Best Sonoma wineries you've never heard of
 

I'm planning a Harvest Time visit to Sonoma County and looking for some fresh ideas of places for us to visit. It seems like I'm seeing the same names on the travel sites and we are ready to explore something different; spots that one doesn't read about in the books or see (often) on the multitude of forums....the places you never hear about.
Is anyone willing to share their "little known favorites"?
We enjoy most varietals, but aren't big fans of Petite Sirah or Pinot Noir, so if you know somewhere that will change our minds on those 2 we're willing to listen. We really like wines from the Rockpile and had in mind to focus a day or so on tasting those. Also very interested in learning more about the Rhone wines, in particular Grenache and Mouvedre.
Other favored wines are Barbera, Primotivo, Sangiovese, Albarino....we really will try most anything but these 4 seem to be difficult to come across.

It's not Sonoma, but close....if Anderson Valley (Mendocino County) doesn't make you change your mind about CA Pinto Noir then probably nothing will. Lazy Creek, Goldeneye and Navarro are my picks there.
In Sonoma (Russian River Valley) Rohioli on Westside Road next to Hop Kilm is excellent. They also do an outstanding Sav. Blanc
For Petitie my favs are Foppaino just outside Healdsburg.
I know Artesa in Napa County makes a nice Albarino.
Another trip sometime to Paso Robles and the "Rhone Rangers" of that region is something you might think about.
A couple of others in Healdsburg area I like are Ferrari-Carano for many reds, but I'm not a big fan of their Pinot, and Hartford Family.
Enjoy the expereience.

You seem to have a fairly good idea of the wines you want to try so why not google under those vintages. But be reminded: What groes in Southern France/the Med is not always found in Napa.

Chardonnay is my favorite white and it shines in the greater Napa/Sonoma area.

In Sonoma - a fun winery is Gundlach Bundschu. http://www.gunbun.com/

In Sonoma, try visiting Beltane Ranch. They have a nice little Sauvignon Blanc happening there these days. The ranch looks like Brigadoon and is a Bed and Breakfast too.

From WineSpectator 1.5 years ago...

"This year, one winery that stands out is Bedrock. The new releases from this small Sonoma winery are among the most impressive new wines I've tasted in a long time."

They have 22 acres, and 22 different varietals.

This is a link to Sonoma wineries.

http://www.sonoma.com/wineries/featured.html

It has enough details for you to ferret out what you like to drink. Click on the winery itself for a link to that winery.

I'm from the area and have a list where I always take visitors:

This is the north county/dry creek area:

Truett Hurst - good wine, great people, great picnic area
Mazacco - wonderful wine
Armida - beautiful view, nice picnic area on deck
Wilson - Nice wine and beautiful patio
Seghesio - food and wine pairing is delicious

In Kenwood, you must to the mountain top tasting at Kunde - the view is spectacular

Have fun!

If you enjoy Italian style wines, visit Jacuzzi in southern Sonoma. They specialize in Italian type wines. It's a beautiful spot, and the staff are super friendly.

I love Truett Hurst too. Love the river behind the winery. Very nice people. Very good wines. Wished we'd bought some of their port.

This is a nice place with lovely patio seating and helpful staff in tasting room. You can also purchase sandwiches, cheese, bread, condiments.

Their sangiovese is outstanding:

http://www.viansa.com/

There's an interesting event this weekend for the Sonoma Valley:

http://www.reservesonomavalley.com/

Lots of stuff going on this weekend, but this looks like a winner.

otherfootloose, here are a few I bet you've never heard of, all in the Dry Creek area, and all excellent:

Unti- many varietals, all great, esp. the Grenache, the Syrah, and the Zin, but also Barbera, Sangiovese, and a great little port
Zichichi--outstanding zins, some tasted from the barrel
Kokomo- these are the pinots that I think will change your mind about CA pinot, but if they don't, you'll have excellent merlot and chardonnay and zin to console you :-)

None of these have scenic tasting rooms or anything like that, it really is all about the wine. And they're all really small production, which means you're tasting something you're unlikely to see outside the state.

One last tip: to find those off-the-beaten-path wineries, ask the tasting room staff. IME they are generous to a fault in recommending other places to visit, because they're passionate about wine, period.

