Russian River Wine Country - Sonoma Cty. Archives - Page 2 of 6

A Visit to Rodney Strong Vineyards

January 16, 2014 by joe

Rodney Strong Vineyards

Rodney Strong Vineyards is one of the older wineries in the Russian River area of Sonoma County with a bonding date of 1959. It is a big winery, 850,000 cases a year, and attracts a large number of visitors to its tasting room and tours. As part of a Travel Zoo coupon deal, a tour of the Rodney Strong Vineyards was included in our stay at the Vintners Inn. Get this: the last time we visited the Rodney Strong winery was back in 1972. The present day winery off Old Redwood Highway near Healdsburg was completed in 1970. At that time Rodney Strong, a former ballet dancer, was the owner. Today it is owned by Tom Klein. Those in the San Francisco Bay Area may know Tom’s wife better, Kate Kelly, former news anchor for KPIX.

About 80% of the wines produced are devoted to the Sonoma County label. They are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay. The retail price for these wines is $20 at the winery. However, you can find these wines at many supermarkets and warehouse stores for much less. For example, the Rodney Strong Sonoma Cabernet is sold at Costco for $12.95 and sometimes even less than that. Our tour guide Sheila mentioned: “These three wines keep Rodney Strong operating profitably.” I have tasted these wines and I consider them to be nicely made and a good value at the sale price one finds in the supermarkets. Rick Sayre is the head winemaker overseeing the entire winemaking operation.

Barrel room at Rodney Strong

In a completely different section of the winery, the other 20% of the wines are made. These wines are produced from single-vineyard or specially-selected grapes for the upper tier wines. These wines are aged in French oak barrels for two years. These wines are not found in any supermarkets. Many are sold directly to wine club members. These top tier wines are very expensive. We tasted three and they are very delicious and well made. But at $75 a bottle, it is far above what I am willing to pay for a bottle of wine.

The tour was very well done. We took a walk in the vineyards, viewed the crush pad, and tasted some barrel samples. The outdoor picnic area is a beauty. This is where the winery holds concerts and events for wine club members. When not is use for these special events, visitors can picnic and enjoy the beauty of the area.

Rodney Strong Vineyards is certified for its sustainable farming practices. They also have a huge number of solar panels, some 4000. While we were present in the vineyards, KTVU News was interviewing Rodney Strong Vineyards winegrowing manager, Doug McIlroy. The interview was centered about the drought problems for the 2014 growing season. Below is the video of that report as aired on KTVU news later that evening.

If you want to visit Rodney Strong Vineyards, visit the winery’s Website for a complete and thorough description of the tastings and tour offerings. Nearby are several wineries that are also fun and interesting to visit. Take a look at our Old Redwood Highway Wine Trail.

Lodging and Restaurants in Healdsburg

Battaglini Winery in Russian River Wine Country

March 16, 2013 by joe

Our wine country getaway to Battaglini Winery

Battaglini Estate Winery

Battaglini Winery is a hidden gem in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. In this wine region there are many gorgeous wineries, fancy tasting rooms, and state-of-the art wine making facilities. At the Battaglini Winery, things are done the old-fashioned way. Italian native Joe Battaglini is the owner and winemaker. Joe and his wife Lucia purchased the then-abandoned winery in 1988 and produced their first vintage in 1994. Joe Battaglini learned how to make wine from his father as he was growing up in Lucca, Italy. Even the vines at Battaglini are old fashioned, and by that I mean 127 years old. There are 25 acres of these vines consisting of old Zinfandel and Petit Syrah. These 127-year-old vines are still producing, although the yields are small. The fruit is concentrated, with flavors that produce wonderful wine.

Owner and winemaker Joe Battaglini

127 year-old Petite Sirah

The tasting room is small and funky and adorned with memorabilia from Lucca. Joe usually pours in the tasting room, and if you ask you can get a quick tour of the old vineyards. The vines are fascinating to look at. Joe even has names for a few of them. What a kick to be out in the fields with Joe Battaglini.

Joe opened several Zinfandel wines for us dating from 2002 to 2009. We were amazed at how well the older vintages held up, rich and delicious. Yes, they had mellowed, but the fruit was still there to enjoy and savor. Joe also makes an unfiltered Chardonnay and an oaky Chardonnay. They were good but not as impressive as the Zin and Petite. Zinfandel and Petite Sirah wines are aged in a mix of new and old French barrels for 18 months. Once bottled, the wines sit for 2 years before being released.

Joe has recently begun to experiment with Pinot Noir. After all the Russian River Valley is famous for Pinot Noir, so why not try and see what he can do with this grape? The vines were recently planted, so we won’t be able to taste any Pinot Noir for a few years.

