100 Wine Blogs, 100 Days Blog 77 Clos Du Bois Geyserville, California

Blog 77 Clos Du Bois Geyserville, California

Clos Du Bois is located in Geyserville, California on a luscious property with a great gift shop and picnic grounds. The tasting room is large and has plenty of room to feel comfortable. I suggest bringing some food and having a picnic outside to take in the beauty of the vineyards and mountains. Geyserville is off the beaten path but has many wineries worth visiting.





What did I like? The 2006 Old Vine Carignane from Alexander Valley. The grapes come from 85 year old vines with a varietal composition of 81% Carignane and 19% Zinfandel. Only 400 cases were made. The Carignane comes from the Pastori Vineyard with fruity aromas of blueberry and strawberry with peppery nuances. I found the wine to be full, tight, and juicy with chocolaty and boysenberry flavors. It retailed for $30.00.



I was running out of room in my suitcase and after my shopping spree in the Clos Du Bois gift shop, I had to purchase a separate box to send my stuff back in.



Tell me what you think! I want to hear from you! Give me your thoughts!

Bon Vin!
Veronica

100 Wine Blogs, 100 Days Blog 76 Stephen & Walker, Healdsburg, California

Blog 76 Stephen & Walker, Healdsburg, California

A small artisanal family owned winery located in Healdsburg, California. Limited production wines with grapes harvested from Dry Creek Valley, Howell Mountain, and Russian River Valley.

My favorite was the 2005 Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley with 650 cases produced at a price of $36.00. This wine has won 7 Gold Medals and received 90 points from Wine Enthusiast.



I also liked the 2004 Portentous with only 100 cases produced at $65.00. Portentous is a late bottled vintage “port”. The grapes are from mountain vineyards in Mendocino and Napa Counties. Portentous was aged for four years in barrels prior to bottling. Flavors of blackberry, cassis and blueberries with chocolaty notes. I had to take some of this home!



Tell me what you think! I want to hear from you! Give me your thoughts!

Bon Vin!
Veronica

100 Wine Blogs, 100 Days Blog 75 Kendall-Jackson Healdsburg, California

Blog 75 Kendall-Jackson Healdsburg, California

Kendall-Jackson can be found in Sonoma County with two locations to choose from. Whether you want to go directly to the Wine Center at the Chateau in Fulton or whether you want to go to the Tasting Room located in Healdsburg, you will enjoy your experience. Kendall-Jackson makes sure that you have fun when you are tasting.
The Chateau experience takes place with 120 acres of gardens and vines. Kendall-Jackson offers food pairings, demonstration vineyard tours and tastings as well as educational and sensory experiences in their endless gardens.



There are many varieties to choose from when it comes to wine selection. You can either purchase a classic tasting for $5 or a reserve tasting for $15. If you purchase a bottle, the tasting fee is reimbursed.



I enjoyed the 2006 Highland Estates Seco Highlands Pinot Noir. It received 92 points from Wine Access and earned Four Star Gold at the 2008 Orange County Fair Wine Competition. Black cherry and ripe strawberry fruit with velvety tannins and toasty smoke. It sells for $35.00. Grab a glass of the Pinot Noir and stroll the gardens for a refreshing experience or hang out at their Healdsburg tasting room.

Tell me what you think! I want to hear from you! Give me your thoughts!

Bon Vin!
Veronica

100 Wine Blogs, 100 Days Blog 74 What is Verjus?

Blog 74 What is Verjus?

In Healdsburg, you will notice that many of the wine tasting rooms offer olive oil made from their own olive trees in their vineyards. Being Italian, I don’t have a choice but to love olive oil. After tasting some of the different types of olive oil in the Sonoma Valley, it is hard to purchase olive oil in a regular store again. Of course, I picked up a half a case of this stuff and even started to look for more as I went from tasting room to tasting room.



I walked into Kendall-Jackson’s tasting room and found something that I had never heard of before…Verjus? Verjus according to Kendall-Jackson means “green juice” in French. The grapes are harvested early and the juice is pressed from the grapes to make Verjus. They say that it was used in Europe to cook with to add flavor to dishes. It is also used to replace vinegar in some dishes that may not need such an intense flavor. Verjus can be used to make salad dressing, sauces and can add complexity to beverages as well. I bought a bottle of Pinot Noir Verjus, and when I figure out what to make with it, I will let you know how it goes. If you have any recipes for me, feel free to send them my way. They do have recipes for the Pinot Noir Verjus such as “Verjus & Watermelon Gazpacho” and “Verjus Cranberry Sauce”. They suggest a “Verjus Margarita” with the Chardonnay Verjus.

Tell me what you think! I want to hear from you! Give me your thoughts!

Bon Vin!
Veronica

100 Wine Blogs, 100 Days Blog 73 La Crema, Healdsburg, California

Blog 73 La Crema, Healdsburg, California

I was staying at the Napa Valley Marriot and they offered a free bottle of wine and two free tastings at La Crema. Although the drive was about an hour or so away, I was already in the area and I decided to use my free tasting coupon.

The La Crema tasting room is in the Downtown Healdsburg area. The location is great! It is within walking distance of many restaurants, shops and other tasting rooms.
I picked out my free bottle. I was able to choose which wine I wanted for free and opted for their 2007 La Crema Chardonnay. They had a Pinot Noir that I liked too. The La Crema tasting room contains wines that are only found at their tasting room and with their wine club.

La Crema had something different. Their tasting takes place using stemless glasses. I prefer a stem to my glass, but I enjoyed being able to taste while having some fun. A member of the La Crema wine club was taking advantage of his free tasting. He started spinning his glass on its side with wine in it and the wine was not falling out of the glass. You can’t do that with normal wine glasses. I finished my tasting and was off to my next venture.



Tell me what you think! I want to hear from you! Give me your thoughts!

Bon Vin!
Veronica

100 Wine Blogs, 100 Days Blog 72 Healdsburg, California

Blog 72 Healdsburg, California

According to the Chamber of Commerce & Visitor’s Bureau Web site for Healdsburg, they are “A town renowned for its eclectic offering of all the finest things in life…food, wine, friends and fun.” The city of Healdsburg is surrounded by Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Chalk Hill and Russian River Valley, which are four of the regional wine appellations of Sonoma County and include over 100 wineries and tasting rooms for you to choose from.

A small town atmosphere that even has a town square. Small bookstores and antique shops with locally made breads, wines, cheeses and olive oils. In the center of town, there are several wine tasting shops that are quaint. You can park your car and walk from one tasting room to the next, sampling some great wines. Some of the tasting rooms that I visited will be in my upcoming blogs such as La Crema, Kendall Jackson and Stephen & Walker. I also drove out to Simi, Jordan Winery and Clos Du Bois which are not far from the area.



If you are in the area, don’t pass it by, you will enjoy the people, food, wine and atmosphere of this small town that has everything.

Tell me what you think! I want to hear from you! Give me your thoughts!

Bon Vin!
Veronica