Sonoma County, located between the Napa valley in the east and the Pacific Ocean in teh west, may not be as famous as its eastern neighbour, but outstanding wines from a range of grape varieties,
The first vineyards were planted by Russian colonists at Fort Ross in 1817, but Spanish Franciscan monks are the ones who expanding acreage.
The Hungarian count Agoston Haraszthy, a.k.a the Father of California Wine Industry, is responsible for researching and importing many vitis vinifera varieties, after trips to Europe, and upon his return to the County.
The County is large, and produces beside wine, many other fruits, vegetables, flowers and cheese.
Sonoma County has 12 appellations – from north to south – Rockpile, Northern Sonoma, Alexander Valley, Knight’s Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Chalk Hill, Russian River Valley, Green Valley, Bennett Valley, Sonoma Mountain, Sonoma Valley, Los Carneros, and Sonoma Coast.
Of all appellations Russian River Valley and Alexander Valley have the largest vineyard acreage with 6000 hectares each. This large appellation enjoys a long growing season and successfully harvests pinot noir, chardonnay and zinfandel.The smallest viticultural area is in Bennett Valley with 220 hectares.
The altitude of vineyards varies from sea level to 850 metres, and soils vary with 11 major formation types, and 31 soil series. Permutations of each soil series make the number of soil types innumerable.
The Pacific Ocean provides a cooling maritime influence, with breezes in afternoons, In Los Carneros the San Pablo Bay generates afternoon fogs.
The County has 1800 growers, supplying 450 wineries, most of which are open to the public for tastigns. Some charge a small fee, but deduct it when purchases are made, others pour free.
Approximately 60 varieties are grown, but the following are the most important: chardonnay (6000 hectares), cabernet sauvignon (5000), pinot noir (4000), merlot (2500), zinfandel (2200), sauvignon blanc (1000).
Landmark, Davis Bynum, Buena Vista, Clos du Bois, Martin Ray, Gallo Family Vineyards, Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards, Chalk Hill Estates Vineyards and Winery, Cline cellars, Dry Creek Vineyard, Ferrari Carano Vineyards and Winery, Sonoma Cutrer Vineyards, Kendall-Jackson Wine Center, Jordan Vineyard and Winery, La Crema, Mac Rostie Winery, Matanzas Creek, Ravenswood, Robert Young Estate, and Schug.
Sonoma County whites can be high in alcohol but show sufficient acidity and extract so that the taste is balanced and harmonious.
The reds are powerful, can be silky smooth, elegant and refined, pending on appellation, fruit available, and skill of the winemaker.
In general, Sonoma County wines represent good to very good value for quality.
The County produces 25 – 30 per cent more fruit than Napa Valley.
Land costs are reasonable and thus product costs are lower than the more famous neighbour to the east.

Never miss a post! subscribe via RSS or subscribe via e-mail.   Post writer – Hrayr Berberoglu – E-mail – Read his books?

Although it is the most renowned winegrowing region in the U S A, Napa Valley, a mere 14 per cent the size of Bordeaux, produces only four per cent of the wine made in California, which, if it were a country, would rank sixth largest wine producer in the world.
Although only four per cent of wine is produced in the state, Napa Valley wine sales generate 40 per cent of the economic impact of California’s wine industry on the total American economy.
While it may appear to the casual observer that Napa County is bursting with vines, only nine per cent of the county is planted in vineyards. Forty years ago, landowners realized the location of their county, a mere 100 km. from San Francisco, all but guaranteed urban development and growth pressures. Given the fact that the average American likes to drive and does not mind commuting, much of Napa Valley could have become paved over and covered with lavish homes and strip malls.
In 1968, Napa valley vintners, growers and community leaders had the forethought to preserve open space and prevent future unabashed development by enacting the first Agricultural Preserve of America.
Throughout wine connoisseurs Napa Valley is synonymous with California’s best wine producing region. Who has not heard of Napa Valley? But knowing the name and appreciating the wines of this incomparable valley are two entirely different things.
Napa Valley has been producing wine for more than a century, but it was the legendary Robert Mondavi who put the region on the map. He promoted his beloved Valley throughout his business life, built his world famous winery here, and travelled the world to promote it – first the county and then his wines.
The valley is approximately 50 Km. Log and two to six Km. Wide. The south, Carneros, is cooler because of the climatic effect of the San Pablo Bay. Here chardonnay and pinot noir yield fine, delicate wines, whereas further north starting in Oakville the weather get warm and cabernet sauvignon, syrah, cabernet franc and merlot among others thrive.
Napa Valley is home to some of the best and most famous American wineries i.e R. Mondavi, Cuvaison, Heitz, Schrambsberg, Moet et Chandon Sparkling Wines, Stag’s Leap Winery, Pahlmeyer, Oakville Ranch, Silver Oak, Opus One, Darioush, Far Niente, Shafer, Cakebread, Markham, Beringer, Rubicon, Duckhorn, and Grgich Hill Estate just to name a few.
The Valley has almost 140 soil types, conveniently divided into three groups Carneros and south Napa, marine clays, western side; Mayamas Range sedimentary loam and alluvial; eastern side/Vaca Range volcanic loams and clays.
Although Napa Valley produces a small proportion of California wines, and sells a very high percentage of it, winery owners/managers never stop promoting their wines.
Advertising and promotion is engrained into the psyche of American business, and because of this belief, often the Association of Napa Valley winery organizes tastings in important markets, one being Ontario more specifically Toronto.
This year approximately 50 Napa Valley wineries poured their best in ROM (Royal Ontario Museum).
Here is a list of the wines that I found to be outstanding. Due to space constraints I cannot provide detailed descriptions, but guarantee their impeccable texture, flavour, balance, bouquet, and extraordinary finish.

