Sonoma

Sonoma

Russian Hill Winery/Talawind Ranch

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Patrick Melley is Winemaker and Co-Founder of Russian Hill and Talawind Ranch wineries.

Patrick’s path to becoming Russian Hill’s Winemaker was fueled by a love of food and wine. A self-taught winemaker, Patrick developed his love of wine through attending FIU, a leading food and beverage college in Florida, coupled with many years of working in the restaurant business. He became a restaurant manager for an international affiliation of restaurants and one of his favorite responsibilities was developing their wine lists. This diverse exposure to wines from around the world refined his palate and sparked a life-long passion for wine and wine and food pairing.

The natural next step was for Patrick to make wine himself. In 1989 he started making wine at home and in 1993, he-co-founded Benicia Cellars Winery, where he was responsible for the general development of the company, grape acquisition and winemaking.

In 1997, Patrick and his partners moved to the Russian River Valley and founded Russian Hill Estate Winery. Here, Patrick could pursue his passion for Pinot noir and other cool climate varietals and make wine from the surrounding estate vineyards.

Manzanita Creek Winery

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We stopped in here several years ago, quite confused, because I had read about another winery with a similar name in the area and I was looking for the fields of lavender. Obviously that's not what you'll get in this industrial warehouse near Healsburg square, but it's not about the scenery here - it's all about the wines, and how delicious they are. If you're a fan of big, bold Zins, I cannot recommend this place enough. They also make a very decent Chardonnay and some Syrah and Petit Syrahs, but my heart belongs to the zin, especially the amazing Stealth.

Duxoup Wine Works

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Pronounced "Duck Soup". This winery offers very limited quantities of unique varietals with a total production of only 1500 cases per year. Duxoup was founded in 1981 by two free-spirited, inquisitive winemakers: Deborah and Andrew Cutter. They built the winery with small production, gentle, gravity flow winemaking in mind. Duxoup wines are silky, fruity, and come from venerable vineyards. The wines express not only terroir, but the highly skilled work of the two owners, both experienced and respected for their independence and consistent quality. The wines are rare, but well worth the effort to find. Duxoup produces a Dolcetto, Gamay Noir, Sangiovese, and Syrah.

Albini Family Vineyards

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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).

Massocco Vineyards

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This place specializes in Zins and they make it very well here. It's actually on the jammier fruit forward side rather than the peppery notes of some zins you may have but it was very good. Enjoyed their white wines as well. There was only two that they make I believe and even the rose was pretty good.

Adobe Road Winery

cluster of grapes

Adobe Road Winery is a great place to hang. 

Uniquely connected to the thrilling world of professional sports car racing, Kevin Buckler understands that achieving victories at speeds of 180 miles per hour requires extreme focus, attention, and a relentless pursuit of perfection. This same dedication applies to his passion for winemaking.

Following the remarkable success of his professional racing team, The Racers Group (TRG), Kevin and his wife Debra established Adobe Road Winery in the heart of Sonoma County in 2002. Their mission is to craft wines that embody the true essence of California’s most esteemed winegrowing regions. “We work hard to ensure that each bottle of Adobe Road wine showcases the best attributes of each individual vineyard within the appellations we source from,” Kevin explains. “We select the finest sites in Sonoma and Napa Valley for our elite Cabernet Sauvignons, while Dry Creek is chosen for our hedonistically rich Syrahs and Zinfandels. The Russian River and Petaluma Gap provide the ideal conditions for our ethereal Pinot Noirs and lavishly flavored yet sleek Chardonnays.”

Robledo Family Winery

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This is a real family business and everyone was friendly and helpful, telling you stories about the winery and the wines, they even took our picture behind the bar. The tasting area has tons of room with tables you can sit at, the tasting bar and even an outside tasting area so even though there were other people there you felt like you were getting a private tasting.

Favero Vineyards

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Fred and Ginger, winemaker and owners of Favero Vineyards and Winery, take pride in the production of their fine quality wines. From clearing the rugged and rocky hillside, to hand planting vines, to the precision thinning of fruit and the pulling of leaves for improved circulation, Fred Favero crafts the entire production of Favero Vineyards wines. The result of this exacting vineyard management and careful handling of fruit is wine of extraordinary complexity, power, and finesse.mmGinger brings her talent for design and marketing to the Favero family winery and vineyards.

Fritz Winery

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Built into the side of a picturesque hill atop the famed Dry Creek Valley, the Fritz Winery creates award-winning, small production wines with a respect for the vineyards, and the traditions of artisan, hand-crafted wine making. Jay Fritz's vision for a winery grounded in responsible stewardship is what has allowed the quality of the natural bounty of our 120+ Estate to thrive over the past thirty years.

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