Category Archives: Sonoma Valley

J Vineyards & Winery

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J Vineyards & Winery

J Vineyards & Winery

11447 Old Redwood Hwy, Healdsburg, CA 95448

Website: https://www.jwine.com/

I wouldn’t have known about this winery if I hadn’t stopped at Rodney Strong.  J Vineyards is located to the left of Rodney Strong and is accessible via a walkway from the Rodney Strong parking lot.  It is an interesting winery owned by Judy Jordan, the daughter of the owners of Jordan Winery in Sonoma.  J Vineyards began producing sparkling wine in 1986 and that appears to remain their main focus today.  The winery also produces Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Viognier still wines. 

This winery was founded by Judy Jordan in 1986.  Judy is the daughter of Tom and Sally Jordan who started Jordan Winery & Vineyards also in Sonoma.  The winery was sold to the Gallo Family in March 2015 and Judy then purchased Chehalem Mountain Vineyard in Oregon.

 

Pond outside of J Vineyards

Pond outside of J Vineyards

The outside of the winery is simple and charming.  There is a bridge over a small pond that leads to the front doors of the tasting room.  On the left side of the bridge there is a small fountain and terrace.  A woman was stationed outside the front of the winery to greet us and inform us about the different tasting options that are available.  The basic tasting occurs at the J Signature Bar.  They also offer seated food and bubbly tastings inside the Bubble Room or outside terrace.  The Bubble Room tasting seemed to be the most popular.  It is offered Friday through Sunday at four different times during the day and reservations are recommended.  An executive chef creates dishes that pair with six wines.  I was really interested in doing this tasting but unfortunately there were no spots open when I visited.  I opted for the J Signature Bar tasting instead. 

 

Tasting bar at J Vineyards

Tasting bar at J Vineyards

The tasting room is very contemporary.  There is a dark stone wall from ceiling to floor behind the tasting bar that is lit from behind and designed to look like bubbles rising up from the bottom.  Before walking up to the tasting bar, we stopped at a mini tasting table off to left of the entrance to sample a couple of wines and then finished the tasting at the bar.  The tasting menu included a couple of sparkling wines and 3-4 still wines for $20.  This tasting fee is a little pricey compared to many of the other wineries in Sonoma.  My personal favorites were the J Pinot Gris, Russian River Pinot Noir and the J Viognier Hoot Owl Vineyard.

I’m glad that I stopped in because I like discovering new places.  Overall the wines were enjoyable and the staff was friendly.  I wish I had the opportunity to try more of the sparkling wine though.  If I ever return, I would make a reservation for The Bubble Room.

Rochioli Vineyards and Winery

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Rochioli Vineyards & Winery

Rochioli Vineyards & Winery

6192 Westside Rd, Healdsburg, CA 95448

Website: http://www.rochioliwinery.com/

Rochioli Vineyards is located off of Westside Road in the Russian River Valley in the same area as Gary Farrell, Williams Selyem, Hop Kiln (now owned by Landmark), and Arista.  There are so many good wineries in this area that it is easy to spend a day traveling down Westside Road hopping from one tasting room to the next.  This winery has quite a history behind it and is well-known for their wines. 

Joe Rochioli, Sr. purchased the property in 1938.  It consisted of 162 acres of land that he had farmed for many years.  Joe Sr. was an immigrant from Italy with not a lot of money.  In the early years, the property was used to grow hops, fruit, grapes, prunes, and vegetables.  Joe Jr. grew up helping his father farm the land and as he grew older he recognized that the soil and landscape was perfect for making wine.  Like Rodney Strong and Joseph Swan, Joe Rochioli was a pioneer in Sonoma.  He introduced new farming techniques that enhanced the quality of the grapes.  He started by planting Sauvignon Blanc in 1959 and selling the grapes to other wineries.  In 1968 after his father passed away, he planted Pinot Noir which was one of earliest plantings in the Russian River Valley.  In the 1970s and early 1980s, he sold grapes to other big name wineries like E&J Gallo, Korbel, and Williams Selyem.  He didn’t start his own wine production until 1985 when his son Tom decided that he no longer wanted to work in the corporate world and turned to winemaking. Tom became the winemaker and still runs the winery today (referencehttp://www.princeofpinot.com/article/1124/).

