Most reviews by James Knight. Note: Those listings marked ‘WC’ denote wineries with caves. These wineries are usually only open to the public by appointment. Wineries in these listings appear on a rotating basis.
S O N OM A CO U N T Y Anaba Wines Named for a cool wind off the bay that heats up and rises in the Sonoma hills, Rhône-style specialist offers a hail of white raisins, a river of apricot nectar and complex, warm earthiness with its signature “Coriol” Sonoma Valley white and red blends. Tasting room is a nicely renovated old farm house at one of rural Sonoma’s busiest intersections. 60 Bonneau Road (at Arnold Drive), Sonoma. Open daily, 10:30am–5pm. Tasting fee, $10. 707.996.4188.
Gary Farrell The namesake is gone but the quality remains. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. 10701 Westside Road, Healdsburg. Open daily, 11am–4pm. 707.473.2900.
Kunde Estate Winery (WC) Kunde is one of 12 wineries in Sonoma County to be distinguished with Second Level Green Business Certification. It also has beautiful wine caves carved into 5million-year-old volcanic rock. 9825 Sonoma Hwy., Kenwood. Tasting room open daily, 10:30am–4:30pm. 707.833.5501.
Viansa Winery Large and filled with crosspromotional products, a deli and a pseudo-Italian marketplace. 25200 Arnold Drive, Sonoma. Open daily, 10am–5pm. 707.935.4700. Wind Gap Wines Onetime vintner of big, opulent Pax Syrah refocuses on coolclimate locales that yield a more savory, European style. 6450 First St., Forestville. By appointment only. 707.887.9100.
Windy Hill Estate Like a riddle bottled up in a mystery, it’s all but hidden in plain sight above the 101 freeway’s Cotati Grade. Impressive view; mixed bag of low-alcohol, low-priced Pinots from quirky winery. 1010 W. Railroad Ave., Cotati.
Saturday–Sunday noon–5pm. $5 fee. 707.795-3030.
MA R I N CO U N T Y Bacchus & Venus A trendy place for beginners and tourists. Great place to learn the basics. 769 Bridgeway, Sausalito. Open daily, noon– 7pm. 415.331.2001.
Point Reyes Vineyards The tasting room features many varietals but the main reason to go is for the sparkling wines. Open Saturday–Sunday, 11am–5pm. 12700 Hwy. 1, Point Reyes. 415.663.1011.
Ross Valley Winery In existence since 1987, the Ross Valley Winery produces Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Zin port wines. 343 San Anselmo Ave., San Anselmo. Open Tuesday– Sunday, 1–7pm. 415.457.5157. Tam Cellars Spacious wine bar quietly distributes the soul-salve of the ages and, like its soul mate the coffee shop, passes the laptop test. Cheese plates, wine flights and comfortable seating arrangements make a nice place to convene with the companion or flat screen of one’s choice. Wine shop features international, eclectic selection at fair prices. 1803 Larkspur Landing Circle, Larkspur. Open Monday–Wednesday, 4–9pm; Thursday–Saturday, 4–10pm. 415.461.9463.
N A PA CO U N T Y August Briggs Winery Tasting room is a white barn lit by skylights and often staffed by the owner’s wife or mother. 333 Silverado Trail, Calistoga. Open Thursday– Sunday, 11:30am–4:30pm. 707.942.5854.
Black Stallion Winery Owned by a pair of Midwest
liquor-distribution barons who hired a capable winemaker and envision it to be a retaildestination winery. The wines are quite good. 4089 Silverado Trail, Napa. Open daily, 10am– 5pm. 707.253.1400.
Casa Nuestra Winery Endearingly offbeat, with a dedicated staff and a collection of goats and dogs roaming freely. 3451 Silverado Trail N., St. Helena. Open daily, 10am– 5pm. 707.963.5783.