Enjoy!

bookmarking

Wow! Thanks to all for these responses. I am familiar with some of these, and its nice to have past rec's seconded by new sources...Unti, Truett Hurst and Viansa have been recommended by friends and are on "the list". We have actually been to Kokomo some years back, and liked their wine then...but are they still located in that little enclave on Dry Creek Road? I saw another address for them in Santa Rosa.
As for Bedrock....I would LOVE to try some of that wine, but unfortunately he does not offer tastings as his production is too small. I hear that a few restaurants have his product and if anyone knows who they are, PLEASE share!!
NewbE- I agree that asking the staff is an excellent way to find good places, and as a matter of fact that is how we heard about Truett Hurst and Kokomo. We always try to ask our servers for suggestions.

To repay your kindness in replying, let me tell y'all about some smaller places that we have been and loved...
Sonoma (town) and Valley- Haywood ( now has a tasting room in town but if you can get to the estate you should go), Audelssa ( Glen Ellen), Little Vineyards ( next to BR Cohn)

Russian River- Sunce, Harvest Moon ( both on Olivet Road)

Alexander Valley- FieldStone, Soda Rock

Dry Creek- Matrix, Frick, Passalaqua

If you think of any more places, please post...and oh yeah- does ANYBODY know where one can taste the Cabs from Remick Ridge?

NewbE posted? Welcome back.

Kokomo is still in the little enclave - http://www.timbercrest.com/index.htm

Be sure to visit the Dry Creek Olive Co. I just poured the last of my olive oil from there and am sad...
http://drycreekolivecompany.com/tasting-room/

You're very welcome, otherfootloose, and thanks for the tips in return, I will put them on our (unrealistically long, but who cares?) list :-)

Interestingly, Kokomo was the single most frequently mentioned winery on our recent visit, by staff at other wineries, that is. And yep, they are still in that little grouping. The winemaker and the grower are such nice guys.

Anyway, I thought of another recommendation, Merry Edwards in Sebastopol. She is one of the originals in the valley, and her pinots are very robust, spicy, and earthy.

Oh, and Preston on Dry Creek Road is a charmer, great wines (esp. their pinot gris, IMO), and they bake their own sourdough using decades-old starter, and bottle their own olive oil to go with it.

I could go on and on...

UPDATE!

The new WineSpectator, which just came out today, spends a lot of time on Sonoma. Actually, about 30 pages including all the ads.

Wineries, eats, lodging, and day trips. The caveat is that they tend to be high end. However, I would highly recommend Cafe Le Haye in Sonoma as a splurge place to go.

Get this in-depth review, which is totally up to date.

The issue has Sonoma on the cover and is dated June 15, but we all know how magazines go.

If you go to Kokomo, also in the enclave is Papapietro Perry. They make outstanding Pinots (even though you said you aren't a fan, give them a try) and Zinfadels. also, in the same enclave - Amphora. Rick makes the full gamut. I heard Unti was very good, but we didn't get there. Arista up on River Road is gorgeous. You could also try Twomey. and St. Francis makes some excellent Zinfadels. If at St. Francis, try Chateau St. Jean - they make Cinq Cepages a nice blended wine. And if you want champagne - Iron Horse or Domaine Carneros

Thank you all for your replies.
NewbE- Preston has been on my list for 2 years...and I think I may finally get there this trip. Does he still offer the special blend in the jug on Sundays? I'm going to be really bummed if I'm FINALLY there at the right time and he's quit doing that.
Rasta'- I just got my WS and have commenced reading...good overview of the area, don't you think? Though I have to admit I'm surprised they would recommend the regular tasting room at CSJ without mentioning the reserve room as it's head and shoulders above the tasting bar in the gift shop.

This has been fun and informative everyone- thanks so much for your input! I hope we can keep this going; I love to "talk Sonoma"!

Oh, and starrs, thanks for the olive oil tip.

Thanks Lori.
Hey, meant to ask, has anyone been to Kachina in Dry Creek?

ofl, I don't know about the jug situation at Preston since we weren't there over a weekend--I hope you get to check it out.

