Sonoma County

• Alexander Valley
• Bennett Valley
• Best of Sonoma
• Dry Creek Valley
• Fort Ross/Seaview
• Moon Mountain
• Pine Mountain - Cloverdale Peak
• Russian River Valley
• Sonoma Coast
• Sonoma Mountain
• Sonoma Valley
• Knights Valley

The Alma de Cattleya wines represent quality wines without sticker shock. To prove that point the 2022 Sonoma County Pinot offers soft elements of strawberry, pomegranate, guava, rose water, red raspberry, and light citrus. This is a delicate wine, but with enough acidity and tannic structure. Aged just 11 months in French oak allows for the fruit to be more expressive and the quality in the bottle exceeds the price. ORIGIN: Sonoma County. ALCOHOL: 14%

Rivers Marie (the home winery of winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown) really knocked it out of the park with their 2018 Chardonnay.  This is the basic release (not a single vineyard) and it is wonderful.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has lemon curd, vanilla and spice.  Full bodied.  Silky light tannins.  Great acidity and balance.  On the palate, this is delicious. Lemons, vanilla and slight smoke.  Long finish.  This is delicious on its  own and will work well with sea food or even fowl.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  An Excellent value!

A lovely, old school Zinfandel.  Whether one thinks this is young or ready or old is a matter of preference.  For my tastes, this is drinking youthfully but ready.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has bramble, raspberries, slight black cherries and spice.  Light but present tannins.  On the palate, bramble and black cherries with spice and slight char.  Drinks well.  Not over the top.  Very nice on its own but better with food.  A great wine with pizza.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  

One of my favorite chardonnays.  Golden in color.  There is some oak on the wine but it is well done and mostly integrated on release.  After a couple of years in the cellar, it drinks amazingly.  The oak presents itself as a vanilla note which works well with the lemon cream and slight citrus of the Chardonnay.  Almost seamless texture.  Long finish.  Delicious on its own and a great match with swordfish or salmon.

The styles of Pax wines have changed over the years.  The newer ones, like this, use 100% stems, and are aged in concrete or neutral vessels and usually have lower levels of alcohol (under 14%abv for Syrahs).  Inky purple in color, opaque and shiny bright.  The nose has black raspberries with spice, and slight tobacco notes.  Medium bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is tasty with black raspberry fruit.  While personally, I would like a bit more oomph, there is no denying this is a hell of a wine.  It is still young and will benefit from five years in a good cellar

This is middle of the road inn terms of RRV Pinot Noir.  Deep garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has black cherries, cola, slight forest floor and baking spices.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, cherries, black cherries with spice and a slight forest floor note.  Nice finish.  This is young but drinking well.  It should mature a bit as it ages.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  It drinks well on its own and should work well with fowl.  It would also work well with Hunan/Chinese.  

My first time trying "The Cutrer".  It is a bit rounder than the Sonoma Coast Chardonnay.  It just depends on style preferences as to which one you might prefer.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has apples, some butter, baking spices and a touch of nuttiness.  Full bodied.  Moderate acidity.  On the palate, apples and baked apples with some baking spices.  Good finish.  This is very nice on its own but struggled a bit with a vegetarian lasagna.  That said, on its own it is very accessible and also has some depth.  Drink over the next five years.  

Screw capped.  Light golden in color with a slight greenish hue, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with apples, a slight nutty note, and baking spices.  Perfect for autumn.  Medium to full bodied.  Crisp acidity.  On the palate, apples with some oak notes.  Persistent finish.  This is a really enjoyable Chardonnay that works well on its own but is crisp enough to work nicely with food.  It went well with a variety of cheeses.  For the "oak adverse", give it a couple of years or a nice decant, but otherwise, this should drink well for five to seven years.  

Clearly made as nothing but an enjoyable glass of wine, which wine always should be, The Mill Keeper offers an incredibly viscous, smooth and velvety texture, leading to soft notes of blueberry, blackberry, and light mocha notes. In the background, vanilla, red raspberry, and Rainier cherries fill out the profile. What’s unusual about this wine is that it is pulled from multiple vintages and vineyard sites. The fruit is sourced mainly from vineyards in Napa and Sonoma that utilize sustainable management programs.

Sonoma County is often overlooked in favor of Napa, but Alma de Cattleya wines, all from within Sonoma’s borders, is something of a love letter to what Sonoma can produce. Winemaker Bibiana Gonzales Rave has created wines that support and showcase Sonoma using various vineyard sites throughout the county. Her 2022 Chardonnay is a great example. Chardonnay pulled from cooler sites offers green apple, lemon-lime, resin, light, peach and pear, quince, apricot honeysuckle, and a whisper of honey. There is light acidity, but a beautiful balance and texture.