Russian River Valley Wineries - A Brief Sampling

(visited in the following order on Saturday, 19 March 2005)

Geyser Peak*
Friendly and irreverent service at the tasting bar. Enjoyable wines but nothing that screamed our names. One of the only wine clubs I've seen so far that has different "levels" for members that vary according to amount and frequency of shipments. Beautiful view.

Ferrari-Carano
Gorgeous peach villa with beautiful flowers, gardens, and view. Don't forget to rub the giant bronze boar's nose for good luck! Wines were adequate (glad we had coupons for complimentary tastings). Service was bland and oddly all of the females working at the tasting bar were seriously overweight (something I've never noticed before). Restrooms are downstairs through the wine cave - very attractive underground storage & private room for events. Might return for the scenery but unimpressed overall with wines and service.

Preston***
Small operation that focuses on organic and biodiverse methods of wine cultivation. Five yummy wines to taste (1 white, 4 red). Estate bread and olives equally yummy. Saw or met six of the ten cats (the short-haired grey & brown striped male was our favorite). One of the two women behind the tasting bar was Norwegian (she recognized the nationality of E's last name). Recommend returning on a nicer day for a picnic in the yard, preferably on a Sunday when you can get a jug of local wine for $28. A bit hard to find this place, but definitely worth the effort.

Bella***
Recommended by Norwegian woman from Preston (see above) and just 1/2 mile away. Only makes Zin and Syrah and had four fabulous Zins for tasting (complimentary). Attractive wine cave and extremely friendly service. Another definite recommendation and well worth a return visit.

Trentadue***
A fitting place to visit on my 32nd birthday! Port and reserve tastings available for small fee, and for a bit more the ports are accompanied by appropriate chocolates. I opted for the latter and E tasted the reserves, both of which qualified us for procuring a Trentadue glass (the offer of two port glasses to make a set was much appreciated). Friendly and knowledgeable tasting bar staff who gave us both tastings for free because it was my birthday. Fab customer service, no? And certainly recommends a return.

Chateau Souverain*
Just under the highway near Trentadue. Beautiful view across the valley from the tasting room and some above-average wines. Slightly overpriced gourmet restaurant for lunch and dinner. Local artists displayed on the walls. Nice but not remarkable.

Rodney Strong
Convenient place to wait/hope for an opening in nearby J's Bubble Room (see below). E and I didn't partake here, since we'd tried it before and weren't too impressed, but P and T seemed to enjoy their selections as they attempted to "catch up" to us. Abruptly attentive service at the crowded and busy tasting bar. The only benefits here are that the tastings are free and the location is across the parking lot from J.

J****
Our ultimate destination for the day. Saved the best for last! Thanks to some no-shows, we got into the Bubble Room without reservations just before 4pm, barely in time to get our order into the kitchen. J is unique among wineries because there's a full-time chef on staff who creates amuse-bouches to accompany each wine. The nibbles are always wonderfully presented and tasty (and the kitchen is willing to accommodate special requests like "no garlic, please"). Bubble Room patrons get couches or comfy armchairs and table service for two special tastings (unavailable at normal tasting bar) with accompanying noshes. Amongst the four of us, we had two Brut and two Pinot tastings to share. Four luscious Bruts, including a Rose, and three yummy Pinots from Mitsuko's Vineyard. Still not as good as J Russian River Valley Pinots, but tasty nonetheless. Great service from one of our favorite J people as we relaxed for an hour or so. And even better service as we prepared to leave when she presented me with a complimentary bottle of 1999 Brut for my birthday (she had noticed me opening some gifts earlier). J wines may be a bit pricier than some others, but the quality and service are top-notch and receive my highest recommendations. No doubt about multiple return visits to this favorite!!!