2003 Rochioli Sauvignon Blanc, Estate, Russian River Valley

According to the tasting room server, the winemaker's goal was a "New Zealand style". It was indeed more crisp and without the vanillin of many Californians, while full of flavor and well-balanced. The price was $24 at the winery.
Rating: Very Good -

We later drank the same wine with an elegant dinner at Madrona Manor in Healdsburg, where the wine appeared fuller and somewhat less crisp than at the Rochioli tasting.

2003 Rochioli Chardonnay, Estate, Russian River Valley

Claimed to be made in the "French style", but there is lower acidity due to malolactic fermentation, along with some oak vanillin. The result is somewhere between the French and Californian style. There is moderate rather than intense fruit, and good balance overall. I don't recall the price.
Rating: Good +

2003 Rochioli Pinot Noir, Estate, Russian River Valley

Dark, with cherry fruit and some floral bouquet, long taste, and very good acid balance. The wine is light on tannin and wood. The price was $40 at the winery.
Rating: Very Good

J Vineyards & Winery : The J winery offers a new concept in tasting, appetizer-size portions of food matched with each wine to be tasted. A flight of four wines, each with two samples of a different appetizer, is available for $10, with a further wine and its appetizer for an additional $5. For most of our visit, we were the only customer, and were offered tastes of a few more fine wines as well. The winery may be a little hard to find, since the sign at the entrance only offers a stylized "J" for guidance. But they share that entrance with Rodney Strong Vineyards, which has a much more obvious and direct sign.

Pinot Gris vines at J Winery

1998 J Vintage Brut

A very fine sparkling wine with a great deal of elegance, flavorful and complex, with a lingering taste, and small bubbles. This is one to seek out, a vintage wine that should compare well to French champagnes. The price was $30 at the winery.
Rating: Excellent

I was delighted to find this wine locally at Upper Falls Liquors on Needham Street in Newton, MA.

2003 J Pinot Gris

Floral bouquet, with some crispness but less acidity than Italian versions. Good for summer sipping and with light seafood. We saw clones of pinot gris planted right next to the winery. I would consider the price of $18 at the winery to be too steep.
Rating: Good

2001 J Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley

The flowery bouquet helps make this a seductive wine, with forward fruitiness, relatively light color. There is no noticeable tannin or oak. Less than medium-bodied with a lingering taste. The price at the winery is $26.
Rating: Good ++

1997 J Pinot Noir, Nicole's Vineyard

The orange tinge at the rim shows the age but the wine can hold and develop further. Lovely complexity in taste and aroma with some firmness; any tannin or oak is well integrated. Medium-bodied with a lingering taste The price at the winery is $40.
Rating: Very Good +

1999 J Pinot Noir, Nicole's Vineyard

With lower acidity than the 1997, this wine is fully developed, showing a slight orange tinge. It reminds one of warm summer fruit with smoothness and a sense of some sweetness. Long taste. The price at the winery is $35.
Rating: Very Good

2001 J Pinot Noir, Robert Thomas Vineyard

This wine has an austerity that needs time to soften, with lots of intense cherry fruit and a long taste. There is more than a touch of clove that hints at the complexity that this will develop. The price at the winery is $50.
Rating: Excellent

2001 J Chardonnay, Russian River Valley

The wine is fresh and fruity, with some elegance and good balance, and without noticeable oakiness. We were told that the winemaker chose to ferment 80% of the wine in stainless steel, without malo-lactic fermentation. That way it clearly avoids the low-acid, over-oaked, full-bodied California style; on the other hand, neither does it seek the white Burgundy style. The price at the winery is $32.
Rating: Good ++

NV J Ratafia

A fortified dessert wine (about 20% alcohol) that blends the fruitiness of non-fermented grape juice with the complexity of a brandy. The price at the winery is $42.
Rating: Good ++

2003 Hawley Viognier, Placer County

Very floral, with noticeable peach in bouquet and taste, and an herbal finish. Moderate intensity, fairly long taste, moderate acidity. The price was $19 at the store.
Rating: Good +

2003 Forth Sauvignon Blanc, Mendocino

Lots of flavor, balanced, good acidity, long taste. The price was $14 at the store.
Rating: Good ++

2001 Eric Ross Pinot Noir, Saralee's Vineyard, Russian River Valley

Light-colored, seductive floral bouquet and taste, good acidity. Fruity without noticeable tannin or oak, and ready to drink. The price was $24 at the store.
Rating: Good ++

2001 Eric Ross Pinot Noir, Poule d'Or, Russian River Valley

Firmer and darker, with more body than the Saralee's Vineyard (just above), although it still has a good deal of the floral bouquet. Ready to drink now. The price was $28 at the store.
Rating: Very Good -

2002 Hawley Pinot Noir, Oehlman Vineyard, Russian River Valley

Yet darker and fuller than the two above, with a long taste and some tannin. Lots of cherry-like fruit with excellent acid balance. Deep purplish color testifies to its youth - it needs some age to develop and soften. Although the price was $34 at the store, I chose to personally import a bottle to Massachusetts.
Rating: Excellent

2000 Eric Ross Zinfandel, Robert's Block, Russian River Valley

Intense blackberry fruit, some firmness, nice acidity, very long taste. The price was $32 at the store.
Rating: Very Good

2000 Peterson Zinfandel Tradizionale, Old Vines, Dry Creek Valley

Softer than the above, blackberry fruit mildened by including other reds and a touch of white in the blend, also very long taste. The price was $22 at the store.
Rating: Good ++

2001 Peterson Zinfandel, Bernier Zinyard, Dry Creek Valley

Less intense than the other two, and best suited for matching with food. Still blackberry fruit, with a long taste. The price was $25 at the store.
Rating: Good +

