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UNCORKED WINE TRAVELS

Musings Along The Wine Trails

Russian River Vineyards Has A Storied Past & Noteworthy Wines

December 13, 2014 by Deborah Mines

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Nestled in the heart of the renowned Russian River Valley is the picturesque and historic Russian River Vineyards.  Historically speaking, this iconic vineyard is one of the oldest vineyards in the northern Sonoma County wine growing region.  The first vines were planted with Merlot in 1963, a time when the surrounding farm plots were planted with  apples and prunes.

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Surrounded by towering Redwood trees, this eclectic winery was modeled after the many stockades built by Russian settlers in the early 1800’s and the hop kilns that dotted the Sonoma County.  Russian River Vineyards was named long before the Russian River Valley was designated as an AVA in 1983.

IMG_6109Award-winning Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Zinfandel are poured in the outside tasting room overlooking the rolling vineyards, weather permitting.

The newly released 2012 Pinot Noir Estate Grown is a single vineyard Pinot Noir.  Delicately balanced, yet concentrated with bright red fruit, this wine has been aged for 16 months in French Oak and cellared for an additional 10 months.

Another new release is the 2013 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast.  This wine is intensely lush, showing rich tropical fruits of mango and pineapple with expressive notes of honeysuckle and pear, and white peach.

For Zin Lovers, the 2010 Sack Vineyard Zinfandel displays aromas of spicy, ripe dark fruit with hints of smoke, tobacco with a touch of pepper.

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Russian River Vineyards was one of the first certified organic vineyards in Sonoma County.  Years ago, a colony of bats took up residence in the towers of the winery.  The bats inhabit the winery roofs by day and devour pests in the vineyards by night.  Known as “the bat launch”, guests are treated to nightly displays from the outside dining patio in the warmer months. Today, sustainable farming practices and minimal intervention in the vineyards are credited to the award-winning wines produced at the historic Russian River Vineyards.  

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Corks Restaurant is housed inside the rustic farmhouse and is the only winery-based restaurant in the Russian River Valley.  Wine and food pairings, lunch and dinner are available upon reservation.  www.russianrivervineyards.com

Filed Under: California Wine Trail Tagged With: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, sustainable farming, Wine Tasting, Zinfandel

Comments

  1. David M. says

    January 10, 2015 at 7:59 pm

    I get clients new to the area all the time and I always take them to the vineyards!

  2. Deborah Mines says

    January 11, 2015 at 9:19 am

    Excellent! What type of business are you involved in? Russian River is my favorite escape! Thanks for reading!

  3. David M. says

    January 11, 2015 at 3:39 pm

    real estate 🙂 Keep up the good posts!

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