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Three Wine Company Tasting

Wine tasting again in Clarksburg, Ca at the Old Sugar Mill. The first winery were tasting at is the Three Wine Company.

They source their grapes from out Northern California. Started by former Cline Estates owner Matt Cline and his wife Erin, they produce about 6k cases in a boutque fashion. Their tasting room is located in a great old sugar mill that has been renovated to be a wine tasting room.

Three Wine Company focuses on Zinfandel and old vine red varietals like Carignane & Mourvedre. Everything I tasted was consistent and mild, very good stuff. I loved their '06 S3X Riesling which is a nice alcohol 9% to sugar 12% ratio. It's a wonderful dessert wine for those that fancy it.

Martinelli Visit & Tasting

Martinelli winery is located outside Santa Rosa on River road. Specializing in Chardonnay, Syrah & Pinot Noir, their winemaker is the renowned Helen Turley.

This was our third stop of the day, and while I'd like to say I spit, the truth of the matter is I rarely do. So needless to say I'm a little toasty.

The Chardonnays are nice, a lot of variety between the 6 different types but I personnally not a white lover.

The Pinot Noir's are earthy with pleasant nuisances. They have been known for their Pinot but nothing stood out to me.

The Syrsh's were very impressive, especially the 2005 Lolita Ranch Syrah ($75/bottle) which displayed ripe raspberries that stuck thru the palette. Also of note was a 100 year old vine Zinfandel called the Vigneto di Evo from the 2006 vintage which had a nice kick unusual for Zin and is high alcohol at 17.2%.

Carvalho Family Wines Visit & Tasting Notes

Sunday morning wine tasting at the Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg with Carvalho Family Wines.

Carvalho produces between 5500 and 7500 cases a year, and Carvalho was the first of the 7 wineries making wine and offering tastings at the Sugar Mill.

Started off the tasting with a bright Sauvignon Blanc with grapefruit overtones. Then moved on to an amazingly crisp and refreshing Chardonnay 2006.

Typically not a dessert wine fan but was impressed with their sweet but not too sugary Muscat Canelli. The last was harvest was good but did not compare.

The rose is made for food with flood flash fruit that quickly finishes dry. Nothing I would recommend. The Pinot Noir 2003 is very oaky and then presents more oak. Enough said.

2005 Petite Sirah no overwelming acid allows the fruit to shine through in a soft yet present way. 2005 Barbera, grapes from Amador, light Italian style varietal. Nice overall.
2004 Tempranillo - black cherry jam, nice balance minus the typical smokiness of tempeanillo.
HB Boat Shed Red - made of 2 Zin blends, Petite Sirah & Tempeanillo. A well appointed red that has plenty of strength and character.

All in all Carvalho Family Wines are great, consistent with particular strength in the whites with a unique Chardonnay & a wonderful Muscat.

Boulevard Bistro in Elk Grove

Boulevard's Bistro in Elk Grove CA, located on Elk Grove Blvd., is a gem of a restaurant. We went there last night to celebrate my Nana's birthday (grandmother), and we blown away by the food. From outstanding Shrimp Cakes to wonderful Creamy Polenta & Wild Mushrooms and an indulgent dessert list that included an airy light Creme Brulee. My favorite dessert though was the homemade Cheesecake with fresh berries.

We had a bottle of 2007 Narrowgate Viognier, a small vintner from El Dorado County. It was an apricot induced white versatile enough to handle a Wedge Salad (w/ bacon), the polenta and roasted pork tenderloin.

Net Net: Boulevards Bistro is an underrated restaurant that can stand up to any of the well known culinary greats found 100 miles west in San Francisco. I will come again and again and again.

Boulevard Bistro in Elk Grove

Boulevard's Bistro in Elk Grove CA, located on Elk Grove Blvd., is a gem of a restaurant. We went there last night to celebrate my Nana's birthday (grandmother), and we blown away by the food.

Heringer Estates Tasting Notes

On a visit yesterday to Clarksburg's burgeoning wine area of the California Delta, we stopped in at the Old Sugar Mill to taste at their collection of boutique wineries. The old mill houses several wineries with winemaking facilities and recently opened up for tastings.

Heringer Estates is a 5 year old winery that farms most of it's own grapes and produces a lot of varietals - from Petite Sirah to Teroldego to Pinot Noir (a rarity in these parts).
We tasted a Chenin Blanc (05), Pinot Noir (06), Petite Sirah (04), Syrah (06), Petite Verdot (06), and two late harvest/dessert wines - Late Harvest Chardonnay (05) & Petite Sirah Port.

All their wines were solid, the late harvest Chardonnay was both memorable and unique, worth the price of a visit on it's own.

Revelation Meal

Tonight, hosting a small, small as in two couple dinner, I realized my wino voice has been stifled by this faux desire to be PC and poetic. The reality is I'm not such a good writer anyway, especially when I'm forcing it. No, if I want to be true to myself I need to be me.

Anniversary Wine Country Weekend

It has been awhile since we spent a weekend in the wine country.  We've spent a day here or there tasting since its so close (less than a two hour drive) but we haven't done the full blown, 10+ wineries in a couple days of tasting like we've been known for.  So for our 4th anniversary, I decided it was a good excuse to plan a weekend at Duchamp Hotel and dinner at Cyrus, a hot (supposedly French Laundry like) restaurant in Healdsburg.  However when I went to make reservations (our anniversary is actually in early October) everything was booked up until early November.  Well, to make a long story short, we're finally on the anniversary weekend here in mid November. 

Stuhlmuller Vineyards: ATV's & Wine tasting!

Recently I spent a night at the Stuhlmuller Vineyards estate in the Alexander Valley in northern Sonoma County.  The 450 acre sprawling piece of land includes nearly a mile of Russian River front and rolls all the way to the top of the hill. 

Picchetti Winery: Tastings

Picchetti Winery, located off Monte Bello Road in the northern Santa Cruz Mountains, is a family run establishment that is one of the oldest continously running wineries in the country.  Picchetti was formed in 1896, and outside of a decade where it was called Sunrise in the 1970's, Picchetti as been the wineries name.  The winery produces approximately 10,000 cases a year and sell much of it direct to the public from its two tasting rooms, the one in the Bay Area and another located in South Lake Tahoe.