Welcome to the Wine Buying Guide

As a wine enthusiast living in the San Francisco Bay area, I have the luxury of being able to head off to local wineries at a moments notice to taste or buy wines. As a result, my wine collection is a mixture of wine club offerings and limited release wines that I've picked up at the wineries and are usually available only at those wineries. I realize, however, that not everyone has that opportunity. Their source of wines is typically the local grocery or package store where they either buy an old standard, look for a recommended wine, or employ a hit or miss strategy for trying new wines. With the growth of the internet, online wine purchasing opportunities are now plentiful. The question, though, is what to buy. Yes, just about all of the wineries now offer their products through internet sales, but which of those wines are worth the effort and shipping costs? This blog is dedicated to providing information for wine lovers to assist them in their online buying decisions. As I visit local wineries, I will relate my findings through the blog to give readers an idea of what wines I find that I'd recommend to others. These are usually wines that I buy myself, or wish I could buy if I had an unlimited budget for wine purchases. Each entry will provide information about the location of the winery, varietals with which the winery specializes, the costs of the wines, website links, and my own recommendations. If they have had their wines rated by some of the better known reviewers, such as Robert Parker, I will mention that also, as well as the winery's own tasting notes, if they are particularly helpful or entertaining. To give you a sense of my tastes, I tend toward Pinot Noirs and Zinfandels. I've run across numerous other varietals that I enjoy, but I'm always particularly interested in Pinots and Zins. A good Cabernet Sauvigon or Chardonnay hits the spot, too. Favorites include Kunde Century Vines Zinfandel, Sonoma-Cutrer The Cutrer Chardonnay, La Crema Anderson Valley Pinot Noir, and Valley of the Moon Old Vine Zin. The trouble here is, unless you've visited the winery, you've probably not tasted these wines. There are many wonderful, small production wines out there and I hope to pass on my favorites through this forum.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Passalacqua Winery

Passalacqua has a lovely tasting room just off of Dry Creek Road at 3805 Lambert Bridge Road.  They are situated in the middle of a mass of vineyards, from which they produce some wonderful Zinfandels and Cabs, along with other fine wines.

We started our tasting with a nice barrel-fermented 2008 Dry Creek Valley Chardonnay ($30, 225 cases produced).  It was on the lighter side of creamy/buttery, with nice fruit and a long finish.

We moved on to my personal favorite, the 2009 Lavender Hill Primitivo ($37, 226 cases).  Primitivo is in the Zin family, and this one has a wonderfully bright nose.  Previous vintages of this wine have sold out fast, so I'd recommend jumping right in and getting some before it's gone.

Next, we tasted three Zinfandels, the 2009 Dry Creek Valley Estate Vineyard ($36, 298 cases), the 2008 Russian River Valley Viti della Nebbia ($35), and the 2008 Dry Creek Valley Bevill Heirloom ($36, 237 cases).  While all were good, we were particularly taken with the complex Bevill Heirloom and the fruit forward Viti della Nebbia with its tantalizing cherry nose, both of which we took home with us.

We followed the Zins with a smooth 2008 Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($45, 316 cases).  The Passalacqua website winemaker notes say, "This enticing blend is composed of fruit from Blocks 2, 4 and 18 & 19 of the TR Passalacqua Vineyard, offering classic Cabernet flavors of blackberry, cassis and black cherry. Vanilla and the spice of black pepper, cardomom and cinnamon complement the rich texture of this Cabernet. Two years of aging in thin-staved Taransaud and Demptos French oak barrels tame the tannins and round out the long, lovely finish of this carefully blended classic."

Finally, we tasted a big, bold Super Tuscan (with 72% Sangiovese and 28% Cab), the Radici della Famiglia Due ($56, 143 cases).  This wine is available only to Private Access members, along with a dozen other wines from their Private Collection.

Passalacqua has four levels of their wine club, ranging from four bottles three times a year (Dapprima), to a case six times a year (Ultimo).  Members receive discounts and free tasting for themselves and guests.  Additionally, Private Access members have a list of Private Collection wines to choose from as well.

The Passalacqua website is at http://www.passalacquawinery.com/.  The winery is another worthwhile stop in Dry Creek Valley.
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Location: Sonoma, CA, USA

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