Papapietro Perry Winery

Across the parking lot from Kokomo, at 4791 Dry Creek Road in Healdsburg, is the Papapietro Perry Winery tasting room.  Aside from being a fun name to pronounce ...Papapietro Perry... the winery makes some wonderful wines.  Pinot Noirs mostly, though they do have a tasty Zin on their list and a Chardonnay they typically sell out.

We visited a couple of weekends ago and were treated to some of their best stuff, starting with the 2008 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($46, 1220 cases).  This wine received 92 points from the Pinot Report and 90 points from Wine Spectator.  Their tasting notes describe the wine as, "Medium ruby color; deep, complex, rich aromas of red cherry and cola with some nice earthy notes. Rich, ripe, bright red cherry flavors with earthy, cola notes; silky texture; good structure and balance with a lovely long finish. This is a rich and silky Pinot with bright fruit and nice length, delicious and perfect for grilled chicken. Drink now through 2015." 

While we were impressed with the RRV, what really grabbed us was the 2008 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($46, 780 cases).  The Sonoma Coast received 94 points from the Pinot Report and 91 from the Wine Spectator.  It had an unusual taste, which I couldn't identify, and was very good.  Their website says, "Medium deep ruby color with deep, complex, spicy dark cherry aromas with earthy, forest floor notes; complex, deep, spicy dark cherry flavors with forest floor notes; silky texture; some oak, good structure and balance with a lovely long finish. Deep, complex and delicious Pinot with great structure and balance."  Maybe it was the forest floor notes that I coundn't quite put my finger on.

Next up was the 2008 Elsbree Vineyard Pinot Noir ($54, 730 cases) from the Russian River Valley.  Elsbree received 94 points from the Pinot Report as well. They describe it as, "Medium ruby color; complex red cherry and spice aromas; complex, deep, red cherry flavors with spice and earthy notes; good structure and balance; long finish. Spicy and deep Pinot with great structure and fruit flavors. Benefits from a little time in the glass."

The 2008 Leras Family Vineyard Pinot Noir ($54, 1020 cases) was poured after that.  It received 93 points from the Pinot Report and 92 points from the Wine Spectator.  Their website says, "Medium ruby color with complex earthy red cherry aromas; rich, deep and complex red cherry and earthy flavors with hints of tea and cola; some tannin and oak with good structure and balance leading to a long finish. Bright, lush, delicious Pinot that is amazing to drink all by itself. Wow, this is really tasty!" And it is...really tasty, that is.

We were then treated to a taste of the 2009 Russian River Valley Piont Noir ($46).  It received 94 points from the Wine Spectator and impresses with cherry and spice notes.

Last was the 2008 Elsbree Vineyard Zin ($38, 580 cases).  The website calls it, "Medium ruby red color with a wonderful nose of sweet raspberry and blackberry with a hint of spice and smoke . It is elegant and balanced with flavors of dark berry fruit, with a hint of spice and pepper, leading to a long full finish of sweet fruit and oak. Smooth tannins add structure and mouth feel, but don’t overpower."  It's an impressive Zin.

While all the wines were very good, we walked out with the Sonoma Coast Pinot and the Elsbree Zin.  I also came across a bottle of the 2007 Charles Vineyard Pinot from the Anderson Valley in my cabinet.  That particular vintage is sold out and we didn't taste the 2008 vintage ($54) on our last visit, but I remember being particularly impressed with the 2007.  My bet would be that the 2008 was wonderful as well.

Their wine club ships twice a year, and you can select gold (2 cases), silver (1 case), or bronze levels (1/2 a case).  They have other perks for members, including winemaker dinners, reservation of their patio for private parties, and discounts ranging from 10 to 20 percent, depending on the level.  Their website is http://papapietro-perry.com/.  If you are a Pinot fan, this is a winery you should know about.

Cinnabar Winery

I don't know why it took me over a year of hanging around Saratoga before I finally visited the Cinnabar tasting room.  I'm sure I didn't expect what I found there.  The tasting room is located at 14612 Big Basin Way in downtown Saratoga (see the map link at the bottom of the post).  I've driven by there on the way up to the Santa Cruz Mountains at least twice a month for the past year.  I've never heard much about their wines from my friends, though, so I must have figured the stop wasn't going to be worth the effort.  Boy was I wrong.

