dixon05's Wine Journal Entries
Deerfield Ranch Winery (written Dec 28, 2011)
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We visited in March 2010 during the Savor Sonoma festival. This was my husband's absolute favorite wine during that trip; he still talks about it. He prefers very bold in-your-face wine, and if that's your style, you will probably also like Deerfield. I thought the wine was very good--especially the Red Rex, but I find it to be a bit too bold for everyday drinking. If you're enjoying a good steak, then this is your wine, but I think it needs strong food to complement it. I loved the winery--when we went they had recently completed the tasting room caves, which were nice. I also loved the quirky giraffe art on the property. And I really enjoyed the people--not pretentious at all. This winery represents what I find so appealing about so many Sonoma Valley Wineries--people who know that wine should be FUN and who don't take themselves or their wine too seriously. That being said, they are producing some great wine with a lot of depth; I just find it a bit too bold for my taste.
De Lorimier Winery (written Dec 28, 2011)
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Domaine Chandon (written Dec 28, 2011)
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During our trip to Napa / Sonoma Valley in March 2010, I made a point to visit a "champagne" house every morning, and this was one of my favorite ones. It's one of the places I always recommend to friends because I think this is what most people want when they go to Napa Valley. The wine is good; not great, but good. The grounds are absolutely gorgeous; I loved the "mushroom garden"! The tasting room is stylish but very impersonal. It was already busy at 10:00 a.m. (we were there on a Saturday). You are not going to have a conversation with the person pouring the wine here; it feels more like a bar than a winery. My husband and I ordered our wine and took it outside to enjoy on the patio. Overall we had a nice time. I'd go back if I were in the area, but I wouldn't say this was one of the best experiences overall during my trip.
Cornerstone Cellars (written Dec 28, 2011)
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We visited in March 2010. Nothing special about the tasting room itself. It's stylish, but somewhat impersonal, although the guy pouring our wine was friendly. The tasting room is in Yountville, which was a strange town for me, but I'm sure a lot of people love it. (Yountville, overall, felt a little over-planned, and seemed to lack character. But everything was nice, neat, and well landscaped, so if that's your thing, you'll love it.) That being said, I LOVED this wine! It was not overpowering, but it had lots of depth and character. I'd rank it as among the best wine during our trip to Napa / Sonoma Valley. If you're in the area, it's worth stopping by to taste. It may be the only reason I return to Yountville.
Kaz Vineyard & Winery (written Dec 28, 2011)
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We visited during Savor Sonoma in March 2010. The winery itself is average. There's a koi pond in the back that's very nice, but it's mostly a building with barrels in it and a small vineyard out back. What makes this place stand out in my mind is the people. Seriously, this place has character. I loved the way they named their wine, loved their approach to wine. Nothing pretentious about this place at all--these people understand that drinking wine is about having fun. Unfortunately the wine left a lot to be desired. I liked them so much and I really wanted to like their wine. Visit if you are young-minded, open-minded, and enjoy meeting interesting people. If you are pretentious, or if you are only going for the wine, then skip it.
Stephen & Walker (written Dec 28, 2011)
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This may have been my favorite wine during our trip to Napa and Sonoma Valley in March 2010. The winery is really a tasting room in Healdsburg, but I'm giving it a four because Healdsburg is a very charming town. The tasting room itself is very stylish, but nothing exceptional. The lady pouring the wine was friendly and very knowledgeable, but the tasting experience itself doesn't really stand out in my mind. What does stand out, however, is the wine. Wow! When I think of the really good wine we tasted during our trip, this is always one of the first places to come to mind. It may be my absolute favorite wine of the trip, although it's so hard to choose among so many great wines. This is one of those places that I often think about and wish I could return to. When the wine is that good, you don't really need a fancy tasting room! There was so much going on with this wine. It's subtle wine--not overpowering like so many California reds. But WOW! (As an aside, I'll add that my husband wasn't really blown away by this wine, but he prefers a much bolder style, so it's all about what you like.) I highly recommend trying this wine. Even if it's not among your favorite, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Corison Winery (written Dec 28, 2011)
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We visited in March 2010. By Napa standards, there's nothing special about this winery: it's in a shed which houses the barrels--nothing fancy at all. But maybe that's what I loved about it--nothing pretentious, just good wine. And the wine was very good, as was most of the wine we tasted in Napa Valley. Far better than most of what we get here in SC, but I'm leaving it at a three because it doesn't stand out as exceptional on that trip. (I'm trying to rank wines against other wines in the area, so while this wine blows the socks off other wines I've had on the east coast, I'm still only giving it a three.) That being said, I had such a good time at this tasting. The guy pouring the wine was very personable and friendly; he is what earned this place a five for ambiance. (I give him extra credit for humoring me and seeming interested in my endless rambling. But I digress....) He was very knowledgeable about the wine as well as the farming methods, and took us into the vineyards to show us some of what they do. Overall, a great experience. I'd go back.
