Open: 10am-5pm
Appt required? No
Last barlinwine.com visit: 2012
Directions:
View Sonoma in a larger map or Get Directions
Tasting:
The VJB tasting room lies along Hwy 12 in Kenwood north of downtown Sonoma. The tasting room sits off the highway behind another room, and the two share a courtyard. The stone building and red terracotta roof get you in an Italian mood, and upon entry you’re greeted by a long tasting bar and wide open space. I made my way in shortly after opening and was greeted by my host for the tasting, Sean. After talking through the different tasting options (the “Il Normale” tasting of current releases, or the “Il Grande” tasting of estate wines), I selected the Il Grande. Sean whipped out a lengthy list of wines and we got started.
Wine #1 was the 2011 Prosecco, which was a nice refreshing way to wake up my palate. We moved quickly to wine #2, the 2010 Gabriella Ranch Chardonnay. I got almost nothing up front on this wine – it tasted almost like water – but then it followed with a long lingering finish. Very interesting, but not exactly my style.
From here we moved into reds, starting with the 2009 Mendocino Barbera. This was sweet (but not "dessert wine sweet") and had notes of vanilla and berries. This was a “drink now” guzzler, but at $30 maybe a bit much for that type of wine. Next was the 2008 Rosso Family Blend, a mix of mostly Zinfandel and Syrah. I thought this was just okay. Things improved a bit with wine #5, the 2008 El Dorado Zinfandel. I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the Barbera, but it was pretty good. The next wine made me quickly forget it, though. The 2009 Sonoma Valley Primitivo was my favorite of the visit. It was similar to the El Dorado Zin, but brighter and softer at the same time (and $2 more).
Six wines into the tasting, it was time for some Cabernet. We started with the 2008 Dante, a blend of 85% Cab and 15% Sangiovese. It was good, but after a few days in Napa, this was a notch below the Cabs I had been recently trying. The 2007 V’ Estate Cabernet was next. My note on this was that it was ready to drink after only 3 years in the bottle, something that didn’t impress me much. We ended the tasting with a bonus wine, the 2009 Nero d’Avola. This is a varietal you don’t see outside of Sicily very often and never in Napa or Sonoma. It was interesting, but not something that would be traveling home with me.
Over the course of the 9-wine tasting, Sean and I had a good conversation about wine and different producers both in Napa and Sonoma. He had some good recommendations and we shared common opinions about a lot of places. He made lonely old me feel welcome (this was one of my solo stops), and I like to think I kept him company a bit as he got the bar set up for the day. When we finished the tasting, I was tempted to take a bottle of Barbera or Primitivo with me, but I elected to just pay the $10 tasting fee (note: it is now already up to $15, but for 9 wines, I think that is still reasonable). Sean put a nice cherry on the top of a very friendly visit when he said, “You know what – I’ll take care of the tasting for you. We talked about a lot of good wine.” Thanks buddy!
VJB only sells their wine out of the tasting room and through their wine club. Most of the bottles we tried were between $25 and $30, with the lone outliers being the Cabs ($36 for the Dante and $46 for the V’) and the Nero d’Avola ($50). If you enjoy Italian-style wines or even if you’re just looking for a friendly atmosphere with some reasonably priced options in Kenwood, this is an above average stop.
The VJB tasting room lies along Hwy 12 in Kenwood north of downtown Sonoma. The tasting room sits off the highway behind another room, and the two share a courtyard. The stone building and red terracotta roof get you in an Italian mood, and upon entry you’re greeted by a long tasting bar and wide open space. I made my way in shortly after opening and was greeted by my host for the tasting, Sean. After talking through the different tasting options (the “Il Normale” tasting of current releases, or the “Il Grande” tasting of estate wines), I selected the Il Grande. Sean whipped out a lengthy list of wines and we got started.Wine #1 was the 2011 Prosecco, which was a nice refreshing way to wake up my palate. We moved quickly to wine #2, the 2010 Gabriella Ranch Chardonnay. I got almost nothing up front on this wine – it tasted almost like water – but then it followed with a long lingering finish. Very interesting, but not exactly my style.
From here we moved into reds, starting with the 2009 Mendocino Barbera. This was sweet (but not "dessert wine sweet") and had notes of vanilla and berries. This was a “drink now” guzzler, but at $30 maybe a bit much for that type of wine. Next was the 2008 Rosso Family Blend, a mix of mostly Zinfandel and Syrah. I thought this was just okay. Things improved a bit with wine #5, the 2008 El Dorado Zinfandel. I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the Barbera, but it was pretty good. The next wine made me quickly forget it, though. The 2009 Sonoma Valley Primitivo was my favorite of the visit. It was similar to the El Dorado Zin, but brighter and softer at the same time (and $2 more).
Six wines into the tasting, it was time for some Cabernet. We started with the 2008 Dante, a blend of 85% Cab and 15% Sangiovese. It was good, but after a few days in Napa, this was a notch below the Cabs I had been recently trying. The 2007 V’ Estate Cabernet was next. My note on this was that it was ready to drink after only 3 years in the bottle, something that didn’t impress me much. We ended the tasting with a bonus wine, the 2009 Nero d’Avola. This is a varietal you don’t see outside of Sicily very often and never in Napa or Sonoma. It was interesting, but not something that would be traveling home with me.Over the course of the 9-wine tasting, Sean and I had a good conversation about wine and different producers both in Napa and Sonoma. He had some good recommendations and we shared common opinions about a lot of places. He made lonely old me feel welcome (this was one of my solo stops), and I like to think I kept him company a bit as he got the bar set up for the day. When we finished the tasting, I was tempted to take a bottle of Barbera or Primitivo with me, but I elected to just pay the $10 tasting fee (note: it is now already up to $15, but for 9 wines, I think that is still reasonable). Sean put a nice cherry on the top of a very friendly visit when he said, “You know what – I’ll take care of the tasting for you. We talked about a lot of good wine.” Thanks buddy!
VJB only sells their wine out of the tasting room and through their wine club. Most of the bottles we tried were between $25 and $30, with the lone outliers being the Cabs ($36 for the Dante and $46 for the V’) and the Nero d’Avola ($50). If you enjoy Italian-style wines or even if you’re just looking for a friendly atmosphere with some reasonably priced options in Kenwood, this is an above average stop.
Recommended wine: Nothing amazing, but several pretty good offerings. The Barbera and Primitivo were my favorites.
Ratings (out of 5):
 WINE | 4.00 |  TASTING ROOM | 4.25 |
 ATMOSPHERE | 4.75 |  VALUE | 4.50 |
 OVERALL | 4.38 | ||
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