We were treated to a sit down personalized tasting with about 7 different wines. Andy our host was super nice and informative and gave a great tour. Their Viognier, Rock Pile Zin and Cuvee were nice. Their Cab Franc and Cabernet were really delicious as well.
Optima began as a dream producing just 400 cases in 1984, now, the winery is continuing their tradition of producing premium, world class wines. Optima specializes in Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel Port,
and Chardonnay. Stopped by for Passport weekend. Amazing wines! Hard to find but well worth looking for.
The tasting rooms and grounds are beautiful and well kept. There are shaded areas to enjoy a glass of wine, as well as a great deal of manicured lawns to have a picnic or catch some rays. If you arrive with sufficient time, they gladly give tours of the production rooms, which I found interesting.
Each time I've gone to a tasting here, the staff has been welcoming and informative, without being pretentious. The selection of wines for the regular tasting is good and includes several of my favorite wines from this winery. They usually give away the tasting for free if you buy a bottle.
Peter Kirilov, and Kukeri Wines is based out of Sebastopol. Peter has sourced the grapes for his 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon from Mt. Veeder of the Mayacamas Mountains that separates Sonoma from Napa. The clay and volcanic soils that are characteristic of this area produce small, intense fruit. A rich, ruby red color, the wine is remarkably smooth and balanced considering its relatively young age.
Though Kirilov has just recently launched Kukeri he’s no stranger to wine making or the wine industry. He’s a full time wine-maker for two other wineries and founded VinoEnology.com, an industry website that offers winemaking solutions for vintners, including calculators, tools and marketplace. This boutique winery and winemaker is a good one to keep an eye on. Small production wines with the fire of the winemaker’s passion for the wines he makes.
Peter offers a Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir.
Love the metal sculptures in the patio and gardens. They make for a great backdrop to relax and get ready for rest of the day. The tasting room is large enough to handle a crowd, but it has never been that crowded when we stop in. The staff has always been friendly. They make a decent Cabernet sauvignon for the price.
It's a beautiful winery, and the tasting room is kind of tucked away from the main drag, so you have to know where you're going to visit. It's not as big as you'd think it would be, Ravenswood being an widely available label, so I think it's great. $10, and you pick five from the regular list, or $15 and you pick 5 off the reserve list.
Family feel with lots of character. They have tasty olive oil and wine. It doesn't have the contemporary feel of some nearby wineries. They know who they are and give off that old-fashion feel. A nice, small place to end the day in Russian River Valley.
Albini Family Vineyards only sell two kinds of wine - Zinfandel and Merlot. This year, there are three varieties of wine available: First, is the 2008 Zinfandel (500 cases; Russian River Valley); Second is the 2008 Zinfandel Ponzo Vineyard (500 cases; Russian River Valley); Third is the 2008 Merlot (Russian River Valley).
Marietta Cellars is located just outside the little town of Geyserville in one of California’s premier wine growing regions, Sonoma County. Owner and winemaker Chris Bilbro initially founded Marietta Cellars in 1978 in a rented cow barn in the Dry Creek Valley. The winery is named after Chris’ great aunt.
The staff can be kind of hit or miss. Usually they are a little stand-offish or at least less eager to talk, but they don't try to over sell you on buying their wine they let you enjoy the experience. The tasting room isn't spectacular (actually I liked the smaller tasting room they had before) but they do have a large selection of gifts other than wine.
