Going to Sonoma for Champagne

On Monday, I unexpectedly had a day off. Whoo hoo!!

So did I waste it and do nothing?  Not a chance.  I drove to Sonoma to check out a vineyard,known for their sparkling wine.  Nope, it wasn't Mumm or Chandon.  I figured those would be way too crowded and I wanted to relax on my day off. 

Instead of hitting the ones you see all the time on the shelves, I decided to visit Gloria Ferrer -- and it was lovely. 

"I think it adds a year to your life by being a member of Gloria," said Ed and Jessica, who were enjoying a glass of the bubbly on the terrace.

Like me, they were relaxing while taking in the view of the grape vines and hills.  But unlike me, they weren't a first timer. They had been coming there for years and lived only 20 minutes away (it took me a little over an hour to drive there).

But I wasn't the only one out for a drive that day.

"We were on our way to Bogeda Bay on vacation. I asked him if he wanted to check out wineries or see the ocean. He said wineries. There was no hesitation," said another couple on the terrace.

Gloria Ferrer has a number of champagnes for you to try by the glass...and they have baguettes, cheese and other snacks you can buy to go with your wine. Bonus!

My glass of sparkling wine was delicious.  I tried their Blanc and Blanc.  It had pear undertones, wasn't sweet, but it also wasn't super smooth. I would get it though as it was reasonably priced at $28-- so not bad for what you pay.

Liking my sparking wine, I decided to be adventurous and try a few of their other wines.  Mainly because I had come all that way, but also because it was cheap to taste - only $2 for a tasting.
 
But before I tell you what I thought, I just want to remind you that I'm not a sommelier so my opinion is only my opinion. Plus, wine is like art; what I like, you might hate.
 
Anyway, now that we got that out of the way, let the wine tasting begin.

First up was their Pinot Noir Rose from 2008. I'm not going to really judge this one as the wine tasted a little corked -- which I'm hoping meant it was a bad bottle and not the entire vintage. This was the cheapest wine on their list.  If you like it, you can get 3 bottles for $25.

My second vintage was their 2007 Chardonnay for $18 a bottle. Now, Napa and Sonoma aren't known for the white wines.  They are famous for Pinot Noir, so I wasn't expecting much- yet I was hopeful just because the champagne wasn't bad.

I took a sip and...oak. It tasted like oak. If you like tasting the barrel then this is for you. I don't mind a little bit of oakiness in my Chardonnay, but this was all oak and no fruit.

I decided to give it another sip.  Yup, still oak -- with some buttery tones. It's as if they wanted to reach for the extremes of both flavors and got it. I'm not sure this one is for me, but for $2 for a taste, I'm glad I tried it.

The final taste on my list was the 2006 Rust Rock Pinot Noir.

I was worried about this one even though the woman told me this one was the red wine she would recommend. What made me worried was that she described it as "earthy." This is usually code for muddled flavors and no clear Pinot taste.

So I swirled my glass, sniffed...and swirled again.

Okay. Only a tinge of earth and a tinge of jam. Some real fruit coming though. I swirl again hoping to open the wine up more.

I sipped. Not bad. Not the best Pinot Noir, but not bad and much better than the two others I tried. This one is $40 a bottle.

But if you come here, I still think the champagne is the best.  And that's what they are famous for, so that's a good thing.