UNCORKED WINE TRAVELS

Musings Along The Wine Trails

2021’s Top 10 Winery Picks off Russian River Valley’s Iconic Westside Road

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Thought I’d share my favorite Top 10, most fun, top notch wineries along Russian River’s highly touted Westside Road.  If you’re new to Russian River Valley and love artisanal Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel or Cabernet Sauvignon, I highly recommend planning a few days wine tasting on Westside Road.  Starting from the far west end of Westside Road, moving toward Healdsburg, here are my top 10 picks for 2021 ~ Cheers!

1.  Moshin Vineyards – One of my all-time favorite wineries at the far west end of Westside Road!  Look for the giant metal hummingbird hovering over the treetops to guide the way to the tasting room.  Moshin is always fun and funky, with unique local art displayed in the tasting room.  There’s a wide range of of small production wines available for tasting, including sparkling wine and a great line up of Pinot Noir.  Friendly wine hosts engage with the guests and are eager to share their stories.

 2.  Porter Creek Vineyards – No trip is complete without a visit to Porter Creek.  The dollhouse-like tasting room holds about six people comfortably but long-time wine host Jonathan will always make room for more.  The Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines are meticulously crafted by winemaker Alex Davis, who studied viticulture at the Université de Bourgogne before taking the reins at the family winery.  Other varietals produced include Viognier, Syrah, Zinfandel and Carignane.

3.  Thomas George Estates – Plan ahead and reserve a cave wine tasting or take a wine safari aboard a vintage Pinzgauer to the top of Baker Ridge vineyard to revel at the panoramic view.  Enjoy an estate four course picnic lunch, complete with a select bottle of estate Pinot Noir.  Thomas George was originally a hop kiln in the 1920s, later owned by the late wine pioneer Davis Bynum who planted some of the first Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Grenache Noir in Russian River Valley.  Truly a spectacular property with gorgeous lush gardens and towering trees, and of course, a wine cave.

4.  Landmark Vineyards at Hop Kiln Estate – Heading toward Healdsburg at a hairpin turn, you’ll find the historic Walters Hop Kiln.   Built in 1905 by a crew of Italian stonemasons, it represents the finest existing example of its type, consisting of three stone kilns for drying hops, a wooden cooler, and a two-story press for bailing hops.  In the late 1890’s, the property was a stagecoach stop.  Here you’ll find mostly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Grenache and Pinot Gris.  Now corporate-owned by Landmark, the ambience is still rustic and worthy of a quick stop to grab a glass and marvel at the restored hop kilns.

5.  MacRostie Winery & Vineyards – Hands down, some of the best views along Westside Road, looking out to Mount Saint Helena and the Mayacamas.  One of the newer wineries, MacRostie, is always packed to capacity, so reserve days ahead.  The tastings are seated and not rushed, with great individual interaction with entertaining and knowledgeable wine hosts.  Guests are greeted with a cold glass of Rosé or Sauvignon Blanc, depending on the season, and escorted to a view table. Side by side tastings are common with the many single vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines.  Can’t say enough about MacRostie ~ it’s top of the list for me! [Read more…]

Best Backroads For Cycling In RRV-Healdsburg Wine Country

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Whether you’re an avid cyclist or a leisurely day tripper, there’s no finer place to bike ride than the backroads of Russian River Valley and Dry Creek Valley wine country.  Undulating roads twist and bend between the towering redwoods and gracefully wind beside endless acres of premium vineyards between Windsor and Healdsburg.

One of the top local cycling treks is Healdsburg’s Westside Road to Dry Creek Road.  It’s an easy scenic ride along the Russian River, paralleling some of the finest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vineyards.  Coming from Windsor, Mark West Station Road is a bit more remote with less traffic, as is Eastside Road.  All roads eventually lead to Healdsburg.

There’s no shortage of postcard scenery.  Traffic is light most times during the weekdays and the pavement is fairly even and well-maintained, however, cyclists need to heed attention as the roads are crowned and the shoulder is non-existent in places.

Stop, swirl and sip at the eclectic Porter Creek Vineyard where the vines meet the Redwoods and the chickens roam freely or continue further down the road for a bonafide rest stop at the trendy MacRostie Vineyard for a seated tasting of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  St. Helena and the Mayacama Mountains serve as a picture perfect backdrop as you pedal north toward Dry Creek Valley.

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Hidden Gem Alert ~ Dry Creek’s Unti Vineyards Is A “10”

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One could easily imagine being in the heart of Tuscany or in the hills of the Languedoc when driving through Dry Creek Valley.  The scenery along the 16 mile long valley floor is absolutely stunning and reminiscent of the Mediterranean countryside. The undulating forested hills and thick vineyards are steeped in history dating back to the 1860’s when the first Italian immigrants settled there, planting the first Zinfandel vines.

Fast forward to 2018 where Zinfandel is still King here, although many other mediterranean varietals are now grown in this fertile valley ~ just ask Mick Unti, winemaker at Unti Vineyards.  Unti is a little gem of a winery hidden off Dry Creek Road, slightly past the historic Dry Creek General Store.  The tasting room is small and understated, however, the wines are stellar.

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Windsor’s Notre Vue Estate’s Unabashed Views Are Worth The Drive

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Always up for an adventure, I was curious about the seemingly bold name for a winery, Notre Vue, (translates to Our View), an off-the-beaten path winery situated a few miles east of the town of Windsor.   My directions were vague at best, so I proceeded up the lone dirt road, passing through the gates of the old Windsor Oaks vineyards, veering to the left, careening to the right, for what seemed a few miles, all the way to the end of the road.

All I can say is that the name Notre Vue is an understatement.  The expansive Notre Vue Estate sits high atop a ridge, surrounded by over 350 acres of wild preserved open space, with panoramic views stretching from the Russian River Valley all the way east to the Mayacama Mountains, with St. Helena as a backdrop.

Over 250 acres are planted to Bordeaux, Rhone and Italian varietals, allowing for small lot production. Notre Vue varietals include Dolcetto, Viognier, Chardonnay, Muscat, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Malbec, Mouvedre, Petite Verdot, Petit Syrah, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot and Grenache.  A second label, Balverne, produces a reserve Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon.   [Read more…]

Cheers To Russian River Valley’s “Uneventful” 2018 Harvest!

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By far, harvest is my favorite time of year in any wine country.  The sweet smell of ripe grapes fill the air as they wait their turn on the vines to be picked.  Night picking is the norm in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley as the cool late summer nights provide a natural refrigeration, delaying oxidation and spoilage before the grapes get into the winery for processing.

Driving around the vineyards between sundown and sunrise can be a surreal sight as the fields are ablaze with spotlights, providing the ideal backdrop for the night workers.   (Photo courtesy of Jordan Vineyard & Winery).  The deafening din of the tractors and heavy harvest machinery can be heard for miles as the grapes are quickly harvested. Within hours, the vines are stripped and the grapes are loaded into large plastic bins and hauled off to the winery’s crush pad.

Upon arrival, the grapes travel down a vibrating conveyor belt where they are hand-sorted.  Undesirable grapes or under ripened grapes are removed by the sorters.  In larger winery operations, the grapes may be laser optically sorted instead. Depending on the varietal and wine style, grapes may be placed in a de-stemmer machine which effectively removes the stems to avoid bitterness, or in some cases, the grapes are placed in separate bins, with the stems to add tannin, for whole cluster fermentation.

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