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Dear Reader,
I'm back safe and sound from the barrel tasting in the Russian River Valley, Dry Creek Valley and Alexander Valley. The wines are really fabulous and I'm afraid we bought too much. My trunk was full, and it's a big trunk. I believe we also bought 3 cases, maybe 4, of futures. That's when you buy wine that hasn't completed the aging process yet nor has it been bottled. It ranges from 35% to 50% off the finished bottle prices so it's a good way to buy wine.
For those of you who've never been there, the Russian River Valley, etal. is just north of the California city of Santa Rosa around the towns of Healdsburg, Geyserville and Cloverdale. All three are very cute little towns.
I believe 145 wineries participated in this year's barrel tasting which lasted three days.
Some of the roads are quite narrow and winding but there were fewer limos this year than in the past and with a little rain, far fewer bicyclists, which made it safer altogether. Hence, I'm home safe and sound!
This year there were a lot of good pinot noirs. My particular favorite was at one of my favorite wineries, Matrix. This region is famous for it's big bold fabulous Zinfandels and they did not disappoint. Mazzocco Winery makes 14 Zinfandels alone! We went to their party but never got around to tasting all the zins. Sadly, Cabernet Sauvignons are not as popular as they used to be but DeLorimer has a really good one.
My new favorite wine for the weekend is Malbec. It's a French red varietal that really is delicate and complex and wonderful. Fritz Winery has a great one aging in the barrel right now.
Syrahs are also on the rise in this wine region. Wilson Winery specializes in Syrahs and had lots of barrels this year.
All in all, it was a fun weekend. We had good company and met lots of interesting and fun people including the wine servers who were top notch this year. I recommend this event to anyone of age who likes wine even just a little bit.
There will be some travel tales tomorrow. Adieu!
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