Carneros Appellation Recommendations

Many people don’t realize how many fantastic tasting rooms there are halfway to Napa! Less than 30 miles from San Francisco, the Carneros appellation provides lots of places to whet your palate...

On a recent trip to celebrate a friend’s thirtieth birthday, our first stop was Gloria Ferrer. Sitting outside on the terrace is a wonderful experience on a clear, sunny day. Instead of ponying up to the counter, you can sit back and enjoy the views while the hospitality staff delivers your choice of a tasting flight or glasses table-side. I highly recommend the 2004 Royal Cuvée ($32/bottle). A blend of two-thirds Pinot Noir and one-third Chardonnay, this delightful sparkler offers citrus and stone fruit notes balanced by toast and rich yeasty aromatics. The 2007 Blanc de Blanc ($32/bottle) is also very pleasant with refreshing green apple flavors and crisp minerality!

Less than a mile down the road is the tasting room for Anaba Wines. I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve driven by this tasting room a thousand times as I speed up the Carneros Highway (Route 12) to downtown Sonoma or Napa.

With no appointment necessary, I popped into the Anaba tasting room last week a few minutes after 5 PM (yes, they stay open until 5:30!). The tasting menu features many vineyard-designate Chardonnay and Pinot Noirs as well as Rhône varieties and blends. I was very impressed with the variety!

I highly recommend the 2010 Anaba Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($32/bottle). It is a deliciously drinkable wine with lots of lovely dark fruit and subtle complexity. A blend of fruit sourced from the famed Gap’s Crown Vineyard and Sun Chase Vineyard (both sites are part of the Petaluma Gap), this Pinot is aged in 35% new French oak barrels. With a whisper of oak and silky dust-like tannins, you can enjoy this wine on its own, with salame and cured meats, pizza, roast chicken or even fish like salmon and tuna. This wine can be ordered direct from the winery, enjoyed by-the-glass at Restaurant Picco, or purchased at Main Street Wine Bar.

Other tasting rooms worth checking out in Carneros include Domaine Carneros, Cline Cellars, and Nicholson Ranch. There’s also Schug, Etude, and Acacia (which I haven't visited yet but they are on my list). Cheers!

Living the dream at Domaine Carneros

When I led tours at Chappellet, people often complained that 10 am was too early to start drinking wine. But to get in a full day of wine tasting, it's best to get an early start. Personally, I find bubbles to be more palatable first thing in the morning than still wine. The beautiful, elegant, and stately Domaine Carneros is a wonderful place to begin (especially if you're driving up from Marin or San Francisco).

Domaine Carneros is designed more like a restaurant with individual tables (inside and out) where guests can have an intimate tasting experience. You can order a flight of 3 or 4 "tastes" or you can order full glasses. When I visited last week with friends (that's me and Jasmine above), we ordered 3 different flights. The sparkling wines dazzled us; there were a lot of empty glasses on the table very quickly.

The 2005 Le Reve Blanc de Blancs is absolutely divine; in French, the name means "the dream" and it is made of 100% Chardonnay grapes. It is strikes the perfect balance between crisp and creamy; with delicate bubbles and subtle notes of pear, toasted bread and hazelnut. At $95 a bottle, it is a very special occasion wine.

For everyday drinking--because sparkling wine shouldn't be reserved only for special occasions--the 2007 Brut is a fabulous choice ($26 per bottle). Refined and restrained with crisp minerality and delicate flavors of Granny Smith apple and lemon zest. It is refreshing as an aperatif or delicious paired with decadent cheeses.

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