White wines:

Chardonnay, 2007, Cuvaison, Los Carneros
Chardonnay, 2006, Grgich Hill Estate
Chardonnay, 2007, Heitz
Chardonnay, 2007, Pine Ridge
Chardonnay, 2007, Oakville Ranch
Reserve Chardonnay 2005, Sterling

Sparkling wine

Blanc de Noir, 2006, Schramsberg

Red Wines:

Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004, Sterling
Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005, Pahlmeyer
Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005, Heitz
Cabernet Sauvignon Trailside Vineyard, 1999, Heitz
Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005, Grgich Hill Estate
Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005, Hestan
Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006. Darioush
Cabernet Sauvignon Caravan, 2006, Darioush
Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006, Pritchard Hill
Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006, Stag’s Leap Winery
Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005, Clos du val
Barrouge Bordeaux Bland, 2005, Barlow Vineyards
Robert’s Blend, 2005, Oakville Ranch
Pinot Noir, 2007, Cuvaison
Merlot, 2006, Grgich Hill Estate
Zinfandel, 2996, Grgich Hill estate
Syrah, 2006, Peju

For more information log on to www.napavintners.com

Never miss a post! subscribe via RSS or subscribe via e-mail.   Post writer – Hrayr Berberoglu – E-mail – Read his books?

This narrow valley stretching from the San Francisco Bay north to Calistoga is today dotted with vineyards and wineries. Some are on the valley floor, but most are on the west and east slopes. The north of the valley is hotter than the south due to the climatic influence of the bay. Here (Carneros) pinot noir, and chardonnay grow better and yield finer wines than cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and zinfandel. Cabernet sauvignon, merlot and zinfandel grow much better around Oakville and Calistoga.

Napa Valley’s worldwide fame came when Stephen Spurrier, and Englishman, who at the time had a wine school and shop in Paris, decided to stage a blind tasting of French, (mainly Bordeaux and Burgundy) and Napa Valley wines to be judged by French experts. He travelled to Napa valley and visited many wineries tasting their best products. After selecting the best, he retunes to Paris and orchestrated the tasting.

Blind tastings are always tricky affairs. Experts, or those who claim to be experts, can be fooled relatively easily when the source and names of the wines are unknown. At the end of the well-publicized tasting, a few Napa Valley wines edged world famous Bordeaux and Burgundy products by a slim margin, which was enough for the Time magazine to report the success at length. Needless to say major national American TV networks reported the results as well and Napa Valley wines gained unprecedented prominence in the minds of consumers.

Since then, hundreds of new wineries opened in the Napa Valley, and today tourist traffic exceeds 500 000 annually. Many come from San Francisco in limousines and stop at Robert Mondavi’s Oakville Winery, Niebaum-Coppola, Chandon Napa, Grgich Hills, Beringer, and Beaulieu to name just a few, for tastings. Robert Mondavi’s Winery in Oakville attracts 300 000 paying visitors, who are expertly guided through the impeccably maintained winery. The visit finishes with a formal tasting of six wines. Visitors can buy special releases in the boutique. But beyond famous wineries along the Highway 29 that runs through the region there are a few that produce only a few thousand cases of super premium wines dubbed cult wines. These wineries are closed to the public. They are located high in the mountains, small and sell only to their clients on their mailing lists. They don’t have to go through wholesalers and retailers and enjoy an excellent reputation due to their famous and consistent quality wines. In poor vintages they do not release any wine, but sell the production in bulk to other wineries.

Most produce one wine they are focused and strive for the best possible wines. Needless to say, they are expensive. Some at release cost $ 200.00 and more. But then, in auctions, well-heeled consumers pay much more for older vintages.
These wines are brilliant, dark red in colour, exude ripe fruit aromas, show an excellent balance, depth, and have superbly long aftertastes. They are cellar worthy. In fact they should be aged pending on vintage for at least four to ten years, but can be enjoyed after purchase with rich food.

Generally, the North American public wants enjoy wine rather young. There are caveats in drinking such wines before they reach their peak. These wines hide their intrinsic qualities and the consumer is short-changed.
The following cult wineries are famous for their cult wines:

Cabernet Sauvignon, Silver Oak
Cabernet Sauvignon, Dominus Estate
Opus One
Cabernet Sauvignon, Eisele Vineyard, Araujo
Cabernet Sauvignon, Bryant Family
Cabernet Sauvignon Madrona Ranch, Aberau
Merlot, Pahlmayer
Old Vines Zinfandel, Turley
Artesa Reserve, Harlan Estates
Cabernet Sauvignon Screaming Eagle
Insignia, J. Phelps

Vintages are not listed for reasons stated above.

If you want to experience the very best Napa Valley red wines, try to get on the mailing list of one of these wineries or attend auctions such the annual auctions of the L C B O arranged each November in Toronto.

Guest Writer – Hrayr Berberoglu E-mail or interested in his books?.