Category Archives: Sonoma Valley

Sbragia Family Vineyards

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Sbragia Family Vineyards9990 Dry Creek Rd, Geyserville, CA 95441

Website:https://www.sbragia.com/

I visited Sbragia Family Vineyards during the Passport to Dry Creek Valley weekend.  This event has been hosted each April for the past 30+ years. Guests who want to indulge in this experience can purchase a one or two day pass to visit wineries throughout the valley, enjoying food and wine pairings at the various locations.  Each participating winery has a theme and some sort of entertainment, including live bands, barrel tastings, or games. It’s truly a fun time, but you need to prepare yourself for the large crowds.

Sbragia is in the same vicinity as Ferrari Carano off of Dry Creek Road.  To get to the winery we had to drive up a hill to the parking area following a line of cars.  This was a popular stop on the passport map. The terrace at Sbragia Family VineyardsI will say that the winning feature of this winery is the large open terrace with sprawling views of Dry Creek Valley.  It is definitely a photo opportunity. During the event there were food and wine stations set up in different sections of the terrace. There are lounge chairs, couches, tables all around the terrace.  On a less crowded day it would be the ideal tasting experience to sip wine in the fresh air relaxing on the comfy couches surrounded by the beautiful view. When we visited they had a band set up in one corner of the terrace.  Despite the large crowd, everyone was having a good time.

A view of Dry Creek Valley from Sbragia's terrace

 

There’s much more appeal to this property than just the outdoor views.  The Sbragia family’s history in Sonoma dates back to 1904 when current owner Ed Sbragia’s grandfather came over from Italy.  For the first several decades, the family grew prunes like many others in the area. It wasn’t until the 1950s when 2nd generation Gino Sbragia replanted wine grapes, mainly Zinfandel.  Even then, the family grew and sold most of their grapes to other wineries, keeping a small portion to make wine at home. Ed Sbragia grew up wanting to fulfill the dream of his father to own a family winery, and he did so, opening Sbragia Family Vineyards in August 2006.  Prior to starting the winery, Ed spent an impressive 32 years as Winemaster at the historic Beringer Vineyard in Napa Valley. Today Ed’s son is the winemaker, carrying on the legacy of his father and grandfather.

Even though most people were drawn to the terrace, I wanted to check out the interior tasting room.  It was jam packed with people. Somehow my husband and I managed to squeeze up to the tasting bar. A mural of the vineyards inside Sbragia's tasting roomThe room has a modern atmosphere with some Italian touches.  One of the focal points of the room is a pretty mural of the vineyards. Typically I think the room would feel spacious and relaxing. One of the girls behind the counter was doing her best to keep up with everyone.  She noticed I was taking some notes as she walked me through the tasting and paused when she could to provide some details on the wines. The Home Ranch Chardonnay was bright with a creamy taste of pears and tangerine.  Their interesting pairing with the Chardonnay was deviled eggs and it went well together.  The reds were the standout wines to me. The 2015 Vino Rosso Bordeaux style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc had a smoky barbecue smell and smooth, yummy red berry taste.  The 2014 Monte Rosso Cabernet Sauvignon was my favorite with an aroma of cinnamon, cloves, and black currant and a rich fruit taste touched with cocoa. . I was impressed with the wine and ordered some to ship home.  Sbragia has a second tasting room in downtown Sonoma and they offer several different tasting options. Check their website for details. If you are in the Dry Creek area, I would recommend going to the estate. The views are worth it!

I’d like to return to this winery on a much less busy day to truly experience the place.  We hopped around to several different tasting rooms that day, but this is the one that sticks out to me the most.  I wish I had more time to savor the wine while I was there because it was great!

 

Fritz Underground Winery

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Fritz Winery

Fritz Winery

24691 Dutcher Creek Rd, Cloverdale, CA 95425

Website: https://www.fritzwinery.com/

I have visited over 200 wineries in California, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg compared to how many are out there. I’m always intrigued by what makes each one different. What’s their “calling card” so to speak? Before I visit most wineries, I look them up online and read about their story because I want to understand what got them started. It gives me a deeper appreciation for the wine they create.

Fritz Winery is located in the northern hills of the Dry Creek Valley. What makes this winery so different is that it is underground. It is literally built into a hillside. Original founder, Arthur J. Fritz (referred to as Jay), started the winery in 1979. His son, Clay Fritz, and family run the winery today. Jay had the foresight of building an efficient, environmentally friendly place with his subterranean design that is an attribute to modern day winemaking. By being a part of the hillside, the winery is able to maintain naturally cool temperatures for cellaring and fermenting the wine. They are also able to take advantage of gravity flow to minimize any manual interference with the grapes and juice as it moves from the crush pad to the tanks and barrels.