Chateau Souverain: We visited Chateau Souverain early in the morning, to wander around the superbly landscaped grounds and to see its unique set of buildings. Stopping into the tasting room shortly after 10 AM, and not intending to taste, I was nevertheless drawn to sampling their pinot noir. It was one of the "Special Reserves", available for $2 each; the friendly staff then gave away a taste of their Home Vineyard zinfandel as well. 2002 Chateau Souverain Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley High acidity, light bouquet, moderately long taste, some wood evident. Needs time to come together. Available at the winery only, for $30. Rating: Good + 2001 Chateau Souverain Zinfandel, Home Vineyard, Alexander Valley Lots of blackberry fruit without being overwhelming, high balancing acidity. Moderately long finish. The vines are right next to the winery, gnarly thick rootstock that was head-pruned (see adjacent picture). Available at the winery only, for $25. Rating: Good ++

Old zinfandel vines at Chateau Souverain

2002 Gary Farrell Sauvignon Blanc, (Redwood Ranch, Sonoma County)

Noticeable SB grassiness that blends well into a wine of depth and length, with good acidity. Accompanied pesto-grilled salmon at Bistro Ralph.
Rating: Very Good -

2002 MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir, (Sonoma Coast)

Dark with purple tinge, good intensity, flavorful cherry fruit, but somewhat reluctant bouquet and short taste. Accompanied superbly grilled crusty duck breast with a highly reduced sauce at Bistro Ralph.
Rating: Good +

The notes match my impression of the 2001 MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir.

(2003) Seghesio Pinot Grigio, (Sonoma County)

Slight sweetness was disconcerting at first, especially in a soft rather than acidic style different from Italian pinot grigios. There was moderate intensity and length. However, the wine was well-suited to seafood ravioli at Taverna Santi.
Rating: Good

2000 Peterson Sangiovese, Dry Creek Valley

Some sour-cherry character. Medium-bodied, with moderate length Less firm and acidic than true Chianti. Fine accompaniment to a very good osso buco at Taverna Santi.
Rating: Good +

(2001) Dutton Goldfield Pinot Noir, Dutton Ranch, (Green Valley-Russian River Valley)

Intense fruit, dark color, some austerity, good acidity, long taste. Likely to gain complexity and smoothness with ageing. Accompanied a very good osso buco at Taverna Santi, but may have been a little too intense and angular to best suit the dish.
Rating: Very Good -

2000 Robert Mondavi Chardonnay, Reserve, Napa Valley

Subdued use of oak and good acidity puts this closer to a white Burgundy than most California chardonnays. Medium-bodied with some elegance and a fairly long taste. Suggested retail price by Mondavi is $38.
Rating: Very Good

2001 Robert Mondavi Zinfandel, Napa Valley

Made in a style that is flavorful and more bordeaux-like than the overpowering Robert Parker "fruit bombs". Medium- rather than full-bodied, with a fairly long taste. Dark-colored without being inky. Certain to be a very good fod wine, it also sips well. Suggested retail price by Mondavi is $19.
Rating: Good ++

2000 Robert Mondavi Merlot, unfiltered, Napa Valley

A wine wirth some firmness and structure unlike so many soft California merlots. Dark color, good fruit without sweetness, medium-bodied with a fairly long taste. Suggested retail price by Mondavi is $21.
Rating: Very Good -

2000 Blackstone Cabernet Sauvignon, California

Flavorful and soft, uncomplicated, without noticeable tannin or wood. Dark color. More than medium-bodied, with moderate length. There's lots of cherry fruit, but the wine is unlikely to be identified as cabernet. The price is about $12 in most stores.
Rating: Good

California Wine Tours

Westside Road Wine Trail
Dry Creek Road Wine Trail
Chalk Hill Road and Alexander Valley Wine Trail

Typical sign post near Geyserville

The Geyserville Chamber of Commerce offers a set of Tourism pages of "wine tasting tours" with references to wineries and other nearby attractions. Some of these pages are not yet available due to being under construction. Wineries surrounding Geyserville, a sizable list of nearby wineries, with links Mendocino Wine Tasting Tour Lake Sonoma and Upper Dry Creek Valley Wine Tasting Tour Hopland Wine Tasting Tour

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Other Wineries of Interest:

Some wineries of interest that we did not visit, or visited but not for tasting, or had visited in the past.

Vineyard vista at Ferrari-Carano Some Marin County wines - not tasted

Ferrari-Carano: The landscaping on the grounds is spectular, including a separate large garden. Worth a visit, even without tasting, although their wines are very good too. Robert Mondavi Winery: We had bought some provisions and thought we'd be able to picnic at the original Napa facility. Wrong - they don't seem to be very welcoming now. It was different in the late 1960s, when Robert Mondavi started modern California wine-making with his ground-breaking winery. In those days, one could meet and talk to the great man himself (we did). Since then, through expansion and acquisition, it has become an empire (see Robert Mondavi) with perhaps too broad and diffuse a product line. It's a marketing world in which "Robert Mondavi Private Selection" is of lesser quality and lower price than the "Robert Mondavi Winery" wines. The Robert Mondavi Winery now requires a wine tour before tasting, and charges for the tasting. Franciscan Oakville Estate: Still looking to picnic, we stopped in at Franciscan and asked. Very friendly, they made their open-air patio available to us. We did not taste, but I'd enjoyed their wines in the past. Hess Collection: We stopped by there in the fall of 1998 to take in their sizable and interesting art collection, as well as doing some tasting. It was the end of a slow day, and I even got to taste a barrel sample of chardonnay! Clos Pegase: Another 1998 visit. More art, this time a good collection of outdoor sculpture. Their tour was interesting and their wines are good.

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Last updated 1/1/06

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