Muscardini Cellars

I mentioned previously that Muscardini Cellars shares a tasting room with Ty Caton Vineyards in Kenwood (see link below).  We stopped in last Saturday for a taste of Michael's current releases and were not disappointed.  Muscardini's tasting room, as I mentioned in the review of Ty Caton, is a friendly, active room, with the staff pouring from an extensive list of wines from both wineries.

We started with the 2010 Rosato di Sangiovese ($19, 254 cases produced).  The grape is from the Monte Rosso vineyards.  The wine is a rosy pink and has a clean, crisp mouthfeel.  It would be a wonderful summer refresher.

Next was the 2010 Barbera from the Redwood Valley in Mendicino County ($36, 394 cases).  The wine is a thick, dark red.  The Muscardini website says, "An homage to the Old World. Opens up with aromas of bright red fruit, raspberry, wild herbs & roasted espresso beans. On the palate, lively flavors of ripe plum, raspberry and cherry, vibrant acidity, balanced tannins, silky mouthfeel and a long smooth finish. Overall, young, ripe, and incredibly complex."  This wine won a gold medal at the recent San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

From there we got a taste of the 2009 Monte Rosso Sangiovese ($36, 493 cases), which was awarded a bronze medal at the same competition.  Of this wine, the website says, "Enjoy the aromas of crusted dark ripe fruit with black pepper and smoky meat. Savor the seductive ripe raspberry and blackberry sweetness with soft tannins. A great wine with your favorite pasta or pizza."   

The 2009 Gracie Creek Syrah ($36, 141 cases) was an intense purple.  My sweetie, the creamy/buttery Chardonnay lover, was heard to say "nice" upon tasting this one.  Score another bronze medal from the SF Chronicle.

That was followed by the 2008 Tesoro ($46, 542 cases), a Super Tuscan made up of 44 percent Sangiovese, 30 percent Cab, and 26 percent Syrah.  This one brought in a silver medal at the SF event.  The website says, "Elegant, floral cassis nose with dark cherries. Vibrant red and black currants, dark chocolate and a hint of herbs. Graceful finish balanced with velvety tannins." 

The 2009 Monte Rosso Zin ($42, 329 cases) was a gold medal winner at the 2011 SF Chronical Wine Competition.  The Muscardini website says, "Aromas of blueberry pie with cloves, black pepper, cardamom and dried herbs. Ripe berries and big, bold, dark fruit, a little chewy with some spice."

The 2009 Unti Vinyards Syrah ($32, 224 cases) took silver in the recent SF competition.  This wine has been a favorite of mine from Muscardini, I found this bottle of the 2007 vintage in my cabinet at home. 

Last, we tasted the 2008 Fortuna ($49, 522 cases), a blend of 55 percent Syrah, 30 percent Cab, 10 percent Merlot, 2.5 percent Cab Franc, and 2.5 percent Petit Verdot.  This won Best of Class at the California State Fair.

Of the wines we tasted, I'd highly recommend the Rosato, the Tesoro, the Unti Vineyards Syrah, the Monte Rosso Sangiovese, and the Gracie Creek Syrah.  All were rich and flavorful, but these were my favorites.

Along with the webiste, Muscardini is available in some local restaurants and he has occasionally put wines up on wine.woot.com (I bought a three pack a year or two ago).  The website is http://www.muscardinicellars.com/.  He has two versions of his wine club, the Divino Club (two bottles, four times a year, 20 percent discount on wines and merchandise) and the La Famiglia Club (four bottles, four times a year, 25 percent discount on wines and merchandise). 

Michael is often serving in the tasting room (we were told we'd just missed him) and is an attentive and gracioius host.  He even signs bottles of his wine with a gold marker.  Go see him.

Valley of the Moon

The Valley of the Moon tasting room in located at 777 Madrone Rd. in Glen Ellen, close to the Sonoma Highway (Hwy. 12). Follow this link to view a map View Map. 

During my first visits to the winery a few years ago, I was impressed by the consistently high quality of their wines.  Everything I tasted I liked.  Favorites include the Cuvee de la Luna, which is 80 percent Cab, with 15 percent Merlot and five percent Malbec and retails at the winery for $30, the Rosato de Sangiovese that sells for $16, and the unoaked Chardonnay which sells for $17.  Those who prefer a buttery Chardonnay might like the Sonoma Coast Chard that sells for $17, too.  The Pinot Noir is a decent wine for the price ($19).

My favorite wine, though, is the Old Vine Zin.  The vineyard where they grow the fruit is over 70 years old.  The wine is very nice for the price ($25).  The winery occasionally has sales on their wines and I recently bought a case of this wine for $15 a bottle.  I did the same last year.  Every time I a share a bottle with my sweetie she has the same reaction..."Um, this is good. What is it?"  Every time.

Here is what the winery's website has to say about the Old Vine Zin:

"Classic Zinfandel aromas of ripe and briary blackberries and black plums are enhanced with notes of bay leaf and red pepper flakes. Concentrated and rich flavors of berry, plum and cherry/vanilla, with cinnamon and cayenne spice notes, are supported by balanced acidity and soft dusty tannins. 

Winemaker Notes

In the shadow of Sonoma's Mayacamas Mountains, and at the foot of Sonoma Mountain, lies the Valley of the Moon Estate Old Vine Zinfandel vineyard.  These vines were planted in the 1940's in the traditional head trained method without trellising. Flavors are naturally concentrated with distinctive character due to these large vines producing lower yields with age.  This blend is assembled from hand selected barrels of the wine made exclusively from this 70 year old vineyard. The 2009 vintage includes 4% Petite Sirah from the estate vineyard for added fruit depth and structure."

This is a wine that I can unconditionally recommend to Zin and red wine lovers.

Valley of the Moon's website can be found at http://www.valleyofthemoonwinery.com/.  The wine club, "Club Luna", ships two bottles four-times a year.  They sponsor regular pick-up parties, offer 25 percent off all wine and merchandise purchases, and allow members and their guests free tastings.  Benefits are also offered at other Heck Estates family wineries, including Kenwood and Lake Sonoma (Lake Sonoma is available in the Valley of the Moon tasting room).