Other Nearby Wineries

For more wine tasting, leave Battaglini Winery, make a left turn and continue along Piner Road to Olivet Road. Here you’ll find DeLoach, Harvest Moon, Hook & Ladder and others. Olivet Lane Wine Trail

Lodging and Restaurants

For this wine country getaway, we stayed at the Vintners Inn in Santa Rosa just a short hop from Battaglini Winery and the Olivet Road wineries. We ate dinner at the Jon Ash Restaurant that is located in the Vintners Inn. There is also plenty of other lodging in Santa Rosa and a little further north in Healdsburg.

Healdsburg to Guerneville best wine country backroad

February 20, 2013 by joe

Scenic Westside Rd.

What is your favorite backroad in all of wine country? We have many that we like on our list, but we think this one certainly qualifies as one of the best. As you read about the points of interest along the route from Healdsburg to Guerneville, you surely will agree and want to give it a go yourself.

This lovely trip begins in the chic wine town of Healdsburg. If you have not been to Healdsburg, you’ll want to spend at least half a day. The town has many boutique shops, art galleries, restaurants and tasting rooms. See more on Healdsburg.

This drive will take you through breathtaking views of vineyards, Redwood trees, barns, and historic wineries. From the Healdsburg Plaza, go south on Healdsburg Avenue and turn right on Mill St. Take Mill St. under the freeway. Mill St. will lead you to Westside Road where your journey begins.

The first few miles will take you through the western edge of the Dry Creek Valley. The rest of the way you are in the Russian River Valley wine region or AVA. We will highlight a few of the best stops along the way but, if something else strikes your fancy, be sure to stop and take a look.

At Mill Creek Winery you’ll find a water wheel that will fascinate all age groups. The wine is great and so is the view. The next stop, just a short distance from Mill Creek, is the Armida Winery. Armida has one of the top scenic views in wine country, and a Bocce court to boot. A picnic lunch on the Armida deck, a game of Bocce with a glass of wine, and life can’t get much better.

Continue travels along Westside Road and stop at any winery that strikes your interest, but four miles after Armida are two wineries that should not be missed. Hop Kiln Winery is a hop kiln barn built in 1905. New owners have taken the wines up a couple of notches. Next door to Hop Kiln is Rochioli Vineyards, famous for its Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. The Pinot is so good, there is a long waiting list to buy their vineyard-designated wines.

The meandering road will take you past Porter Creek Vineyards and the MacMurray Ranch. You can visit Porter Creek and taste delicious Pinot Noir. MacMurray Ranch is not open to the public, but as you drive by, you can catch a glimpse of where movie and television star Fred MacMurray and his family would come for rest and relaxation.

In a few miles you will come to River Road at the end of Westside Road. Turn right on River Road and drive two miles to Korbel Cellars. Korbel Cellars is the home of sparkling wine and beautiful gardens. It is one of the oldest California wineries, with a starting date of 1872. Drop in to taste and, if you have time, take a tour of this amazing winery.

Korbel has a nice deli and terrace to enjoy a snack or lunch. A few miles ahead is the resort town of Guerneville. It is an interesting town that has changed little over the past 50 years. It is a very nice change of pace for wine country travelers.

Porter Creek Vineyards Review

January 17, 2013 by joe

Our visit to Porter Creek Vineyards

Our last visit to Porter Creek Vineyards was in 2002. We enjoyed the smallness of the winery and the family atmosphere. However, we thought the wines were a mixed bag of quality, particularly the Pinot Noir wines. After all, Porter Creek is situated in the land of Pinot Noir grapes, the Russian River Valley. Perhaps it was because we had just previously visited Rochioli Winery, where we tasted “out-of-this-world” Pinot Noir wines. We felt that with the Russian River Valley terroir, the Porter Creek wines should have been better. For that reason, Porter Creek Vineyards did not make it onto our list of wineries on the Russian River Valley Wine Trail.

Last week we revisited Porter Creek Vineyards. Much remains the same as it was years ago. It is the same tiny, cozy tasting room, and it is the same family running the winery. However, this time the wines were much better overall than we had remembered, and we were impressed with the Pinot Noir wines we tasted. So what changed over the years? In 1997 Alex Davis took over the winemaking duties from his father and founder George Davis. It took a few years for Alex’s winemaking skills to come forward and show their style. Alex studied winemaking at Fresno State University and then spent several years in the Burgundy area of France learning the winemaking practices of the legendary Pinot Noir region.

Lancaster Estate Winery in the Chalk Hill AVA – Review

November 27, 2012 by joe

Almost shocking to hear, but not unexpected these days, the Lancaster Estate winery, a family-owned winery, has been sold to a large wine conglomerate. In this instance the buyer is Bill Foley, whose Foley Family Wines owns several wineries including the neighboring Chalk Hill Winery and Chateau Felice, as well as the Sebastiani Family winery located in the town of Sonoma.

