We are so lucky to be so close to Sonoma and Napa counties, and so many wineries to choose from!! The vast majority of the wines we know are from California, but every now and then we venture away from CA wines and find some gems.
The best pinot noir’s I’ve ever had come from Arista. There are no bad ones. Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley are always delicious and some of their single estates are just gorgeous. They are on Westside Road in Healdsburg, I think tastings are only for members but you can purchase from their website https://www.aristawinery.com Another Westside Road favorite. You can book tastings here and it’s a lovely winery to visit. Their wine is generally not easy to get hold of but you can visit and buy some onsite. Their sauvignon blanc is excellent, as is the pinot and chardonnay – again everything here is excellent, and if you happen to visit during rose season, grab it, it sells out fast! You can’t buy much online but they do sell a few from their site https://www.rochioliwinery.com You can see the theme of Westside Road! Another great winery on the same street. Pinots and Chardonnay’s are excellent. You can buy frothier site here https://bacigalupivineyards.com Moving over to Napa, Laird family was a recent discovery. The family began as farmers, growing and processing the grapes for other vineyards and only moved into making their own label when the current Laird generation took over. Their blends and cabernets are really good, definitely worth a visit. https://lairdfamilyestate.com Another recent favorite thanks to a friend, Blake, for sending us a bottle of this! Altamura is a Napa winery, and although they do have cabernets of which I recently added to the cellar, their Sangiovese must be extremely hard to beat – it is absolutely delicious. https://www.altamura.com Moving over to Dry Creek, another favorite is Ridge Vineyards. Predominantly zinfandel, all of which are completely delicious, Pagiani Ranch pictured here is just one of the many delightful zins from Ridge. You can visit the winery or buy online https://www.ridgewine.com Switching it up to Sake! Kikusui is a really dry junta ginjo, I love the balance and crispness – and it doesn’t have that banana flavor some sake has to me. This one is widely available in stores.And who doesn’t love Caymus! widely available, nothing short of delicious and while not cheap, its pretty fairly priced for a really good cabernet,Another widely available wine, Gloria Ferrer sparkles are always fun. If you get chance to visit the winery you’ll get a broader selection that you can’t get in the stores, Rose is always a treat! Another amazing winery, on Dry Creek Road in Healdsburg. Unti specializes is Mediterranean style wine, all delicious and super affordable considering the quality. We were introduced to Unti by our friend Yvette – thanks Yvette! https://www.untivineyards.comAnother Napa Can, this one was first recommended to us in a Michael Mina restaurant in Chicago (Margeaux Brasserie). Its front he Odette Estate Winery on Silverado trail in the stags leap district of Napa https://www.odetteestate.com More of a mainstream wine from Belle Glos but if you can’t decide whether you’re in the mood for a pinot or a cabernet – this is a winner! It’s a luscious deep tasting pinot from Monterey County. There are a few bottles that have this signature look – make sure you get the “Las Alturas” – its the best one! https://belleglos.comThis is a really great super tuscan wine, you can get it from wine.com or other wine outlets. Kosta Brown is another pinot favorite from Sonoma County. More info on their website here