Fritz Underground Winery

Fritz Underground Winery

When we drove up to the winery we passed by the picturesque scenery of rows and rows vines. As we walked up to the winery from the parking lot, we saw the white structure that was the front entrance with two large glass doors. The rest of the structure was completely covered in green plant life that formed the hill that the winery sits in. Off to the right is a patio with some picnic tables and red umbrellas for guests. As we walked through the big glass doors, we entered directly into the wine cave where we were surrounded by tall stainless steel fermentation tanks.

Between the wine cave and the outdoor patio there is an indoor tasting room that has a natural look and feel. The ceiling and walls are dome shaped and look like they are made of stucco. The shelving and trim around the room, as well as the tasting bar, are framed of dark wood. The square-shaped, white marble top tasting bar in the center of the room has room for a few small groups of guests at a time. Even though is inside of a hill, the room is brightened by the natural light coming in from the big glass doors leading to the patio. The patio is also pretty spacious with several tables to accommodate a few groups of guests. From the patio is a nice view of the vineyards down below.

Fritz vineyards

Fritz vineyards

Fritz is open to the public for tastings inside or for picnics on the patio. Check their website for specific days and times because they are closed a couple days during the week. You can also sign up for an underground cave tour if you reach out in advance. The winery focuses on producing wines from the Russian River and Dry Creek Valley areas, and their varietals include Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and a sparkling Blanc de Noirs. My personal favorites were the Estate Zinfandel with lovely black currant flavor and the Estate Proprietor’s Red that had notes of dark fruit and spice. Both wines pair well with grilled or BBQ meat. Fritz recommends pairing their sparkling wine with a doughnut, which we tried and it did pair amazingly well.

I wasn’t sure what to expect leading up to my visit, but I left feeling pleased that I stopped in. I can sum up my overall sentiment with the 3 things I liked most about it – family run, environmental stewardship, and good wine!

 

Donum Estate

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Donum Estate

Donum Estate

24500 Ramal Rd, Sonoma, CA 95476

Website: https://www.thedonumestate.com/

Donum Estate is located in a very pretty spot in Carneros nestled between hills of vines.  This is a fascinating place to visit for art enthusiasts, or for people like me who know only a little about art but can appreciate the beauty of it.  The winery and art is owned by Mei and Allan Warburg. They started out in 2001 wanting to create “the ultimate pinot noir project”, so they brought in acclaimed winemaker Anne Moller-Racke.  It also provided the perfect venue for them to showcase their international contemporary art collection. The partnership between the Warburgs and Anne Moller-Racke turned out to be a great success, producing premium pinot noir and chardonnay that earn the highest accolades year over year. As of June 2019, Anne announced she was moving on to pursue her own projects after 18 years at Donum.

Sanna

Sanna at Donum Estate

The experiences and wine tasting at Donum are by reservation only.  They offer two options – a 90 minute tasting and walking tour or a 2 hour RTV tour.  Both experiences include a seated, personal tasting experience and a tour of the property.  The property drew us in from the moment we pulled up to the gate and pushed the call button to be let in.  As we drove along the path to the winery we saw looming in front of us a giant head statue named “Sanna”, created by Jaume Plensa.  It’s truly amazing to look at! We continued to drive around to the entrance of the winery, passing by other intriguing pieces of art.  You can’t help getting immersed in sculptures, like the huge, spotted pumpkin sitting in a pool right outside the entrance to the tasting room.

Wine tasting experience at Donum Estate

Wine tasting experience at Donum Estate

Inside the tasting room lobby is stark white and immaculate.  One side of the room has windows from ceiling to floor looking out at vineyards.  There was some more fascinating artwork in the lobby. Our host greeted us immediately and ushered us to a room for our personal tasting.  It was a cozy space with a center table and windows on two sides giving us a panoramic view of the vineyard. We had one-on-one attention from our host who talked us through five different wines.  We were given a leather-bound folder with tasting notes. We learned some of the history of the winery while we took our time sipping the award winning chardonnay and pinot noirs. They were exquisite wines. An interesting tidbit about the labels is that each of the vintages is named after the Chinese zodiac, which harkens to Allan Warburg’s life-long love of the Asian culture.

Crouching Spider

Crouching Spider

Once we finished our tasting, we went on a walking tour to see a lot more of the art.  Our first stop was to visit the steel sculpture called the Crouching Spider. This awe-inspiring piece created by Louise Bourgeois is so large that they built a building just to house the sculpture and protect it from weather.  We continued our walk around the property, stopping to admire works like the Maze made of brass coated stainless-steel tubes, the Contemporary Terracotta Warriors, and “Love Me”, a polished mirrored steel heart with a deep cavity in its center representing being hit by a powerful force.  There were many more great pieces. We ended our walk at the Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads, which is the real centerpiece of the property. Hearing about how the grounds crew has to upkeep the sculptures, polishing them regularly is impressive in itself.

I would totally recommend visiting the estate, both for the wine and art.  You will need to plan ahead as reservations are limited. I set up my reservation about a month in advance.  It was an amazing experience!