This sale happened earlier this month just before we were scheduled to visit the winery for a tour and cave dinner, an event sponsored by the Wine Tourism Conference held in Santa Rosa. Despite the sale, the event took place as planned and we were certainly impressed with the beauty of the winery and its setting in the Chalk Hill area of Sonoma County.

Paradise Ridge winery – best sunset and sculpture

November 17, 2012 by joe

Review of Paradise Ridge Winery

Great views, an amazing outdoor sculpture exhibit, and delicious wines is what the wine country visitor will find at Paradise Ridge Winery in the hills of Santa Rosa. We visited Paradise Ridge last Tuesday evening for a special winery dinner event. It is a fun spot and a destination where you can spend several hours; there is that much to do and see. A wonderful excursion!

The winery is located in a residential area in the northeastern hills of Santa Rosa. One would never know a winery is hidden in this modern housing tract. It is far off the beaten path of wineries and is the only winery in this area of Santa Rosa. There are few signs to guide you to the winery, so be sure to have your map in hand, pinpointing the winery on your GPS system to guide you.

Spirit of the Man

The first thing that catches the eye is an amazing metal sculpture as you drive up the entrance to the winery. It is part of the exhibit “The Spirit of the Man.” Our next article on the Wine Travelers will give you complete details of this not-to-be-missed art exhibit. Once you park your car and head to the tasting room, you will be completely mesmerized by the view from the deck of the tasting room. You’ll have a great look at the vineyards below, the Russian River Valley, and the city of Santa Rosa. On Wednesday evenings during the warm weather months, the winery hosts an event called “Wines and Sunsets in Paradise.” Visitors pack their picnic dinners, savor Paradise Ridge wines, and enjoy the fantastic sunsets. We were lucky enough on our visit to witness one of the more spectacular sunsets at Paradise Ridge.

Winemaker Brian Maloney zips and dashes between DeLoach and Buena Vista wineries

September 13, 2012 by joe

French open-top barrels

In 2003 Jean-Charles Boisset purchased DeLoach Vineyards and quickly revamped the winery, gaining certified biodynamic status, adding new wine making equipment, and most importantly hiring a young winemaker by the name of Brian Maloney. About a year ago Jean-Charles purchased Sonoma’s historic Buena Vista Winery, founded in 1857 and, as he did with Deloach, is making major changes and restoring the winery to its former glory. Brian Maloney was doing such a fine job as winemaker at DeLoach, it was an easy choice for Jean-Charles to make Brian the winemaker at Buena Vista as well.

I met with Brian at the DeLoach winery located on Olivet Road in the Russian River Valley near Santa Rosa, CA. He says the workdays are long but rewarding. On many days he travels to both wineries, plus the Raymond winery in the Napa Valley. The Raymond facility is where some of the wine for both DeLoach and Buena Vista is made. He says he is fortunate to have skilled assistant winemakers at each location, who can take over when he is not present.

The focus at both DeLoach and Buena Vista is to make top Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines, using wine making techniques that have been around for centuries. This means large wooden open-topped tanks where Pinot Noir ferments, where workers take turns punching down the fermenting grapes by hand. After fermentation, watchful barrel aging takes place. The key is in the vineyard, where organic and sustainable farming enables the terroir to fully represent itself in the wines.

I asked Brian if there will be any differences in the way the Pinot Noir from the DeLoach Russian River vineyards and the Carneros vineyards of Buena Vista will be made. Here is what he had to say:

At DeLoach 90,000 cases of wine are made annually. A large production of entry level wines is placed in many supermarkets and wine shops, while the second tier of wines is sold through the tasting room or offered on the wine list at select restaurants. Visitors can taste wines for a $10 tasting fee. Check the DeLoach Website for other tasting and tour options. Travelers can make a full day of wine tasting on Olivet Road. In addition to Deloach, on this three mile road, there are four other small and family-run wineries: Olivet Road Wine Trail.

Diavola Restaurant – The Little Restaurant that Could

June 1, 2012 by joe

For the past four years, Dino Bugica has been running his little amazing Italian restaurant, Diavola Pizzeria & Salumeria, in the quiet town of Geyserville. When it first opened, few thought that this tiny town could support more than one upscale restaurant. The established and highly-regarded Santé restaurant was a few doors down, and Dino had been the head chef there. In just a short time, Diavola has become a very popular spot among the locals, as well as the workers and visitors to the nearby wineries of the Alexander Valley and the Dry Creek regions. We have been raving about this spot since it opened. Last week we organized a dinner at Diavola for our 8th annual WCG Bocce Tournament. Sixteen of us wined and dined to our delight, devouring a variety of delicious foods prepared by Dino and his crew.