I thought of another: MacRostie. You have to make an appointment, and the tasting room is really a conference room in their warehouse, but--you can tour the winemaking facility, talk to the oenologists, and enjoy great chardonnay and pinot (we just got a shipment of the pinot rose, but haven't sampled it yet).

A "wine trip" is my favorite kind of trip!

Mine too, NewbE. Now MacRostie sounds familiar...are they in Sonoma?
We took part in the inaugural Sonoma Reserve event ( Supercilious, was that your reply?) and I believe that they were included in the program. We would highly recommend it to anyone looking for an organized tasting opportunity...good guides and great access to small wineries ( that's how we learned of haywood, one of my personal faves).
We learned of Truett Hurst about 5 years ago through inquiries while tasting at Pedroncelli and both times we have planned to stop by they were closed for a private event! I felt like it was karma that we would never get there. Sounds like we need to try harder!
Starrs- regarding ports...a new interest on our part...have you had the tawny port from DeLoach or Chris Loxton's Shiraz port? Worth pursuing if you have the time!
boom_boom, regarding Mendocino area (totally foreign to us), do you know Jaxon Keyes? and isn't that where Joseph Phelps has the second facility?

Oh, and Bowsprit- my map is old and I didn't know that Beltane Ranch has wine; according to this map they are listed as lodging, not tasting. Are they new to the winemaking business, do you know? We really like Sauv. blanc and would be interested to try theirs.

otherfootloose - Try looking at this link I sent you 3 days ago, if you want an up-to-date map.

http://www.sonoma.com/wineries/featured.html

Also, buy the new WineSpectator, which has maps, and all the specific wineries shown, complete with winery details.

This I mentioned yesterday.

Thanks Rasta'- I didn't ignore your previous post, I just didn't see MacRostie on the list that is presented on the link, and the map doesn't have it either.
That isn't uncommon because most of the webistes that cater to wine tourism promote wineries that subscribe to the services on that site ( winecountry.com; wineroad.com, etc are other examples) and the very small places don't have the budget to participate, so its not unusual for them to be missing. Just makes the search more interesting!
As for Beltane, its on my map, but the legend lists it as lodging, not a winery...that is why I was asking Bowsprit about it.
And I subscribe to WS, so I have that issue at hand, as a matter of fact! Thoroughly enjoying it, too I might add! =) It offers some great ideas, but you may have noticed that not all wineries in an area are mentioned, just those that are "featured" in the article.
At the moment my research bin is not accessible, so that is why I was having trouble with the locations...I'll try to be better prepared next time.
You mentioned Bedrock earlier...have you had the privledge of tasting Morgan's product?

Well Rasta, I owe you an apology- I blew through that list too quickly, apparently because when I took my time I DID indeed see Mac Rostie...my error.

MacRostie is a good wine. Their chardonnay is lovely. Too bad they were recently sold.

About 4-5 years ago, some distributor closed out about 20 cases of the chardonnay for $1 a bottle at my local Big Lots.

I always try to take advantage of steals like this.

I live about 90 minutes from Sonoma, and find great bargains like this all too frequently.

Be sure to visit VJB Vineyards and Cellars in Kenwood on the Sonoma Highway. They make a wonderful Barbera among many other wines. You will love the owners, Vittorio and Maria! The gift shop is filled with Maria's sauces as well as other delights. There is a new tasting room as well. Check out their website.

WOW,Rasta'- I've never been to a Big Lots that sold wine, anyway...but $1/bottle? That IS a deal.
TTOCSGS- When we were last in Sonoma the VJB facility was under some MAJOR construction- is that over with now?

It's pretty much only in California, and mostly in the Bay Area.

BL is a feast or famine kind of place. There will be crap, mostly Fred Franzia's crap, for months on end, followed by a find. It's been crap lately.

The best time, oddly enough, was after Hurrican Katrina. We started seeing high end wine with New Orleans' distributor labels on them. I filled my car cup twice with about 15 cases of wine. Roederer Brut Premier for $6.00 a bottle, and the like.

Speaking of VJB, there's a less expensive version of The Girl and The Fig in Kenwood, called The Fig Cafe. No reservations and corkage fee is zero. The place is packed every night.

