I have just completed a visit to Sonoma (with one obligatory day in Napa).  I love Sonoma Valley - even more than Napa. Yes, I will admit - the great Cabernet Sauvignons and various blends from Napa - especially Oakville and Rutherford are second to none - perhaps in the world.However, the diversity of the landscape (read that:  Terroir and beautiful surroundings), the numerous micro climates and the diverse wine coming from Sonoma is second to none in my opinion. There are so many great wineries that it is hard to pick which ones to visit - and which ones to buy from. This visit was a bit different - we tried to visit only wineries that we had not been to in the past (with one or two exceptions). Today I am going to divert my opinion on the results to a comparison of just two. I will write about two more soon.

On Sunday we enjoyed the food and wine tasting at Seghesio Vineyards. We have been to Seghesio in the past - on this day we chose to participate in the "Angela's Table" food and wine tasting. Five wines are poured along with a sampling of four Seghesio family recipes. The guests are encouraged to try the various foods with different wines so that you can make your own opinions about which foods work with which wines. Seghesio is famous for their bold zinfandels, however being from an Italian family they also specialize in Italian varietals. We tried their Fiano (an Italian white) for the first time and loved the character.  The winery describes this wine as "Crisp lemony acidity with flavors of pear & melon". Our favorite of the reds was the San Lorenzo Zinfandel, which is a field blend including Petite Sirah providing a depth and structure with layers of dark fruits on top. They also served a portion of their "Dionigia", a dessert port style wine produced from Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Cabernet. Again, the depth and structure with layers of fruit was enormously enjoyable. Paired with dark chocolate, this was my favorite pairing.  Seghesio is always one of my favorite visits in wine country - and I highly recommend Angela's Table for a very personal wine country experience. If you can, try to schedule your visit when Rachael Ann is available for an even more personal experience with the Matron of the family.

The comparison winery is St. Francis which we visited on Monday. I have enjoyed St. Francis wines as well many times, and this was the first visit to their new winery facility, a beautiful property just north of the town of Sonoma. The hospitality was wonderful - while the staff prepared a table for us for their own food and wine pairing, we enjoyed their Sauvignon Blanc. What a perfect way to prepare on a 95 degree day!

Their food and wine tasting experience was somewhat similar - a plate of small Charcuterie samples was brought and we were encouraged to sample the various foods with different wines. We tried two of their Wild Oaks wines which are new to me. While I  should be talking about the wonderful overall experience and the three wines that we did enjoy, I have to divert to talk about winery protocol. One rule which I will have when one day I can spend my days at a winery - NEVER SERVE A CORKED WINE TO A GUEST!  The 05 Pagani Zinfandel should have been the coup de grace for this lovely event, however the aromas were flat with subtle aromas of what SHOULD have been deep dark fruit qualities intertwined with a stony base. However, the aromas were instead infused with peat moss and manure. In the mouth, the wine showed no fruit and again was overwhelmed by what we assumed was TCA - or otherwise - corked wine. The young lady taking care of us was open to our pointing out the bad bottle. She opened a new bottle which is described by the winery as " spicy, brambly Zinfandel, chocolately Petite Sirah, floral Mourvedre, peppery Carignane and intensely colored blue-black Alicante Bouschet. American oak specifically selected for its cinnamon, nutmeg and clove flavors truly enhance the complexity of this treasured Sonoma Valley Old Vine Zinfandel." I realize that there is still approximately 6-8% of wines that will show some corked qualities - which I find amazing. Imagine any other industry with a known failure rate that high! The young lady (name witheld) appreciated my inviting her to smell the aromas from the bad bottle in one glass and the aromas from the good bottle in another and commented that she appreciated the education.  In any case, 'corked wines happen'. However - it should NEVER happen when a winery is pouring their own wines.

If anyone from St Francis reads this, apologies if you feel you are getting the raw end of the comparisons between two fine Sonoma wineries. However, perhaps that should inspire you to better educate your own staff on wine service to make your experience just as fabulous as I believe it can be.

For now, cheers all. More on Sonoma to follow.

MGWRC