About this time of year while most families are gearing up for holiday shopping, my family gathers for a trip to Bottle Barn; our favorite retailer that offers the best values around. But of course, a trip into Sonoma Valley isn't complete without stopping at a few wineries thus our journey started at Gloria Ferrer for some some bubbles, Gundlach Bundschu for classic reds and ended at Sebastiani Winery to taste their progression from years ago. Forget Beverages and More. Forget supermarkets, even wine retailers (sorry guys). The "Toys-R-Us" of wine shops is hands-down the Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa. I get all excited like a little kid on Christmas Eve when I know I'll be strolling through their aisles riding a cart with my hand high in the air. No, seriously, it happens though my companions try to ignore it.
For a while, I never told anyone about this gem. I wanted to keep the secret to myself and enjoy the standard 20-50% discounts but I knew I had to spread the word. It simply wasn't fair to others.
To give you an idea, Bottle Barn is "where wine country shops for wine." Their 15,000 square foot store holds everything you see in retail shops and the stuff you can't get anywhere but the winery. The have deep relationships with the local wineries thus allowing them to offer some of the best prices on some of the best wines.
If you're in the area, you MUST stop by their store. They're conveniently located just two blocks west of Highway 101. Visit www.bottlebarn.com for more information.
They were the entire reason for the journey that resulted. You see, there's no sense in going through wine country and not stopping at a few wineries along the way. My father was the tour-guide this time around meaning I didn't have to drive and he picked out the stops.
Gloria Ferrer
We've been getting more serious about searching out sparkling wines. Jen has been the strong push on this endeavor and has been getting our family out exploring for values. My father has also been taking notice of the sparkling wines at his local shops for when Jen and I stop by. He recently picked a bottle of Gloria Ferrer brut based on rave reviews and what he's been hearing about them from friends and shop owners. Since it had been a while since our last adventure through Sonoma, this was an excellent time to pop our heads into the Gloria Ferrer Winery to get the full scoop on all that we were hearing.
The drive to the winery is amazing. The building sits hillside looking out on the valley and vineyards below. Breath taking views and a wonderfully relaxing atmosphere when you have great weather and can sit outside and enjoy the good life.
Gloria Ferrer is named as a tribute to the wife of Pedro Ferrer, founder in the 1980's. It was originally a cow pasture but was later turned into the dream winery and first sparkling winery established in Sonoma.
Word of caution for those wanting to taste though. They are a tasting bar. This means they do not do your traditional tasting experience. Instead, you can buy by the glass only. Obviously, this does not lead to any good tasting notes for explorers like me. This bummed us out big time as our sole objective was to taste a their wines. Sparkling wines are available by the glass from $4-$7 and table wines are offered in 2oz portions for $2-$3/ glass. This stop turned out to be more pricey than we thought for a Sonoma winery.
We all picked a different wine and shared sips to get a better idea of what their wines were all about. Needless to say, their wines were very good and excellent values to boot. We enjoyed their bubbles that late morning under the warm sun and gorgeous scenery. Thinking it was too good of an experience not to share, we called my sister in Boston to rub it in. She was busy shoveling her car out of snow. Sucks for you, Sarah!
My father picked up a bottle of their Blanc de Blanc and we headed out. I was truly bummed that we couldn't taste a flight without having to buy full glasses. I wouldn't recommend stopping unless you know exactly what you want to taste or simply want to relax on their patio with a glass of sparkling wine. They do offer tours at 12, 2 and 4pm where reservations are not needed.
Gundlach Bunschu
Another anticipated visit was here at Gundlach Bunschu. I've enjoyed their Chardonnay before at a local restaurant and thought it was pretty nice and certainly worth a visit. Beyond that brief experience, no one else had any other knowledge beyond what they heard here and there. We were in for some surprises but all were holding high expectations for such a valley veteran. Their history is rich are carries the family through the best and worst years have to offer.
Bavarian-born Jacob Gundlach set sail for America in 1850 and arrived in San Francisco exactly one year later. This quiet man of action proved his mettle (and wine-savvy) during the voyage, when the boat was shipwrecked off the west coast of Africa. Not only did he rescue his shipmates, but enlivened their New Years Eve on the island by saving some wine from the sinking ship, and according to his journal, brewing a "very good punch." Within a year of arrival in San Francisco, he had established the Bavaria Brewery, which quickly became a San Francisco institution.
