Category Archives: Sonoma Valley

Roche Carneros Estate Winery

Leave a reply
Roche Carneros Estate Winery

Roche Carneros Estate Winery

122 W Spain St., Sonoma, CA 95476

Website: http://www.rochewinery.com/

I visited Roche Winery for the first time in 2008 on my honeymoon. This is a small family owned winery started by Joe and Genevieve Roche who met as medical students in Nebraska. After college they got married and moved to San Francisco both working as Pathologists. However, they both wanted to go back to a simpler way of life and went looking for a farm in Sonoma County. After settling down in Sonoma, they learned that their property could be a good growing area for grapes. In 1982 they planted their first vines and have been making wine ever since.

When I visited, the tasting room was located in a farm house in the southern end of Sonoma near the race track. I felt it had a real down home feel. Since then the tasting room has moved to downtown Sonoma and the wine making operations were moved to a new location outside of the city of Petaluma. Joe and Genevieve have turned the general management of the winery over to their children. In 2015, seven years after my original visit, I made it a point to stop into the tasting room in downtown Sonoma to compare the experience with what I remembered from my first trip. I am very glad that I went back because I was able to better appreciate the wines after several years and lots of wine tastings under my belt.

Roche Tasting Room in Downtown Sonoma Square

Roche Tasting Room in Downtown Sonoma Square

The tasting room in downtown Sonoma is in a great location. It is right off of Sonoma Square where there is lots of food and shopping. I would describe the tasting room as “cozy” because of the outdoor fireplace and tasting bar. There were quite a few people there when we stopped in toward the end of the day, but it didn’t feel over-crowded. Most of the visitors were hanging around outside either sitting at the one of several tables with friends or hanging around the bar. There is also a small tasting bar inside. Roche produces more than ten varieties of wine from their Carneros estate including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah, and some dessert wines. Their wines are reasonably priced. The staff was very friendly and helpful and allowed us to sample extra wines. My husband and I enjoyed the Carneros Estate Reserve Pinot Noir the most. In addition to the dry reds and whites, they have a few dessert wines. I tried the Tamarix which is a blush wine that reminded me of pink lemonade and the Late Harvest Merlot that was a little too much like cherry syrup for me.

This winery was a really fun experience and a nice way to end the day. I would return again with friends.

Outdoor tasting bar at Roche

Outdoor tasting bar at Roche

Geyser Peak Winery

Leave a reply
Geyser Peak Winery

Geyser Peak Winery

2306 Magnolia Dr, Healdsburg, CA

Website: http://www.geyserpeakwinery.com/

Geyser Peak Winery is located in a convenient location on Westside Road right outside of downtown Healdsburg.  The winery moved to this new location in January 2014.  It used to be the property of Alderbrook Winery.  The winery was previously located on a hillside in Geyserville across from Geyser Peak Mountain, hence its name.  The current owner is Accolade Wines who purchased the winery in June 2012.  The company is the fifth largest wine company in the world with 45 brands sold to over 140 countries.  Despite the fact that Geyser Peak is owned by such a large company today, it has a lot of history.  Augustus Quitzow originally founded the winery in 1880.  It is California’s 29th bonded winery.  Quitzow was known as a pioneer in Alexander Valley.

 

Geyser Peak Winery Framer's Porch

Geyser Peak Winery Framer’s Porch

The new site of the tasting room is a large gray farm house with a huge farmer’s porch in front and behind the tasting room.  There are perfectly manicured hedges out front.  On the farmer’s porch in front and back are some benches and tables with chairs.  This place was very quiet when we visited. The tasting room is spacious with a tasting bar that could serve a few groups of people at once. 

Geyser Peak Tasting Room

Geyser Peak Tasting Room

The tasting bar takes up almost the entire left side of the room.  The base of the bar is stark white painted wood with a light granite top.  Behind the bar is a wooden wine display that expands the entire wall.  It’s impressive to see.  To the right of the bar is a leather couch, a coffee table, and couple of chairs in front of a fire place.  There are wine gifts and accessories all around the room.  The tasting room is very clean, with tan walls and white trim.  The high ceilings and glass doors bring lots of lighting into the room. Glass doors lead to the back porch that looks out onto a wide an expanse of lawn.

