The Sonoma Valley Crush event weekend began and ended with wineries that turned out to be where we bought the most wine! Everyone at VJB Vineyards & Cellars was fantastic and we were glad our wine tasting weekend ended with such an outstanding experience.
The wines we couldn't resist taking home with us were their Rosso Family Blend, 2005 V Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and 2007 Chardonnay Port. We also purchased a fabulous Caramel Port Sauce from VJB...after trying a sample, there was no way we were leaving without it!
We stopped in for a quick wine tasting at the tasting room for Muscardini Cellars and Ty Caton Vineyards. They were pretty busy towards the end of the Sonoma Valley Crush event, so we decided to try a few wines here before heading to our last stop of the weekend. We ended up being lucky enough to have Michael Muscardini pouring his own wine for us!
The wines we did taste were very good...the Sangiovese and the Barbera. We absolutely need to come back here when we're not limited on time and taste the rest of Muscardini's wines and all of Ty Caton's wines!
Enkidu Wine has a small tasting room with a simplistic style that matches their label. If you're wondering about their unique name, its origins come from the Epic of Gilgamesh (the oldest story ever written) which originated in Iraq almost 4,000 years ago.
Enkidu was staffed by a couple of wine pourers this afternoon...both very helpful and friendly. We tasted a few of their red wine selections and our two favorites were their 2006 Diener Ranch Petite Sirah and their 2007 "E" Label Cabernet Sauvignon.
Paradise Ridge Winery has a new tasting room in Kenwood and we stopped there during the Sonoma Valley Crush event this weekend. It was quite a thoughtful gesture of Paradise Ridge to leave fresh cucumber water for guests, since the temperatures did get pretty high that afternoon...so thank you, we really appreciated that refreshing treat!
The staff at Paradise Ridge is lively and Annette is not only a fun wine pourer, but she is an accomplished pie baker...as evidenced by her delectable grape pie. It was fabulous...one of the best pies I've ever had and I'm so glad that I got a copy of the recipe!
The red wines we tasted at Paradise Ridge Winery were very good (we skipped the white wines) but my surprising favorite was their Sparkling Shiraz, which was an excellent pairing with Annette's Grape Pie! I have no idea how or why I left without a bottle...perhaps I was too busy thinking how I would steal the rest of the pie???
Chateau St. Jean Winery
8555 Sonoma Hwy
Kenwood, CA 95452
(707) 833-4134 chateaustjean.com
Chateau St. Jean has the most beautiful and lush grounds we've seen in a Sonoma county winery so far...kudos to their landscape architect and grounds keepers! Their "Courtyard Garden" inspiration comes from French and Italian formal estate gardens and it is a magnificent, peaceful setting. They also have a bocce ball court and host private/corporate events and weddings (for up to 200 guests).
We skipped the whites (Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay) and tasted three of their reds, the Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Although the wines were all pleasing, we didn't take home any bottles because we weren't as passionate about them as we were about other wines we had been tasting this weekend...there is some pretty tough competition in Sonoma Wine Country!
Kenwood Vineyards gives me a very comforting and cozy feeling, not only from its rustic, wooden structures but continuing on to its warm and welcoming staff. The tasting room itself is small, but behind those pair of doors lies a fabulous barrel storage room...where they keep their chocolate and cabernet tasting...shhhhh. Besides that ultimate pairing, my highlight of the visit was the discovery of "Sauvignon Blanc Juice" which they poured first. It was similar to a sweet nectar of the gods with a lighter consistency and I really loved it! Too bad they don't bottle and sell it...I would have bought an entire case! Instead, we bought a couple of bottles of their 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, just like what was paired with the chocolate. :)
Kunde Estate Winery & Vineyards 9825 Sonoma Hwy Kenwood, CA 95452 (707) 833-5501 kunde.com
The Kunde Family Estate Winery has been around since 1989, although the property has been in the Kunde family since 1904. German-born Louis Kunde purchased 1,000 acres (which encompass approximately 2 1/2 miles along the Sonoma Highway) from Wildwood Vineyards. They have a beautiful facility and well-kept grounds including an outdoor patio overlooking a man-made pond, a demonstration vineyard and even a very cool aging wine cave with free tours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
We started day two of the Sonoma Valley Crush Harvest Celebration event at Kunde Family Estate. Their tasting room reminded me of a Napa-style lodge with soaring wood-panel ceilings. The tasting for Crush participants was in a separate room from the regular tasting and they had crackers and dip laid out, as well as four varieties of grapes from their vineyards to taste.
The wines available for tasting today were their Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Barbera and Cuvee. Everything we tasted was good, although none were memorable enough for us to want to take home. Our wine pourer was very friendly and knowledgeable about the winery and told us that the estate had been the setting for scenes in the movie "Bottle Shock". We wouldn't mind coming back here for a wine cave tour and perhaps they might even be pouring something different that may catch our attention!
Doce Lunas Restaurant is the perfect place for brunch before a day of wine tasting in Kenwood and/or Glen Ellen. It's located amidst all of the wineries and they have excellent traditional eggs benedict served with home fries. They have an outdoor dining area as well, but we preferred to stay cool indoors. Service was very good and attentive, so we plan on coming back here whenever we're in the area again...soon, I hope!
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