Hi everyone. This is my first post on these boards. My wife and I are doing a long weekend in Healdsburg (Jan 15-17) and Yountville (Jan 17-19) over MLK weekend and were looking for some recommendations on wineries to visit. We tend to like more full bodied red wines, but are open to other wines as well. We are from New York and want to focus on visiting smaller distribution wineries whose wines are harder to find out here. We are looking to bring back a combination of wines to drink now and to save (though we have limited storage space in the city). Price wise we would like to find a mix of bottles which are a good value (less than $50) that we don’t feel guilty drinking more regularly, but are also willing to spend up to $150 for really special wines. I’ve gone through a lot of the message boards looking for info to narrow down our options, but it can be overwhelming so any help anybody can provide would be greatly appreciated.
I love Davis Family, who have a tasting room in Healdsburg.
Go spend the day around Dry Creek Valley, you’ll find plenty of great full bodied wine. Personal faves include Ridge, Unti.
Limerick Lane is good and nearby. Hartford Court. Gary Farrell. Fogline.
Those are my top-of-my-head winemakers you might like.
For full-bodied reds in the Healdsburg area, Calluna is very good. Bordeaux varietals/style on Chalk Hill.
Given your criteria, here are my recommendations:
Around Healdsburg:
- Porter Creek (tiny, good wines, makes a delicious Carignane, cool tasting experience in a very rustic setting)
- Rochioli (THE classic fuller-body RRV Pinot Noir and Chardonnay but still not that common on East Coast)
- Lynmar (Stunning setting [not sure about January though], very high quality wines, getting a bit pricey)
- Also, I second the above recommendations for Limerick Lane, Unti, and Hartford Court, although the latter is somewhat higher production than the others. Ridge is one of my top 3 California wineries, but it’s not hard to find in NYC.
Napa
- Make appointment with Mike Smith
- Do tour/tasting at Pride
I’m also flying in with some friends that same weekend. We are doing some of the bigger vineyards in Napa and also hitting up Sonoma
Although available on the East Coast, I think a visit to Schramsberg is a must, given the history, its place in World and US events, and the (somewhat) uniqueness of the wine/tour as compared to other wineries in Sonoma/Napa
Instead of (or in addition to) finding new wineries, make time to visit your favorite wineries. It is really special to go to the place that has brought you so much pleasure in the past. In my experience, one shows a lot of enthusiasm at such places and it is contagious. The people at the winery see the excitement, can tell you have a history with them and respond in kind.
I agree with this too. Best tour I’ve ever taken at a California winery.
Keep in mind that , that weekend is a wine road (“Winter Wineland” ) event in and around Healdsburg (my TR is on the Plaza Square) , so there will be more people tasting and caravaning around than usual.
Here is the event link: WINTER WINELAND - Wine Road
In Healdsburg, David Ramey has a facility to visit. I know he’s bigger production, but right up your alley for the cabs.
Also, Skipstone is one of my all time favorites. Technically Geyserville near by, but really great Napa-esque cabs for Sonoma side. Phenomenal hospitality from Brook Drummond and great juice to back it up. www.skipstoneranch.com
In Dry Creek area, check out Rafanelli, Fritz, Dutcher Crossing, Sbragia - all small to modest size producers with excellent cabs.
In Chalk Hill AVA, Calluna, already mentioned, is an excellent up and comer. In the same area are Chalk Hill Winery, whose reds are not widely distributed, and Lancaster (technically in Alexander Valley).
Alexander Valley Winery’s Cyrus is worth a visit as well. Stryker Sonoma also has good cabs.
Dave