|
 Sonoma County [all categories]
 Sonoma - Wineries to Visit
 wines only available at the winery
|
| next newest topic | next oldest topic |
| Author | Topic: wines only available at the winery |
|
yesilovewine Member |
posted 01-21-2011 03:45 PM
 
Ok, so there I am at the "new" store with the remodeled wine department and I see not 1 or 2 but 7 Wineries that I thought didn't sell off property! So, don't take my word for it, RC...better check. These are the ones that I stumbled on today: Pezzi King, Pardcci, Robert Biale, Hanna, Lyeth, Foppiano and Carol Shelton. Don't know if the store is just expanding product lines or if these are actually new to the market. Anyone here seen these on the shelf at the regular market ( as opposed to wine shops) before? IP: 98.232.221.183 |
|
yesilovewine Member |
posted 01-20-2011 08:05 PM
Easy, easy, easy! I just got out my tasting menu from Harvest Fair and wrote down the first few from each category...that doesn't take much effort! Gee, don't give me too much credit, somebody might think I actually KNOW something! But glad you think it's helpful. If you would like to wander through the entire listing, you can find it on the Harvest Fair website and/or on the Press Democrat ( Sonoma paper) under Harvest Fair results. It occurs to me that if you find some favorites in Sonoma, you might want to stop at the Wine Barn to see if you can find them discounted. I am not sure, but I THINK that they can ship for you as well; that is something we are going to investigate on our next visit. I'm not sure how or if that will affect your regulations problem, but they will know. I've talked with them on the phone but not met them. Nice fellas that work there. IP: 98.232.221.183 |
|
RC456 Junior Member |
posted 01-20-2011 05:46 PM
Yesilovewine Wow! It's great having you as my personal Sommelier! You went way above & beyond the call with the list & pricing. I appreciate your efforts, advice, & recommendations so much. You and the rest of the 'regulars' are great on this (and the other) board. I am going to start working my way through the list you provided....either by the wine stores I visit, online shops, and/or the winery websites. Many, many thanks for the info! RC IP: 99.18.70.50 |
|
yesilovewine Member |
posted 01-19-2011 10:40 PM
RC, I got to thinking that perhaps the best help I could offer you is to give you the names of the wineries that produced the top wines in your preferences ( Merlot, Sauv.Blanc, Gwertz and Pinot, right?) in your price range, in Harvest Fair this past year. I'm just going to list the first few in each category, ok? There are hundreds of wineries in Sonoma and though we have been to a good many we have not been to waaay more! so some of these may be on site sales only, too. Perhaps this will help keep you in the right areas. Gewurtztraminer-Best in Class- Mill Creek Winery '09 Dry Creek Vly Estate Vineyard $19 Kenwood '09 Russian River Valley $14 Kunde '09 sonoma Valley $13 Merlot- Best in class under $25- Leveroni Vyds '06 Sonoma Valley Moon Valley Vyd $16 Pinot up to $25 IP: 98.232.221.183 |
|
Hawkeye Member |
posted 01-19-2011 06:30 PM
RC, I know you didn't ask me, but you should know that it doesn't make any difference. Three that I am very familiar with from YILW's list are Wilson, Mauritson, and Williamson. The first two definitely have some wines in your price category, but they will probably be Zins. Wiliamson wines are a little higher. If you are talking about Cabs, you will find very few in your price range. Some of the names that I gave you that I haven't visited yet but will do so in March have some Pinots in your price range. IP: 68.169.189.111 |
|
yesilovewine Member |
posted 01-19-2011 06:26 PM
Oh Hawkeye, you are too funny! My little list isn't even a drop in the bucket compared to yours, I'm sure!! And y'all, I made a mistake- some of those on the list are actually on the heads up list to visit or are places that we wanted to purchase from over Harvest Fair but learned that they only sell from the winery or their website. So, my apologies but I got so wound up that I wasn't thinking as I wrote. Now, RC.... We are huge Zin fans so that is why there is a proponderance of Zin houses on the list. However, our favorite white is Sauv. Blanc and I can assure you that the Trecini is exceptional and I believe that one is only $14!!! Other Sauv Blancs that we enjoy are Ledson and Dry Creek Vineyard makes a Fume that is excellent for $14 as well. I think that my top 5 rec's from the list would be Wilson, Ledson, Mauritson, Loxton and Paradise Ridge. These are not in a particular order-but they are "go to" wines for us when we are in need of a reliable wine. Ledson makes over 70 wines and last year's Sauv. Blanc and their Barbera are very good- theirs are the highest priced of what we drink, I think but the prices range from around $15 to well over $120. Wilson is a great reliable Zin house and as I was reading today I see that they are indeed in a consortium type relationship with some other wineries with other specialties- among them Matrix and deLormier. Hawkeye will be the most reliable for pricing here, but I believe that the range is from the mid-$20 to around $65 range. Paradise Ridge is such a nice place to visit you really need to go there and