Rasta, thanks for reminding me--Dry Creek Kitchen In Healdsburg does not charge corkage fees on any Sonoma wine you bring in, which is a killer deal given the really nice sommelier service they offer.

As for MacRostie, I heard they retained the winemaker after the sale--is that not true? One big change was that they lowered their price points, and are slowly upping production.

I can see that I have found a good Sonoma resource! Thanks for sharing what you know.

Found a couple of apparently very small places to ask about- anyone know (of) Valdez ( could be Valvez, I've seen both) or Davenport and Co?
These are reportedly Rockpile winemakers in the north county. I've been searching for a couple months and have not seen anything about either one.

It's really hard to say which wineries and what wines. We've found that in going to the barreltasting event in Sonoma every year for the past ten years or so that, really, the name of the winery doesn't matter very much, nor the type of grape. Each year we've found something wonderful (to our tastes). One year it was Tara Bella and Thomas George. This year it's Route 128, Ramazotti, Rockpile and Matrix. Our long-time favorites are Davis Family, Mazzocco, Rafanelli's, Trefethen, Sunce, and any number of really small wineries. This year, we picked up a case of Armida's "Poizin" ("the wine to die for"), because somehow this year it tasted better than in past years.

That's the fun of going winetasting! It's all such an individual thing - and the production is so varied year to year and winery to winery.

Enjoy your winetasting experiences!

You are SO right, easytraveler! Our focus event has been the Sonoma Harvest Fair...not sure how long, but a number of years now. And we found several of your past favorites there. Its just been in very recent times that we learned that there are REALLY small producers out there who don't meet the production criteria for HF and are thus excluded.
Those are the places that have provided us with the "big rush" with their wines, and they are the ones I'm trying to ferret out. Its like a treasure hunt to us.
Some subscribe to the wine travel sites and if you go to the right site you can learn of them, but some spots you just "luck into" through forum/message board situations like this. and that's why I'm here.
You have memntioned a couple that are completely outside my radar: Thomas George and Davis Family...where are they located?

Here you go, otherfootloose!

Thomas George has this wonderful "cave" - believe it's dug into a hillside.

http://www.thomasgeorgeestates.com/

Davis Family is in Healdsburg but not around the main square. Davis Family is on a side road and by itself and opposite it are a bunch of really small wineries that share space. Camellia is one of the small ones that I remember, we bought a "First Kiss" from them one year - went back the second year and asked if they had produced a "Second Kiss" and they said, alas! no. :)

http://daviswines.com/

I can't find a website for Camellia, but here are the Yelp reviews to give you some idea. Also the location seems to be called "Old Roma Station", it's one of the highlights for us on any winetasting trip. We usually stock up with something from one of the small wineries

http://www.yelp.com/biz/camellia-cellars-healdsburg

BTW, try the Sonoma barreltasting event which occurs on two weekends in early March.

Their website doesn't seem to be active anymore, and the Yelp reviews are a couple of years old.

I found this by digging. "Camellia Cellars. Our award-winning Camellia Cellars closed in June, 2011. Our family and winemakers thank you for your support."

Take a look at Bennessere. Delicious reds and lots of Italian style wines.

OK, since no one has mentioned it, there is the Annapolis Winery in Annapolis in western Sonoma County which is just up the road from the famous Starcross Monastery which makes award-winning olive oil.

Starcross is well known (CNNN, ABC 20-20, etc.) for its work with HIV positive orphans in Eastern Europe and Africa as well as the U.S. All proceeds from their olive oil go to support their programs.

The Scalabrini family owns Annapolis Winery. Though the patriarch, Basil, recently died, his son and daughter-in-law are carrying on the business. There is tasting and a beautiful area for picnics. They have also won several wards over the years in Bay Area wine competitions

Lisa

Lisa, this is a bit outside the grid for our upcoming visit, but sounds like something that I need to keep in mind for another time. Thanks for the "heads up" on this facility.

denisea-isn't Bennessere in Napa?

BOOKMARKING

Other footloose....you are right...we visited there while staying in Sonoma, so I always associate it with Sonoma (incorrectly)!