Hidden Jewel of Sonoma County. Pezzi King Vineyards Family owned since 1993. Winemaker Chris Barrett is a native to the Sonoma County wine country. He has seen this area grow from a few wineries to the prestige that the area holds today.
The Pellegrini Family traces its heritage in winemaking to the early 1900s when brothers Nello and Gino Pellegrini arrived in New York City from their native Tuscany. They soon made their way to the West Coast and in 1925 became Sonoma County grape merchants, shipping grapes throughout the U.S. for home winemaking.
Despite the fact that this winery is owned by behemoth wine and spirits company, Brown Forman, we could not have picked a better winery to have a midday tasting. The three ladies that were manning the tasting room could not have been more charming as they set us up with a flight of pourings outside on the beautiful patio. We were surprised at the many offerings that Sonoma-Cutrer only provides from the winery or to wine club members.
This winery is situated in a cave, which makes the wine tasting experience a little different, but pretty cool. Everyone was really nice. Like a lot of wineries, they charge $10 for a tasting fee, but at Bella you get to do much more than just sampling wine. The tasting tour began with the pairing of a Rosé with some portuguese sausage and some friend plantains. You then proceed to the wine caves, which were filled with live Spanish guitar music.
Great winery conveniently located next to a chocolate shop. Moondance offers wine and port tasting for $5 apiece. In addition to wine, they also have mustard, olive oil, and balsamic samples for you to try. They are in a mutually beneficial relationship with their chocolate selling neighbors. They offer chocolate samples as a pairing with their wines.
Just like wine, some of the best things in life do not just change, they evolve: developing gradually into a better, more complex state with time. The same is said of Blue Rock’s commitment to producing vintages true to their European roots. Wines on the estate are crafted with the type of knowledge and modern finesse that only come with experience.
Blue Rock’s technique enhances the uniqueness of each wine`s character while aIso maintaining the soul of its history and the integrity of the land.
The result: vintages that feel like an accessible luxury because they exceed expectation, but for a reasonable price. It’s like getting upgraded to first class when you least expect it.
Blue Rock will produce only small quantities of luxurious red wines that express their sense of place. Blue Rock, therefore, will always make wine from grapes grown exclusively on the 100 acre Estate in Sonoma, Alexander Valley.
Girard's goal is to highlight the flavors of Napa Valley and its rich, ripe grapes. A small portion of the winery's portfolio also comes from grapes grown in Sonoma's upscale Russian River Valley, where cool weather offers ideal conditions for Chardonnay.
A life-long interest in fine food and artisan craft led, Proprietor and Winemaker, Rick Davis to the wine industry. With graduate work in soil sciences and his first experience as a cellar-hand for Rivendell Winery, a small winery in New Paltz, NY, he quickly learned the trade and excelled to Winemaker. In order to pursue this newfound passion, his move to Sonoma County, CA left him in the perfect place to master winemaking and focus on Pinot Noir.
The gentleman in the tasting room, Scott, was friendly, knowledgeable and just nice to be around making our visit even better. He told us the tasting room have been open only three weeks which was hard to believe given the fabulous design, product displays and sense of organization. Oh dog friendly too!
“As we focus on evolving SIMI into a leading premium consumer lifestyle brand, we have made the decision to cease hospitality operations at SIMI Winery early next year,” wrote Alex Wagner, Constellation's vice president of communications in the wine division.