they have a good variety of wines to offer. We especially love their Elevation wines from the Rockpile AVA, but I believe that we have had Pinot from them that was pretty good...if you like Pinots  .WE went to Mauritson for the first time last year and really enjoyed it. Another Zin house, they are a family owned business and Clay is a really nice guy. I have forgotten their prices, but its not out of line with what you mentioned. I Think Loxton is last and that is a very small place in Sonoma Valley but he is a wonderful person to talk with about wine production and his specialty is Shiraz. I have to close here, but I'll ponder some more as there are some bigger producers that I think you might enjoy visiting. Just to put us into perspective its a very unusual thing for us to open a bottle of wine that costs over $25 for anything but a special occasion. We may have a half dozen bottles on the rack that cost over $50- all bought for special occasions or were gifts to us. So we are not by far fancy-pants drinkers! Like so many others here, we know what we like and we don't need to mortgage the house to enjoy our wine. And by the way, you cannot possibly "bother" me if you talk about wine...it really is my fvorite hobby and the best way I know to learn about it is to share with others. So, truly I welcome the opportunity to talk about wine any time. IP: 98.232.221.183 |
|
RC456 Junior Member |
posted 01-19-2011 04:07 PM
Yesilovewine OK, I am going to ask a little more from you and your knowledge/experience w the Sonoma area wines.... From your list, what would be your Top 5? I know that we may have different taste in wine varietals, but if you could keep in mind that our preferences (to date) are Sauv Blanc & Pinot Nior. But, I can honestly say that I haven't met a glass of wine that I can't drink!! Well, maybe just one.....Had a Syrah at Domaine Carneros that absolutely turned the both of us off Syrahs. We both put right back on the servers tray. I see so much talk about Zins, that I am going to explore those....mainly on our trip in Sept. May pick a bottle or 2 on my next visit to the Wine store as well. One other thing....cost. I like a good wine (does not always have to be a great wine), but I am not looking to invest in the winery! When a bottle gets much over $40 (for a Full bottle), it dang well better be absolutely stunning and only for special occasions. I have bought a bottle for $250 once and only once. Was for our 25th Anniversary. (Chateau Montelena Est. Cab Sauv ...in case your wondering and yes, it was absolutely terrific) I'm ok spending $20 to $35 for wines that we will drink either with dinner or later in the evening with cheese or chocolates. I will admit, that one of our favorites is Kendall-Jackson Sauv Blanc from the grocery! $16 bucks. Castle Rock Pinot Noir around the same price is also found at our place quite often. Is my southern "red-neck" reputation showing? Sorry to run on so much. I am just loving this board and all of the tips, info, recommendations, & experiences! Hope I am not imposing. Thanks RC IP: 74.142.135.122 |
|
RC456 Junior Member |
posted 01-19-2011 03:11 PM
Yesilovewine Thanks for the list. I will start perusing their websites....immediately! Also from the other board, just in case someone needs to ship back home their purchases while visiting Napa/Sonoma, check out the following 2 shippers: http://buffalo.winecountrywebs.com/ Both have online rates so you can see which one is the best route for you. IP: 74.142.135.122 |
|
Hawkeye Member |
posted 01-19-2011 12:25 PM
YesILoveWine . . . WOW, gageing from all of the wineries that you have dealt with, I think you would qualify as a "wineaux". Remember, the word "wino" is reserved only for the box drinkers. From your list, I have had Wilson, Mauritson and Williamson ship to me. Maybe their policies have changed. Also, more states have opened up to direct shipment in the last year or so. Cheers IP: 68.169.189.111 |
|
yesilovewine Member |
posted 01-19-2011 10:47 AM
So this was brought up on the Napa board and I think it brings to light an interesting dilemma that we all have dealt with during our visits. Many of our favorite wineries do not have distribution outside of California except to restaurants, and some only sell on site. This list is the ones we have visited that at the time were on site only,with the exception that you can purchase directly from their website in most cases. If something has changed that you know of, please feel free to correct me, and if you know of others. please add to the list. Wilson- Dry Creek Williamson- Healdsburg Trecini- Santa Rosa Stryker- Alexander Valley Robert Young- Alexander Valley Paradise Ridge- Santa Rosa Montemaggiore- Dry Creek Mazzocco- Dry Creek Mauritson- Dry Creek Matrix- Dry Creek Loxton Cellars- Sonoma Valley ( Glen Ellen) Ledson Winery-- Sonoma Valley ( Kenwood) Imagery- Sonoma Valley Hook and Ladder- Russian River Harvest Moon- Green Valley ( Russian River) Dutcher Crossing- Dry Creek Charles Creek- Sonoma IP: 98.232.221.183 |
All times are ET (US) | next newest topic | next oldest topic |
  |
|
Contact Us | winecountry.com | Privacy Statement
copyright Winecountry.Com
Powered by Infopop www.infopop.com © 2000
Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.45c