctly compared to other Pinot Noir wines in the Russian River Valley.

Ketcham Pinot Noir

The bookcase is a secret passageway to Mark Ketcham’s wine cellar.

What we most enjoyed about our visit was when Mark took us downstairs and into his “man cave.” He walks towards a bookcase and reaches behind a book and viola! The bookcase is a doorway that swings open into a fabulous and well- stocked wine cellar. I spotted Burgundys, Bordeaux’s, Napa cult cabs, and even an Nebuchandnezzar bottle of Veuve Cliquot. A Nebuchandnezzar holds 20 regular bottles of wine. Holy smokes!

This was a special tasting for the school fund raiser. Normally all the tastings at Ketcham Estate are by appointment and done in the vineyards. Check the Ketcham Estate Website for additional information.  Should you want to visit other wineries in the area, check our Old Redwood Highway Wine Trail.

Filed Under: Russian River Valley, Russian River Wine Country - Sonoma Cty., Winemakers Tagged With: Ketcham Estate, Pinot Noir russian river valley, Topel

Acorn Winery – Field Blend

July 4, 2014 by Joe Becerra

acorn winery betsy bill

Acorn owners Betsy and Bill Nachbaur

About Acorn Winery

This is a revised article that I posted in 2008 about Betsy and Bill Nachbaur and their Acorn Winery and Alegria Vineyards. This past week Acorn Winery made Daily Meal’s Top 101 Wineries in America. Acorn Winery is number 22. That is quite an honor considering this winery is very small and not much known to most of the media titans like the Wine Spectator and Robert Parker. Congratulations to this small winery on Old Redwood Road near Healdsburg.

At Acorn Winery, Betsy and Bill Nachbaur do things a little differently than most wineries and vineyard farmers. Their winery is located on prime acreage in the Russian River Valley and most of their vines are very old, including a Zinfandel block that is over 100 years old.

The Nachbaurs purchased the property, Alegria Vineyards, in 1990. They farmed the grapes and sold them off to various wineries. When winery after winery starting winning awards for their Alegri­a Vineyard wines, Bill decided it was time to try his hand at making wine, and in 1996 established Acorn Winery. The Nachbaurs still sell their grapes but keep 20% of their crop to produce 3000 cases of wine per year.

So what about field blends? Few wineries practice this tradition today. The Alegri­a Vineyard contains blocks of various field blends in which the grape varieties are interplanted. They are harvested together and fermented together. So, for example, take the old vine Zinfandel block. Interspersed among the Zin vines are a few vines of Petite Sirah, Alicante Boushcet, and a few other varietals. The vines are all harvested and fermented together. The blending is thus done in the field and not in the barrel.

alegria vineyards

Old Vine Zinfandel – Alegria Vineyards

Acorn Winery is open by appointment only, and the tasting takes place in a rustic room that serves as both an office and a tasting room. Betsy also gives visitors a quick tour of their interesting vineyard blocks. The tasting is currenlty $10 per person but waived if a wine purchase is made. If you are looking for wines that are unique and pair well with food, try the Acorn Winery.

There are several other wineries in the area including J Vineyards, Rodney Strong, and Foppiano. Check out our Old Redwood Wine Trail that includes these wineries and others. If you are staying in Healdsburg, see our list of recommended Healdsburg restaurants.

Filed Under: Russian River Valley, Sonoma County Tagged With: Acorn Vineyards, Alegria Vineyards, Field blend

Wine Country Updates from Janelle and Joe

Subscribe to our wine country reports

* indicates required


Latest from the Blog

  • J Lohr in Paso Robles
  • The Fine Art of Wine
  • Exciting Virtual Wine Country Encounters
-->

CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY REGIONS:

Carneros • Livermore • Lodi • Mendocino • Monterey • Napa Valley • Paso Robles • Santa Barbara County • Santa Cruz Mts. • Sierra Foothills • Russian River • Sonoma Valley

Connect With Us

Want to keep up with Wine Country Getaways? Follow us across our social networks!

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Twitter

Sign up for wine country news from Janelle and Joe

* indicates required

Copyright © 2021 · Wine COuntry Getaways