 

Walkway to Rochioli's Tasting Room

Walkway to Rochioli’s Tasting Room

After pulling into the parking lot from Westside Road, my husband and I walked beneath a wooden trellis covered in greenery and followed the cement pathway lined by hedges and trees to the tasting room.  There is a picnic area along the pathway.  Directly outside the winery is a patio that overlooks a rose garden and vineyards.  It’s a very pretty, quiet setting.  The winery and tasting room are inside of a wood paneled building.  The tasting room has an open concept with a few gift items around the room.   Off to the right is a square shaped tasting bar that can accommodate 5-6 people comfortably.  There are windows looking out on the vineyard.  I thought it was cool that they handed out a free map of the property to show all of the lots where the grapes are grown.  Although Rochioli now produces its own wines, they still sell grapes to other vineyards and have a waiting list of wineries who would like to purchase their acclaimed grapes.

This winery has won lots of awards for their Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noirs.  They also produce Chardonnay.  Unfortunately they weren’t pouring any Pinot Noir when I visited.  They said that they were sold out.  I was disappointed because that’s the reason why I stopped in.  It had a negative impact on my mood for the rest of the tasting.  I was able to sample the estate Sauvignon Blanc, a couple of Chardonnays, and a Rosé made from Pinot Noir.  However, none of them really thrilled me.  I would like to stop in again one day when I’m in the area to try to get a taste of the Pinot Noir because I’ve heard and read a lot about them. 

The patio at Rochioli Vineyards

The patio at Rochioli Vineyards

 

Marimar Estate

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Marimar Estate

Marimar Estate

11400 Graton Road, Sebastopol, CA 95472

Website: http://marimarestate.com/

This winery is named after owner and winemaker Marimar Torres.  She grew up in Barcelona Spain and has decades of experience with wine.  As a member of the Torres family in Spain, she started her wine career traveling all over Spain promoting Torres wine, then expanded to North America.  She moved to CA in 1975.  She then became a well-known ambassador for Spanish wine in the US, despite the adversity she faced for being a woman.  In 1986, Marimar started planning her first estate vineyard, Don Miguel (named after her father), in the Russian River Valley focusing on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The first Chardonnay was released in 1991 and the winery opened in 1992.  On top of being an acclaimed wine ambassador, Marimar has written a couple of Spanish cookbooks – The Spanish Cookbook: The Cuisines and Wines of Spain and The Catalan Country Kitchen.

Dog sculptures at Marimar Estate

Dog sculptures at Marimar Estate

Marimar Estate is located in a quiet area of the Russian River Valley.  The winery sits at the top of a steep hill.  We drove past vineyards on the way up and a couple of huge sculptures of English Springer Spaniels representing her dogs.  I found the sculptures very odd in comparison to the rest of the winery.  It is a very peaceful setting.  A paved walkway leads to the entrance along the side of the winery.  There’s a fountain out front and a set of stairs with a gorgeous view of vineyard from the top of the steps.  The winery is modeled after a Spanish farm house.

All of the wines come directly from the estate.  The wines are certified organic, and Marimar is even taking it one step further in becoming biodynamic.  This winery offers some unique tasting experiences.  There’s a typical tasting at the bar, and other options include a seated tasting in dining room or patio, tapas and wine pairing, or vineyard tours.  The tasting bar is rather small.  It is truly like a tall coffee table with a granite top that accommodates 4 people standing side-by-side.  There’s not much space for more.  In contrast, to the left of the tasting room is a spacious dining room with windows from ceiling to floor, tiled floors, rustic chandeliers, and wooden tables and chairs.  It felt like being in a Spanish home.  On the side of the winery opposite the entrance there’s a cute patio with a couple of tables shaded by umbrellas that looks down on the vineyard in the front of the property.

Marimar Estate Dining Room

Marimar Estate Dining Room

When we visited we were the only people there.  They were cleaning up from a wine club paella dinner the night before.  The tasting included a mix of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  I found the wines to have a lot of character.  Several of them were unfiltered.  They have an interesting wine club with a few different options to choose from.  One of the best benefits of the wine club in my opinion is getting invitations to special events almost every month, like Flamenco Dinners and blending workshops that are hosted and catered by Marimar herself.  One of our favorite wines was the 2010 Bonita’s Hill Chardonnay Don Miguel Vineyard. It is an unfiltered wine that I found to be creamy and smooth with some crispness. This is typically not on the normal tasting menu but there was an open bottle from the night before so our server gave us a special taste.  I loved it and wanted to purchase it, but I was disappointed to find out that it was only available if we joined the wine club.  Our host then tried pretty hard to sell us on the club, giving us a little tour.  Don’t get me wrong, the wines and benefits of the club are really worth it if you can participate in the events.  Unfortunately, since we live so far away it wasn’t likely that we could take advantage of it very often.  We ended up leaving without any wine, but I would consider returning if I’m in the area again.