Sonoma/Napa: May 17, 2012 (200 Level)

May 17, 2012 Itinerary
(Sonoma Downtown morning; Napa West afternoon)


Number of wineries: 10!
Average rating: 4.11
Wine Route Rating: Moderate (200)
Highlight of the day: I enjoyed my stop at Elizabeth Spencer (4.25), but I think the best overall stop was at Paradigm (4.44)

Notes: I managed to top the previous day's 9 wineries with 10 stops this day, although I didn't try any wine at Viansa because of the bus crowds. Coming from my hotel in Petaluma, I stopped around downtown Sonoma on my way over to Napa for the afternoon. Despite the high number of stops, this day didn't require much in the way of planning and so rates a 200-level route.

LocationStart TimeStop TimeReservation?Notes
Viansa (N/A)10:2010:30
 
Not Needed
Mobbed with busloads of people 20 minutes after opening
Anaba (4.00)10:3511:10
 
Not Needed
So-so wines and a so-so stop
Homewood (3.88)11:1511:45
 
Not Needed
An old favorite from my early days of tasting, sadly the wines just weren't very good here any more
La Luna Taqueria (3.81)12:1512:45
 
Not Needed
It's not fancy and it may wreck your palate if you eat the hot sauce, but a solid authentic Mexican food option if you want something other than meats, cheeses and baguettes
Elizabeth Spencer (4.25)12:451:15
 
Not Needed
High on Stephanie's list for its "cuteness factor", I lucked out when Pamela took over my tasting from the guy who started. Pretty good wine and a very good atmosphere.
Paradigm (4.44)1:302:30
Heidi Barrett wine on the valley floor -- sold!
Sequoia Grove (4.19)2:353:15
 
Not Needed
A bit pricey for what you got, but the single vineyard Cabernet tasting is worth the stop.
St. Supery (4.06)3:203:55
 
Not Needed
Outdoor tasting on the wraparound porch. Decent wine, but not amazing
Swanson (3.94)4:005:00
Very pricey tasting for some so-so wine. Nice food pairings, but not worth a repeat visit.
Jessup Cellars (4.25)5:156:00
 
Not Needed
Late closing time (6pm) and a friendly staff, but tasting and wine both a bit pricey for what they are.
Somerston (Yountville) (4.00)6:007:00
 
Not Needed
Almost more of a wine bar feel than a tasting room, this is a decent spot that's open late if you're having dinner in Yountville
Zuzu (4.44)7:309:30
 
Not Needed
NO reservations can mean a longer wait at this tapas place, but during the week it's a nice, differnet option in downtown Napa

Route:

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Map:

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Audelssa (4.56)




Open: 11am-5pm

Appt required? No

Last barlinwine.com visit: 2012

Directions:

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Tasting:
I came across a “Sonoma Cab Lovers” tour that was advertised, and Audelssa happened to be on the list. I’m not sure I would have stumbled upon it otherwise. The Audelssa tasting room is in downtown Glen Ellen. If you’ve been to Benziger, you’ve driven past it. It’s on the first floor of a nondescript building, and if you look close you may notice the sign for the winery. I’d done my research, though, and so I stopped in mid-week as planned.

With the exception of Benziger and a few others, I normally don’t look to eastern Sonoma for Cabernet. The climate favors more Chardonnay / Syrah / Zinfandel, and typically a trip east over Spring Mountain gets you a superior Napa product. Before we got into the Cabs, though, we started the tasting with the 2009 Chardonnay. I thought the wine was fine, but quickly moved on to wine #2, the 2008 Tephra. This was an easy drinking wine that reminded me of Orin Swift’s The Prisoner.

With the prelude out of the way, it was wine for us to dig in to the Cabs. I started with the 2007 Cabernet, a very solid offering and 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. At $40/bottle, this was also very reasonably priced given the quality. Next up was its big brother, the 2007 Reserve Cabernet. This was also good, but at $90, it definitely wasn’t worth an extra $50 compared to the regular Cab. We closed with my favorite wine of the visit, the 2008 Summit Bordeaux-style blend. This added a layer of depth to the Cabernets, and at $52 drank above its price point.

