Green Valley | Russian River Valley - March 2004

The Russian River wine country is a fabulous wine region. There we find many hidden backroads and, no matter how many times we drive this area, we always discover something new and exciting.

We start our backroad trip by taking Highway 116 West towards Sebastopol from Highway 101. We want to visit some of the wineries near the town of Sebastopol and further north in Forestville. Another good reason for traveling this route is to bypass Santa Rosa and avoid the usual traffic congestion there on Highway 101. The Sebastopol area was once predominantly apple orchards but today it is packed with vineyards of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes . The Pinot Noir produced in this wine region is receiving much media attention these days. The Russian River Valley AVA and its sub-AVA, the Green Valley appellation, have the ideal growing conditions for the Pinot Noir grapes. If you enjoy this noble Burgundy grape then you must travel to this area. We will be posting a Pinot Noir Tour on the Russian River wine section of this Website.

Our first visit is to the tasting room of the Taft Street Winery. It is a small winery situated in the Green Valley AVA just off Occidental Road in Sebastopol. The winery buys grapes from various growers in the Russian River wine region and produces several varieties of reasonably-priced wine. We very much like the Pinot Noir, made from the nearby Patassy Vineyards, and the Sauvignon Blanc. There is a great sale on a 2000 Russian River Cabernet Sauvignon for $96 a case. A little bit of sediment has formed in this wine, but that won’t stop us from taking advantage of this great buy.

Our next stop is the Sebastopol Vineyards Dutton Estate Winery. This winery is just off Highway 16 north of Sebastopol. The Dutton Estate is comprised of vineyards located in various spots throughout the Green Valley and the Russian River Valley. From these vineyards they produce two labels. The Dutton Ranch labels are blends from these various vineyards, and the second labels are vineyard-designated wines made in limited quantities. Although this winery is well recognized for its Chardonnay and Pinot, we find an excellent value in another varietal, the 2002 Russian River Syrah. It is a delicious and spicy wine priced at $14. It will go perfectly with our marinated tri-tip steak dinner later that evening.

Our next stop is the Hartford Family Winery. We wind our way through the backroads of to the town of Forestville. Just after Forestville on Highway 116 we turn right on Martinelli Road. It is quite a surprise to find this beautiful winery tucked away on this quiet country road. The grounds and tasting room are absolutely beautiful and so are the wines. This winery also makes two labels of wine. Under the Hartford label are the Sonoma Coast Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and the old vine Zinfandels. These wines are all good but the Pinot Noir is a standout. We have seen it at good wine shops for under $20, a great value. The wines under the Hartford Court label are vineyard-designated wines. Pinot Noir is the specialty here and they make seven vineyard designated Pinots. These premium wines made in small quantities often sell out quickly. If you love Pinot Noir, this winery is a must.

Our next destination is our rental house on Fitch Mountain in Healdsburg. The house is called the Firefly Lodge. It has four lovely bedrooms and a fantastic deck with hot tub overlooking the Russian River. This is the perfect place for our group to relax, prepare gourmet meals, and enjoy our delicious wines.

Saturday
Before we head out to the wineries we do some window shopping around the Healdsburg Plaza and pick up our picnic lunch at the Oakville Grocery. Our plan is to visit two small wineries at the very end of the West Dry Creek Road in the Dry Creek Valley AVA. This appellation produces several good wine varietals but is best known for its Zinfandels. The West Dry Creek Road is one of the prettiest roads you will find anywhere in the wine country. On one side of the road is the Dry Creek Valley, while the other side is lined with hillside vineyards. At the very end of this road are Preston Vineyards and Bella Vineyards. Preston has a nice picnic area and one of the most interesting tasting rooms in this wine region. Unfortunately, Preston’s is having a special event for its wine club members and the picnic area is not available. We head back on West Dry Creek Rd. a short distance to the Raymond Burr Vineyards. The late actor Raymond Burr (Perry Mason and Ironsides) was co-owner of this winery which began its operation in 1986. This winery sits atop a hillside vineyard and has a great view of the Dry Creek Valley. It is a busy place on this Saturday afternoon and the very small tasting room is staffed by only one person, who seems a bit stressed by the crowds and the children wandering in the picnic area. We are able to get a picnic table and enjoy a relaxing lunch with a glass of the Raymond Burr Chardonnay.

From Raymond Burr, we head back down to the very end of West Dry Creek Rd. to the Bella Vineyards. They recently opened a new tasting room that is located in their cave system. This winery is gaining recognition for its vineyard-designated Zinfandels. For being a somewhat hidden winery, we are surprised to find this winery extremely busy. Unlike Raymond Burr, they are able to handle the crowd by staffing two tasting areas in the caves. It is a great winery find and one we certainly recommend you visit. The Zinfandels are oh so good.

Now it’s back to the Firefly Lodge to rest and later prepare our gourmet meal to enjoy with our Bella Zinfandels. Its is another great trip to the Russian River wine region, and we will return soon to continue exploring the hidden wineries of this area.