Carneros and the Petaluma Gap

A warm sunny February morning set up a very pleasant trip through some spots I like in the Carneros region.. My sister in law joined me and we left Petaluma late morning..

One of my favorite areas for pinot noir grapes is the Lakeville region of the Sonoma Coast appellation - part of the Petaluma Gap. Roessler Cellars Griffin's Lair is a particular favorite so we treked southeast to Lakeville Highway to explore...Griffin's Lair Vineyards is a grape growing farm so no tasting or general public access is available - but the Lakeville region is host to a number of high quality pinot noir vineyards in an otherwise almost industrial area servicing the Petaluma River. Public perception of top quality wine growing areas of California generally conjure up images of broad driveways and elegant chateau. Nothing like that in Lakeville..But the pinot noir from here is stellar.

Lakeville Highway terminates into Route 37 - which we took toward Carneros. 121 north took us to our next stop - Cline Cellars. Very crowded for a Monday tasting but I've been a fan of their zinfandels and Rhone varietals for many years. Their tasting room is pretty old school Sonoma - which I like.

I'll add that most tasting rooms now have extensive selections of trinkets and souvenirs of every sort - which I ignore. I'm there to taste wine. I appreciate that these trinkets are a revenue source for them but, no offense, they dont interest me.

From Cline it was on to Domaine Carneros. There are few points in the Sonoma/Napa region that offer as elegant a tasting room and spectacular views as Domaine Carneros. Their sparkling wines are first rate and the tasting menu allows for a good bit of exploration into their various sparkling wine offerings. Domaine Carneros also produces still pinot noirs, which lean toward a lighter style. They're quite pleasant although not always remarkable in my experience. Domaine Carneros is a must stop for me - and I slate my visit early in as the views truly energize me. You want to see more after visiting Domaine Carneros.

Next on to Folio Winemakers Studio off of Dealy Rd. I remember this winery as Carneros Creek - and remember it with great fondness. Michael Mondavi has opened a pretty spectacular tasting room here that I enjoyed quite a bit. They had a syrah on special for $10 a bottle that was quite good. We bought a case to take home. Folio was a very pleasant surprise !

Back home to Petaluma along 121 to 116 and Old Adobe Rd - a scenic route to be sure !

Next - Westside Road.

Sonoma trek 2010

My most recent trip to Sonoma/Napa Counties for two weeks in February represented my longest time away from the region since I started visiting in 1986. February 2010 was preceded by August 2007.. Other than that break - I've visited at least every other year - and sometimes more than once a year. A great deal has changed since 2007 - that was clear.

I have some favorite spots in Sonoma and Napa Counties I like to visit - particularly my wine club sites. This visit though - since I had almost 2 weeks to explore wineries - I wanted to concentrate on small producers and winemakers I hadnt visited before.

My first winery visit, literally less than 2 hours after my flight arrived was Kastania Vineyards outside of Petaluma - conveniently located a few hundred yards off of Highway 101 in Sonoma County.

Kastania was the meeting point where I would be greeted by my brother and sister in law - and the winery was completely appropriate. Friendly, simple yet beautiful. They pride themselves on their pinot noirs and rightfully so.

Kastania Vineyards was also an appropriate starting point in my exploration of small production Sonoma wineries - the focus of my wine exploration.

Next - day one, Carneros

Sveiki atvyke !

Welcome and thank you for visiting my blog ! My name is Vidas. I have been interested in wine and winemaking for almost 30 years. My introduction to quality wine production, and witnessing wine growing, occurred in 1982 when I was a student at a boarding school in the Hessische Bergstrasse region of Germany.

Interest peaked, I returned to the US and while working through school and career I continued to develop my interest in wine by building contacts within the wine trade in the Chicago area. I attended wine tastings and events in the Chicago area while also traveling to various wine growing regions world wide..

In the last 28 years my involvement has been primarily as a retail consumer. I would like this blog to present my view on wine including tasting, travel and topics that I believe may be of interest.

I hope I can offer something of interest here. Thank you and welcome !