I had some pleasant surprises during my wine tasting with the River Ranches Sauvignon Blanc and Atlas Peak Malbec wines.  These are varietals that I typically don’t prefer based on my personal tastes because I find they tend to be very bold, “In your face” type of wines and I lean toward softer styles.  This Sauvignon Blanc was almost a clear color with refreshing lime and passionfruit flavors and was very well–balanced.  The Malbec was more fruity than tannic with nice balance as well.  I also really enjoyed the Water Bend Chardonnay and Walking Tree Petite Sirah.  Geyser Peak has a wide variety of wines including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot, and some other red blends.  Since I visited in February, I don’t know if this place gets a lot busier during the busy season, but it would be a nice place to bring a group of friends to when it’s not busy.  The winery offers a special boxed lunch tasting on the porch for groups of 10 or more.  It’s an easy stop if you are heading into or out of downtown Healdsburg.

 

 

Dutton Goldfield

Leave a reply
Dutton Goldfield Tasting Room

Dutton Goldfield Tasting Room

3100 Gravenstein Hwy N, Sebastopol, CA 95472

Website: http://www.duttongoldfield.com/

Dutton Goldfield is located in Green Valley, the smallest appellation in Sonoma known for their Pinot Noir. The winery is a partnership between grape grower Steve Dutton and winemaker Dan Goldfield. Steve is a 5th generation member of the Dutton Family of grape growers who provide grapes to approximately 60 wineries today. The Dutton Family is probably most known for their exceptional Chardonnay. Steve was born the year his dad planted the first Chardonnay grapes and still manages that vineyard today along with over 60 other plots of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Zinfandel. Prior to owning his own winery, Dan worked for Robert Mondavi and Schramsberg in Napa Valley, and then La Crema in Sonoma. He also started Hartford Court Winery upon request of Jess Jackson of the Kendall Jackson Family to focus on cold climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

My visit to Dutton Goldfield was the first introduction I had to the Dutton wines. This tasting room is in a quiet area of Sebastopol in the Green Valley. We parked behind a building that looked like a warehouse and I learned during our tasting that the place was a former night club. Red Car Tasting Room is right across the parking lot. Dutton Goldfield’s Tasting Room had been recently remodeled.

Dutton Goldfield Tasting Room

Dutton Goldfield Tasting Room

As we walked to the entrance we went through an outdoor patio area with several tables and chairs framed by arbors covered in leaves that separated it from the road. This space seemed completely different than the “warehouse” looking exterior. The tasting room is very clean and bright. It has a very comfortable feel. The space is wide open with couches and arm chairs in front of a fire place. There were some window seats in front of bay windows. There were tiled floors both inside and on the patio and a large horseshoe-shaped wine bar.

Dutton Goldfield Tasting Bar

Dutton Goldfield Tasting Bar

The host behind the wine bar was very friendly and forthcoming with information throughout our tasting. He made us feel very comfortable. As a Pinot Noir and Chardonnay fan, I loved the wines. This winery focuses on cool climate wines, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in particular, but they also produce Riesling, Pinot Blanc, and a couple other reds.

Dutton Goldfield's Patio

Dutton Goldfield’s Patio

There are a number of different tasting options to choose from. When the weather is nice, they offer an outdoor sensory tasting on the patio. They also have a unique Wine and Sushi pairing or Beast and Pinot pairing with charcuterie. I tried the typical tasting experience and sampled several whites and Pinot Noirs. My personal favorites were the Pinot Blanc, Rued Vineyard Chardonnay, Freestone Hill Pinot Noir and Emerald Ridge Pinot Noir. I found all of their Pinot Noirs to have lots of berry flavor, but they each had different nuances based on the location the grapes came from. After all, this is what Sonoma is known for. I truly enjoyed visiting this tasting room and definitely would return when I’m in the area again. It’s a simple, laid back place, but it has a lot to offer.