We began our dinner with three orders of salami and cheese. The salami and sausages are house cured and wonderful. Then came the salad that was so amazingly good: The asparagus and egg salad has a lightly fried farm fresh egg, crispy pork belly, truffled pecorino and lemon vinaigrette. Oh, my!

Dino Bugica chef of Diavola in Geyserville

Dino working the pizza oven. Is Brian Wilson a fan?

For the entrée, we had a mix of tasty pizzas and creative pasta dishes. The pasta with the slowly braised pork, beef, basil, and pecorino cheese was without a doubt the crowd’s favorite. In our dinner party of 16 we had one person with dietary restrictions, and for her, Dino whipped up a farm fresh arugula salad and the most awesome pizza a vegan has probably ever seen or tasted, for that matter.

Here are a few testimonials from our party
Ray says: I thought the food was authentic artisanal Italian with fresh ingredients. The restaurant itself had the feel of a bistro while the service was excellent and well paced.

Mike says: Given the size of our group (number not weight) I thought the price was more than reasonable. They were very poised in their service and plates came at a good pace. I was most impressed by the individual style of each dish and how clear the flavors were displayed without any one flavor being dominant. Close your eyes and you could be in a country inn in Italy, the only thing missing was hearing Italian spoken. Comparing Diavola with other wine country restaurants, this is a clear winner. I highly recommend Diavola.

Janelle says: The food is delicious and innovative, the place feels friendly, and the prices and service were good.

Vegan Pizza

Tita says: Daviola was delightful. The chef was able to accommodate my vegan
needs with a beautiful fresh asparagus and tomato pizza without any
oil, dairy, meats. The salad was freshly prepared with artisan greens
and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Delicious. Special thanks to the
Chef.

The latest accolade for Diavola’s was the inclusion of this restaurant in the recent issue of the Wine Spectator magazine featuring the Sonoma County wine country. I’m not sure which will bring more business to the restaurant, this blog article or the full-page photo of a Diavola pizza in the Wine Spectator.

Menu and other information can be found on the Diavola Website. If you want to visit wineries in the Geyserville area, we have a terrific wine trail to follow. Bring back a bottle of your favorite Geyserville wine to Diavola and enjoy a fabulous Italian feast.

Armida Winery – one of the best picnic wineries

May 26, 2012 by joe

Enjoying a picnic lunch at a winery is one of life’s finer pleasures. We have our list of favorite wineries with great picnic areas and views, and the Armida Winery is one of those that head the list. Armida is located on the edge of the Dry Creek Valley on Westside Road, a couple of miles from the town of Healdsburg. It is small family-run winery producing 10,000 to 12,000 cases a year.

The winery is situated high on a hill affording a spectacular view of the Russian River Valley area. Yes, although the winery is situated in the Dry Creek AVA, the view is of the neighboring Russian River Valley. The winery has a good-sized deck with several tables that afford this wonderful scene. A pond just below the deck adds to the beauty of the vineyards off in the distance. Once people experience this beauty, they return again and again to enjoy this spot. Saturdays are very popular here, especially from Spring to the early Fall months.

Harvest Film at Sonoma Film Fest and other Wine News

April 5, 2012 by joe

The 15th Annual Sonoma International Film Festival is April 11 to 15. For you wine lovers and wine country enthusiasts, the festival will debut the film “Harvest,” a feature-length documentary that follows five Sonoma County family wineries and their experiences in the harvest of 2011. I have not seen the film but I have watched the trailer. It looks like a terrific documentary. I won’t be at the film festival, but I sure hope I have the opportunity to see this film later in the year at other venues. Check out the trailer.

Benziger Family and Earth Day
Benziger Family Winery will host a winery event and nationwide wine tastings to spotlight sustainable winemaking in commemoration of Earth Day. At the winery, the event is called “Earth Day at the Estate” and will be a wine tasting with Mike Benziger. The event will take place April 21 from 11:00 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Benziger Family Winery, 1883 London Ranch Road in Glen Ellen. The cost is $40.00 for Wine Club Members and their guests and $60.00 for the general public. Seating is limited. To reserve a spot call 800-989-8890 or email [email protected]
Throughout Earth Week (April 22-28), select wine shops and stores nationwide will offer “green flights” of Benziger Family Winery’s award-winning wines at in-store tastings sponsored by the winery’s distributor, Kobrand Corporation. For a complete list of participating locations visit www.benziger.com/earthday. Profits from both events will go to supporting the land and the community of farm workers who tend it.