This month Vegas Wine News begins a two part journey to one of the paradigms of American winemaking; the wine country of Sonoma County, California.  This first part of the trip explores southern Sonoma County, and envisions a drive up from San Francisco.  The drive will take us to the Plaza of Sonoma, and then from there up through the vineyards and wineries of the Sonoma Valley along Highway 12, and ending at the town of Santa Rosa.  Part two of this article will appear in next month’s newsletter, and will feature some of the highlights of northern Sonoma County. 

        First some general information about the Sonoma wine country.  More than twice the size of its famous neighbor to the east, the Sonoma vineyards accordingly produce a much greater volume of grapes than Napa County.  More important, because of its proximity to the coast, Sonoma provides more varied micro-climates for growing grapes, giving the area more potential for different varietal crops.  The area stretches from of San Pablo Bay in the south all the way past the little town of Cloverdale to the north, a distance of roughly 65 miles.  The Pacific ocean forms the western boundary of the area, and it runs east until reaching the Napa Valley, approximately 40 miles inland.  Sonoma has 12 designated American Viticulture Areas (AVAs).   It encompasses some of the most notable wine growing areas in the world, including the Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley, Caneros, Chalk Hill, Knights Valley, Green Valley and Sonoma Valley.  

        The Plaza is essentially a large park in the shape of a square.  The historic  and charming Sonoma City Hall sits in the center of Plaza.  The streets lining the square have some interesting shops, hotels, wine bars and eateries.  Take some time to explore this area and its shops before setting off for the wineries. The Sonoma Cheese Factory lies at the north end of the Plaza, and makes an excellent place to stock up for goodies for that special picnic to enjoy later on while wine tasting.  Besides having a bountiful selection of cheese, this shop also prepares freshly made sandwiches to order, and offers other gourmet foods suitable for pairing with wines you will taste throughout the Sonoma Valley.  My favorite wine tasting venue located right near the square is Castle Wines.  Situated in what seems like a small cottage, Castle offers a full line-up of boutique style, small production wines at reasonable prices.  The friendly staff sometimes give out free tasting passes to some the wineries located on Highway 12, and will provide other useful information about places of interest along the Highway.

        To get to Highway 12 from the Plaza, go west on Napa Street and follow the signs.  You will begin passing wineries within 10 minutes.  Some of the better known wineries located right on Highway 12 include Arrowood, B.R. Cohn, Imagery Estate, Benziger, Mayo Family Vineyards, Kunde Estate, Kenwood, Blackstone, Chateau St. Jean, Landmark, St. Francis and Ledson.  All have tasting rooms and welcome visitors without a prior appointment.  Unfortunately, gone are the days of the long-held Sonoma tradition of the free wine tasting.  Although the fees for tasting are generally less than those charged in the Napa Valley, almost all wineries along Highway 12 charge between $5.00-10.00 for a basic tasting.  The good news; almost all wineries open to the public have tables where visitors can taste wine and enjoy an outdoor picnic while  taking in the beauty of the wine country.

        One of the first wineries that you will come to as you travel north is the Imagery Estate.  Associated with Benziger winery across the street, the Imagery Estate has a lovely modern facility that produces many different wines with very unique blends.  Each wine comes with a miniature work of art: a different artist prepares a different colorful label for each wine.  The labels change each year for every wine produced.  With the colorful labels, the bottles make for an interesting display in any cellar.  A gift shop on the premises sells some of the current and past labels as poster artwork.  I have never seen any Imagery wine sold to the public off the estate, so if you enjoy the wine, buy it here. 

 

                 The Ledson Estate as seen from Highway 12...