Far Niente (WC) Far Niente was founded in 1885 by John Benson, a ’49er of the California Gold Rush and uncle of the famous American impressionist painter Winslow Homer. The estate boasts beautiful gardens as well as the first modern-built wine caves in North America. 1350 Acacia Drive, Napa. By appointment. 707.944.2861. Freemark Abbey In 1881, Josephine Tychson was the first woman to own and operate a winery in the valley. Enjoy the Cabs. 3022 St. Helena Hwy. N. (at Lodi Lane), St. Helena. Open daily, 10am-5pm. 800.963.9698.
Grgich Hills Mike Grgich’s Chardonnays famously beat the competition at the 1976 “Judgment of Paris” and the allestate winery is solar-powered and practices organic and biodynamic. 1829 St. Helena Hwy., Rutherford. Open daily, 9:30am–4:30pm. 707.963.2784. Summers Estate Wines Excellent Merlot and that rarest of beasts, Charbono. Small tasting room and friendly staff. 1171 Tubbs Lane, Calistoga. Open daily, 10am– 4:30pm. 707.942.5508.
The Wine Garage Defunct filling station with a mandate: No wines over $25. Well chosen from Napa Valley and beyond, plus half-gallon house jugs for $29.99. 1020-C Foothill Blvd., Calistoga. Monday–Saturday 11am–6:30pm; Sunday to 4:30pm. Tasting fee $5–$10. 707.942.5332.
HKG Estate
I
t’s seven in the morning, and if the latte that I grabbed on the way to the vineyard isn’t doing the trick yet, I’m jolted wide awake when the Pellenc harvesting tractor kicks into gear. I’m standing right on top of it, holding on for dear life 10 feet above its hydraulically driven wheels, as the machine chews through grapes at a good clip, spits them into rotating augers at my feet, and leaves a row of Pinot Noir vines shuddering in its wake.
That’s right: I said Pinot Noir, the delicate grape that every other winery, with mantra-like repetition, claims to lovingly handpick, gently de-stem with the greatest of care, and massage over a sorting table until only the most worthy berries make it into the bottle. Hop Kiln Winery is placing its bets on the machine. Unlike earlier harvesters, the state-of-the-art Pellenc whirls grapes away from their stems, adjusts for terrain, and is outfitted with cameras, pressure sensors, and computer programs. By early morning, twenty-something winemaker Chuck Mansfield and his skeleton crew have delivered tons of grapes onto the crushpad. But how does the wine taste? While the iconic Russian River Valley winery on Westside Road remains a popular tourist destination, the future of Hop Kiln can be found at the HKG tasting room in Glen Ellen, next door to the Garden Court Cafe. Furnished with a small copper bar but enough tables for a wedding party, HKG offers estate bottlings paired with small bites prepared by Culinary Institute of America graduate Khambay Khamsyvoravong. Portions are generous on a recent visit, including Israeli couscous “mac and cheese” with the 2009 Bridge Selection Chardonnay ($28), with aromas of caramel and toasted pecan nut over cool, unfiltered apple cider; a bacon, blue cheese and fig slider with the 2009 Estate Pinot Noir ($38), a sure-fire pleaser with sweet potpourri of fresh raspberry and vanilla and a fine-grained finish; and a wedge of meatloaf on truffled mashed potatoes, with the more brooding, smoky 2009 Bridge Selection Pinot Noir ($38), dark fruit over rhubarb, and age-worthy tannins. Leaving the tasting room, I had to give Mansfield another call, just to verify that these lovely wines, from 2009, were harvested by the same machine. Indeed, they were—but the wine and the food were made by a small group of young and talented humans. The proof, it seems, is in the Pinot. HKG Estate, 13647 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen. Open Thursday, Saturday and Sunday noon to 6pm; Fridays to 9pm, featuring an expanded menu. Tasting fee $5, food pairing $22. 707.938.7622.–James Knight
NORTH BAY BOHEMIAN | OCTOBER 5–11, 2011 | BOHEMIAN.COM
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Wineries
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