White Oak Winery

The pretty Alexander Valley tucked into Sonoma County’s northern corner is quite different from its famous neighbors, Dry Creek Valley (filled with Zinfandel pursuers) and Russian River Valley (teaming with Pinot Noir collectors). There is a hidden, quiet, unassuming quality to the area.  Perhaps this is because the main road is dotted with occasional signs and driveways and most of the wineries are hidden from view.  It’s also a monoculture grape-growing region, so a big part of the area’s appeal is being surrounded by rows and rows of vineyards.

It”s easy and pleasant to get around this unhurried and uncrowded area, yet it’s also an ideal place to enjoy open-air transportation.  Unless you have your own convertible, your choices are a horse-drawn Wine Carriage or a customized Land-Rover called the Vine Rover.

The Wine Carriage takes you through the vineyards and includes a barrel tasting & cave tour at Alexander Valley Vineyards, guided tours, premium tastings and a gourmet picnic and tasting at White Oak Vineyards & Winery, Hannah Winery, or Soda Rock Winery.

Vine Rover Tours offers customized tours, VIP tastings, friendly and knowledgeable guides.  And because I’m a guide with Vine Rover Tours, I’ll introduce you to some of my favorite wineries.

To book Vine Rover Tours, call Jay (707) 838-1405.  For the Wine Carriage call Bret at (707) 849-8989. Both are available year-round as weather permits.

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I attended a superb Wine Club Lunch at Paradise Ridge.  We were greeted at the Barrel Room by enthusiastic smiling women in Hawaiian dresses, and handed a lei and a glass of champagne (Blanc de Blanc!)  The party started at 11:00 a.m. on a Sunday and I hadn’t eaten yet so I was thrilled to find some fruit and sliced bakery items to go with the champagne.  I also was delighted to find a table with a game on it.  (Name that varietal – smell various scents, name the descriptors & then match it to a varietal.)

I tasted a Chardonnay & Pinot Noir in barrels.  Not only was the wine maker hosting the barrel tasting, notes were posted on the barrel. This detail gave me more time to understand each wine which increased my anticipation of its bottling.  They were also pouring two new releases and had plenty of small bites to go with it.

One of my favorite parts of the event’s first stage was the introductions of the family & the winery team.  They all seemed so friendly and accessible!  Summoned by the bell (silverware on a wine glass) we proceeded to the winery for lunch.

Assigned seats were labeled with our names on pretty envelopes.  Inside, a thank you note from Amanda McLain, the Wine Club Manager reminded us of past and future events including pairings with local produce from the Paradise Patch, sunsets in Paradise, the 2nd P.R. tasting room in Kenwood.

Lunch was first-class with lots of wine glasses and sparkling silver. I especially appreciated the Chef speaking.  (I love it when the Chef  comes out of the kitchen.)

I found Paradise.  Have you?

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Picking up wine from Michel Schlumberger & Quivira in Dry Creek Vally, Sonoma County.

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As I criss-cross through the wine country, enthusiastic tasting room staff, winemakers and owners share their winery’s rich histories, explain their wine making philosophy and welcome me and my friends to their home-away-from-home.

One of my favorite wineries is Robledo Family Winery. Mr. Robledo is only in his late 50′s and has enjoyed a 30+year career in wine making for some of the biggest players in California.  He has nine grown children, all of which live with 15 minutes of each other.

The story is wonderful and romantic but best of all, their wine is excellent!  Larry Robledo, our tasting room host, was warm and genuine. His mom is responsible for the winemaker dinners and I’m really looking forward to learning more about Mexican dishes and wine pairing.

You can read about them on the Robledo web site but better yet, visit their tasting room, meet Mamacita and a few of the brothers and sisters, see the Robledo’s wedding photos and enjoy their yummy wines.

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Believe it or not, this is Husch’s Tasting Room. What a sweet experience! (It’s an old pony barn from the 1800′s, it fits 10 people max comfortably.) This winery has many small lots available on site and six varietals available in stores. The lower elevation Anderson Valley vineyards are known for their lighter (short growing season) wines such as Chenin Blanc and Gewurztraminer. If you are tasting on site, ask where the grapes came from: are they out the back door or were they purchased or grown from a vineyard in a different county?

One of the surprising things that happened when I toured Anderson Valley is that most wineries were sold out of their Anderson Valley wines but also made Cabernets and the like from Sonoma and Napa Counties. I went to taste wines from the appellation and none were available!

My advice is to try all the wines made by the winemaker, but if you notice that an appellation is known for cool weather or hot weather (Syrah & Cabernet Sauvignon for example), you’ll understand more about the terroir (locality) if you ask to taste wines from that appellation.

(Double click on the picture and it will become full size.)

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