Following in his father's footsteps, Jacob next looked to winemaking: a relatively unexplored opportunity in America at this time. In 1857, he partnered with Emil Dresel to buy a 400-acre parcel of land in Sonoma, which they called Rhinefarm. (Only 11 years earlier this land had been under Mexican rule.) The next year, Jacob traveled to his homeland and brought back European rootstock for planting on Rhinefarm, along with a childhood-sweetheart bride named Eva. The first Rhinefarm Vintage was celebrated in 1861, and by this time, Jacob and Eva had a new baby daughter named Francisca.
Enter the dashing Charles Bundschu, from Mannheim, Germany, who brings his florid prose and keen business sense to the company in 1868. Emil Dresel dies the next year, leaving his portion of the farm to his brother Julius, and J. Gundlach & Co. is established. Charles marries Francisca in 1875. During these years, phylloxera becomes a major threat to vineyards throughout the state. Julius and Jacob's successful experiments to develop a resistant rootstock spare Rhinefarm from total devastation, and revolutionize viticultural methods.
The next 30 years see phenomenal growth in the business, with a thriving New York branch, and headquarters and a fully stocked warehouse spanning two city blocks in San Francisco. Upon Jacob's death in 1894, the company is reorganized under the name of Gundlach Bundschu Wine Company.
The family was later devastated by the 1906 earthquake and fire which destroyed most of their offices and wine vaults. Later prohibition would strike and the winery turned to making grape juice and sacramental wine.
Their history run deep no doubt thus our interest to visit. Their tasting room was packed that afternoon and our rather large group squeezed into their bar where $5 was being charged for their tasting list and $10 for their "reserve" line up. Of course we opted for their reserve but I was beginning to think I was in Napa with these tasting fees...
I must confess before going further. My family, myself included, are not fans of Merlot. This has been true since I can remember (and well before seeing Sideways). We later confessed this to the woman pouring for us as she was explaining that Gundlach Bunschu was know for their Merlot... doh! Party foul on our part. She then snickered and said she wasn't a Merlot-fan either... phew! Though, I think she said that to make us feel more comfortable and more apt to buy wine - a sneaky selling technique.
Across the board, their wines were nice but not great values. Averaging around $35+/bottle for some "nice" wine is asking much. Their '95 Cabernet and '98 Reserve Cab were the stars in my opinion but again, weren't worth their asking price. Everyone else felt the same way and we left without a bottle under our arm. Overall feeling: Good but not worth the money.
And so it was off to our final destination.
Sebastiani Winery
My father had visited this winery just off the Sonoma square years ago and was very impressed. I've enjoyed a few here and there and liked them for their value so I was anxious to see what else they had to offer.
The Sebastiani family practically created Sonoma. So much so that I'm surprised the town of Sonoma is not called Sebastiani.
Their vineyards dates back to 1825 and are among the oldest in Northern California. Samuele Sebastiani, an Italian immigrant, started the winery in 1904. His son took over after his death in 1944 and increased the production a hundredfold. He introduced "Noveau" Gamay Beaujolais to America, bottled premium varietals in popularly priced magnums, and created Pinot Noir Blanc- a pink wine - all of which contributed to his success and reputation of one of America's most skilled and innovative winemakers.
Their family was incredibly influential in the development of the town where businesses thrived from their theatre and marketplace all founded by the family. Today. the winery is run by August's daughter Mary Ann and husband Richard Cuneo.
They recently completed a major renovation to their winery where they restored the original building used for winemaking. Incredible artifacts were found in the process including carved casks and gorgeous stone walls mistakenly disguised for many years.
At the winery, they have a beautiful marketplace and huge bar where all tasting is performed. The gentleman helping us that afternoon was personable and polite. We tasted most of their portfolio and concluded they are all unique in typical varietal flavors but have the same structure and mouth feel. Across the board, they all were built the identical to one another. The Sonoma County Merlot was the only one that stood out as truly unique from the rest.
In regards to value - I think they're great. All in the $15 and under price range - gotta love that! Of course, they have a "premium" line up from which we tasted just a few but even the price tag (~$25) on those were bad. We were all itching to taste their Cherryblock Cabernet at $75/bottle but were never offered a taste.
If you can find their wines on sale, its worth picking up a few bottles. To me, its mindless but quality wine. It's Tuesday wine. Don't over analyze the stuff. Just pop the cork and enjoy.
My overall impression of Sonoma however has been swayed. I used to love them for their laid-back approach and rustic atmosphere. I found all that missing and replaced by lavish tasting rooms and massive tasting fees. The commercialism has certainly made its mark on this valley which while I'm sure was inevitable, the lack of it was the aspect I loved most. To escape the speed and crowds of Napa was to visit Sonoma. Only now you'll find it approaching comparable levels. My explorations through Sonoma will continue at a greater rate in search of the memories I started years ago which turned me into the wine enthusiast I am today.