Bella Vineyards and Wine Caves (written Dec 28, 2011)
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This may have been my favorite winery during our trip to Napa and Sonoma Valley in March 2010. The tasting room was in a cave, and everything about it had a young vibe to it. It was stylish but without the snobby or pretentious nature of some of the other wineries. Everything about this place just seemed fresh and hip. It sits on top of a hill and there is a large gorgeous oak tree at the top. It's surrounded by gnarly old vines that were pruned in an older style--I wish I could remember what they said about that. I think they cut the vines off at the top so that they come down sort of like a fountain, rather than training them along a support like most of the newer-planted vines are. Anyway, something about the vines gave an old-world feel to the place. And the wine itself was outstanding-- some of the best we had. I'd rank the wine as maybe in the top five of all the wine we had during that trip, but the overall experience was probably the best. This is a must-do!
Chatham Vineyards & Winery (written Dec 28, 2011)
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We visited this winery in August 2011 as part of a kayak / winery tour. It was a neat experience, but in retrospect I'm not sure it was a great value for us. We have kayaked several times before, and may have preferred to just rent kayaks for a few hours in the morning and then spend the afternoon visiting Chatham and maybe other wineries on the Eastern Shore. But if you've never kayaked before, having a guide may be beneficial. Ok...on to the winery. The grounds are gorgeous (as are all vineyards!). It was so peaceful--a farm on a marsh--seriously, what could be better? I found myself wishing I lived there. (And maybe that was a benefit of the kayak / wine tour--we actually got to walk through the property, which we may not have been able to do if we were just visiting the winery.) The tasting room itself, however, left a lot to be desired. The lady doing the tasting was not very personable at all. It wasn't really busy--just my husband and I and two other girls--and yet she seemed somehow overwhelmed by it. I don't know. The owner, however, was very friendly and very nice. I liked him a lot. The red wine was good; we didn't care for the white wine. We got a bottle with our kayak / winery tour, and we bought a second bottle. It was fine, but I remember thinking as we drank the bottles that they weren't as good as I remembered from the tasting. I think we ended up throwing out some of that wine. I need to take better notes so that I can better remember, but my (fuzzy) memory is that the wines were young and just very one-dimensional. Overall, however, it's worth seeing if you're in the area. I think the vines are relatively young, so maybe with time they will improve.
Biltmore Estate Winery (written Dec 28, 2011)
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Let me preface this by saying I love to visit the Biltmore. The grounds are gorgeous--I love the gardens. And the house is truly amazing. And if you're visiting the Biltmore, you may as well see the winery. The winery itself is in a nice facility. But there is nothing personal about this tasting at all. Yes, I realize the Biltmore is the most visited winery in the country, and in their defense, I don't know how I would do it any different. But the two times I have been were both crowded, and I felt like I was being herded through. They make you watch a video presentation which will bore you to tears if you know anything about the production of wine. And the tasting itself is somewhat unsatisfying--as my husband said, "they give you spittles of undrinkable swill." Seriously, I have never been to a tasting that gave so little. My husband and I decided to pay for the "premium" tasting, and it was overall a much better experience. I'd maybe rate that as a three. The wine was also much better; of course, we later learned that it was produced in California. Still, we purchased several bottles. Overall, the wine tasting feels very commercial and touristy. But you won't be disappointed in the Biltmore itself or in the grounds, so overall, it's worth doing if you're in the area.
Benziger Family Winery (written Dec 28, 2011)
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We visited during the Savor Sonoma Festival in March 2010. The wine was all good. What makes Bezinger worth visiting is the winery itself. They practice biodynamic farming, which I would describe as a step beyond organic. I have a lot of respect for Benziger due to its commitment to practice sustainable farming. There's a display at the front that describes some of their farming practices, and it is worth looking at. The grounds themselves are absolutely beautiful. I would love to go back and take one of their tours. I can't speak for their normal wine tasting since I was there for a barrel tasting festival, but the people I met were all very friendly. Some of my favorite pictures of Sonoma Valley were taken at this vineyard. And the wine was all good--nothing exceptional, but all good.
Hawkes Winery (written Dec 27, 2011)
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Small, nondescript tasting room. Would be easy to miss. Nothing fancy about it, but the wine was among the best we had in the Alexander Valley area. We loved it! Overall, a great tasting experience. I'd love to go back!