I stopped in one free Friday afternoon on a whim, killing time until the evening.  The latest wine club shipment had recently been announced, so the tasting room was moderately busy.  The tasting started with their Mercury Rising Blanc, moved to the Santa Cruz Chardonnay, then through the reds and their late harvest wines.  Not only was there nothing in the tasting that I didn't like, most of it was very good.  So good, in fact, that I joined their wine club, the Alchemist Wine Society, on the spot.

Cinnabar is the ore from which mercury is derived.  Back in the "days of yore", the alchemists were attempting to create gold and silver by fiddling aorund with mercury.  That or finding the secret of eternal life (see Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone), in either case, neither succeeded.  The effort did provide a font of cool names of which Cinnabar Winery is taking advantage.  Case in point, the flagship of the latest shipment is a Dry Creek Zinfandel blend called Sorcerer's Stone.  Or maybe the Petit Verdot was the flagship, I can't decide, since both were fabulous.  Both wines are limited production wines and looking at their website now, I can't find either available for purchase online.

So let's talk about some of their wines that are available online and worth the effort to have sent your way.  The 2009 Santa Cruz Chardonnay ($30) is not quite the creamy/buttery Chard that my sweetie prefers, but she did find it to her tastes.  Here's what Cinnabar's website says, "This excellent Santa Cruz Mountains expression of classic chardonnay offers ripe pear and apple, combined with hints of citrus zest and sweet toasty oak, fill the nose of this wine. The palate begins with a touch of pineapple before moving into green apple and a creamy lemon curd with flashes of white pepper. During the finish, the lemon curd slowly drops away to let the green apple and vanilla peek through." 

The 2010 Mercury Rising Blanc ($20), a Sauvignon Blanc-based blend, is bright and fruity.  The website says, "Small lots were fermented in 50/50 stainless steel and oak barrels to accentuate the fresh-fruit qualities. Aromas of lime and gooseberry with flavors of lively melon and grapefruit make it a great choice for special occasions as well as every day enjoyment."

The 2008 Mercury Rising ($21) is a bordeaux blend which received 90 points from Wine Enthusiast magazine and was an Editor's Choice.  The website says, "Aromas of ripe black cherry, tobacco, black licorice and vanilla ready the palate for flavors of black fruit with nuances of smoky toasted oak. Creamy texture, medium-to-full bodied, fine grained tannins, finishing long with fruit, mocha and sweet oak."

My favorite, aside from the two in the wine club shipment, was the 2008 Santa Lucia Highland Pinot Noir ($42).  The Santa Lucia Highlands is quickly becoming my favorite growing region.  I've had a number of wonderful Pinots from the area and this one ranks right up there with the best.  Their description is, "Staying true to its noble ancestry, this pinot unfolds with fragrances of black cherry, raspberry, leather, lavender and smoke. It shows ripe dark fruit up front, grilled meat and sweet vanilla on the mid-palate, and a long finish of berries, minerals and toasted oak. All are supported by a structure of balanced acidity and rounded tannins."  When I go back, if the Sorcerer's Stone and Petit Verdot are sold out, this is the one I'll buy (again).

Subsequant purchases of their wine club releases are available to wine club members at 30 percent off.  Just for the record, when I go back, which will be soon, if the Sorcerer's Stone is still available, I will be buying more.  I've visited twice since I joined and bought an additional bottle both times, along with other purchases.

The Alchemist Wine Society ships two, four, six, or twelve bottles (your choice) in the odd numbered months (January, March, etc.).  Members receive a 20, 25, or 30 percent discount on wine purchases, depending on the level of your commitment, and a 20 percent discount on non-wine items.  Their website is http://cinnabarwine.com/ and tasting room hours are 11 am to 5 pm daily.  They also have a wine bar (The MUDD ROOM) that is open Fridays and Saturdays 5 pm to 8 pm with wine available by the bottle or glass and live entertainment Fridays 5:30 to 7:00.

The tasting room is easy to get to and well worth the stop if you are in the area.  Don't let a whole year go by before you drop in.