I wasn’t close to being done, though. It was a slow day, and I was having a nice conversation with the gent pouring. We talked about what I thought about the Cabs and the Summit, and then he had a suggestion. He grabbed two additional glasses, and while I hid my eyes he poured me both Cabs and the Summit for a side-by-side-by-side blind tasting.

I started on my left. Solid wine, great structure, smooth with a nice long finish. I’m thinking this is the Reserve Cab. I moved to the middle and got more of the same, but it seemed like it was maybe a small notch below in terms of depth. I think this is the Summit. Finally, on my right, I’m quite confident it’s the regular Cabernet. It was a not quite on the same level as the other two wines.
It turns out I was correct about the regular Cab, but actually swapped the Summit and the Reserve Cab. That solidified for me that the Summit was my clear favorite (and at a $38 savings over the Reserve Cab), and I walked away with a bottle. The overall tasting experience was excellent. I know I benefited from being the only person in the tasting room on a slow day, but the wine was very good and reasonably priced, and the atmosphere was great. Audelssa is near the top of my list for recommendations in and around downtown Sonoma.

The blind tasting revealed!

Recommended wine: The Summit was my favorite, but all of the Cabs were good.

Ratings (out of 5):


WINE
4.50
TASTING ROOM
4.25

ATMOSPHERE
5.00
VALUE
4.50

OVERALL
4.56

Kunde (4.06)



Open: 10:30am-5:00pm

Appt required? No

Last barlinwine.com visit: 2012

Directions:

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Tasting:
Steph and I almost visited Kunde a few years prior but instead chose Deerfield Ranch, a visit that turned out to be quite enjoyable. I decided on my trip last May to find out what we had missed at Kunde.

Kunde definitely feels very commercialized compared to some of its close neighbors. The parking lot is spacious and paved, the grounds are beautifully maintained, and a long walkway past a large pond leads you to an impressive tasting room. I entered to find a bit of a stuffy and stale atmosphere, although I was warmly greeted by a hostess. She explained that I could do a $10 standard tasting at the bar, a $20 seated reserve tasting in a roped off area just next to the bar…or a $15 reserve tasting if I wanted to stand at the bar and have the exact same wines. I can be one lazy son of a gun, but I’m not that lazy. The $15 standing reserve bar tasting it is!

We started the tasting with the 2010 Reserve Chardonnay. This wine spent 9 months in oak and was your standard buttery California Chardonnay. Passable, but not memorable. My second wine was the 2008 Century Vines Reserve Zin, sourced from 130 year old vines. I found this to be smooth, with some light spice – a decent Zinfandel. The 2008 Meritage 202 was my next wine, one I found a bit tannic and light bodied. Wine #4 was the 2009 Reserve Cabernet, which turned out to be my favorite. It had a unique burst on your palate in the middle of a taste, and good tannic structure that makes me think you could lay it down for several years. We closed the tasting with the 2009 Dunfillan Cuvee, a wine I thought was just okay.

With the tasting completed and nothing that sparked my interest (I liked the Reserve Cab, but not for $60), I headed on my way. I glanced back at the room as I was walking toward the parking lot and noticed a sign next to the pool that just made me laugh. “No Swimming or Wading in Pool, Please” it begged, suggesting that this had happened on several occasions before, at least enough times that they had to a) make a sign and b) add the emphasized “please” on the end, indicating a certain level of exasperation. Kunde was an okay visit with a pretty property, but you can find several better places to stop in eastern Sonoma.



Recommended wine: I thought the Reserve Cab was okay, but there was nothing here I was tempted to purchase.

Ratings (out of 5):


WINE
3.75
TASTING ROOM
4.50

ATMOSPHERE
4.00
VALUE
4.00

OVERALL
4.06