Best of Sonoma

• Benzinger Winery's tractor-tram tour of its biodynamic vineyards
• A self-guided stroll through the vines of Foppiano
• The wine-and-food pairing at Kendall-Jackson Wine Center
• Walking around the historic town of Sonoma

Sonoma Wineries

Benziger Winery Sonoma Mountain AVA. With all of my talk of fog and Pinots in the preamble above, Benziger actually lies north of where the Sonoma County fog usually reaches, and they produce Bordeaux varietals rather than Pinots. Their winery, on hilly slopes, is divided into 29 growing regions called "wine blocks," which are suitable for different grape varietals. Benziger practices biodynamic farming, which is a major undertaking. In addition to growing everything organically, they grow plants that encourage the right kinds of insects to populate their vineyard. This series of plants is referred to as the "bug highway." At this winery, I observed black-colored bees for the first time. I am confident they were bees, not flies; they buzz, have stingers, and collect pollen. Benziger's wines are good, especially Oonapais, a biodynamic Bordeaux blend.

DeLoach Vineyards Russian River AVA. DeLoach does not grow their own grapes. If you look at their vineyards, you will see the vines are too young to produce grapes. But DeLoach has style. With the grapes they source from other vineyards, they create excellent wines. Their Forgotten Vines Zinfandel is truly sui generis. I am eager for a few years to pass so we can experience a DeLoach estate wine.

Foppiano Vineyards Russian River AVA. Foppiano is an old vineyard. Founded in 1896, they are one of the few pre-Prohibition vineyards which have survived to this day. Foppiano has a spectacular self-guided walking tour through its vineyard. Other wineries have self-guided tours, but they show barrels and crushers, not vines. Have you wondered about the characteristics of mature versus young vines? Do you know how frost is controlled through heaters spread throughout the vineyard? Have you seen and tasted how Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Syrah, and Chardonnay grapes on the vine differ? OK, I'm not sure if we're actually supposed to taste the grapes; I don't even know if Foppiano uses pesticides. But I can tell you that Cabernet Savignon grapes taste remarkable, even before they're fully ripe.

Hop Kiln Winery Hop Kiln is a boutique winery, producing 10,000 cases of wine/year. The structure that houses the winery was originally a hop-drying barn, built in 1905. Hop Kiln is known for some of its red blends, such as Big Red.

Kendall-Jackson Wine Center Kendall-Jackson is a major wine producer with international distribution channels. They have vineyards in multiple California regions, including Knight's Valley (Sonoma), Arroyo Seco (Monterey), and Santa Maria Bench (Santa Barbara), from which they produce very good single-vineyard estate wines. At their wine center, you can enjoy an excellent wine and food pairing that uses vegetables and herbs from their on-site garden. A member of their culinary team, such as the entertaining and knowledgeable Chef Matthew Lowe, will come to your table to discuss the pairings.

Arista Winery Russian River AVA. This small, family-run operation was founded in 2002. Their vines are too young to bear fruit, so they source grapes from other Russian River Valley vineyards and produce single-vineyard Pinot Noirs and well as blends from multiple Pinot crops. Arista's wines showcase the variety of flavors that can result from a single varietal in a single region.

Ledson Winery & Vineyards Sonoma Valley AVA. Ledson's winery is, for obvious reasons if you look at the photos, known as "the castle." It is opulent, inside and out. Ledson does not distribute their wines to any stores or restaurants; all purchases must be made directly with the winery. Despite the slight Disneyesque character of the winery, they are actually serious about producing excellent wines, especially reds.

St. Francis Winery & Vineyards Sonoma Valley AVA. St. Francis produces fuller-bodied reds than many other Sonoma wineries — Zinfandels (some of the best I've had), Syrahs, and Bordeaux varietals, but no Pinots (which can be a relief after the emphasis so many other Sonoma wineries put on Pinots). Although not all of their wines come from their own estate — they produce Syrah on their estate, which is often blended into the wines they produce — they do source all of their grapes from Sonoma.
Limerick Lane Russian River AVA. All of Limerick Lane's wines are grown and bottled on its estate vineyard, Collins' Vineyard, in the Russian River Valley. This winery is 100 years old, and the old vine zinfandel is fantastic.
Michel-Schlumberger Dry Creek AVA. I've enjoyed every one of Michel-Schlumberger's wines that I've tried, particularly their reserve wines (Deux Terres Cabernet Sauvignon & Coteaux Sauvages) which were not merely delicious but also interesting. All of their wines are estate grown and organically farmed, and the tasting room is in a pretty, Spanish Mission-style building.
Bella Vineyards and Wine Caves Dry Creek AVA. Bella is a very pleasant winery to visit, with a beautiful, hilly setting and tastings that take place in the wine caves. Bella makes single-vineyard red wines from its Dry Creek and Alexander Valley vineyards.

Sonoma County Towns

Sonoma Sonoma is a lovely town, with a large, grassy plaza in the center and Spanish-style buildings on all four sides, including some historical gems such as the mission founded by a Spanish priest in 1823. It was here in Sonoma that the Bear Flag revolt ended Mexican rule of California in 1846. Sonoma was, in fact, the capital of the California Republic until California became a part of the United States (this didn't last long, however, as independence from Mexico was won in June and California joined the United States in July). The town is small — only about 10,000 residents — but probably because of the wine and tourism industries, it has wonderful restaurants.

Healdsburg Healdsburg, located further north than the town of Sonoma, is similar in size to Sonoma. Healdsburg also has good restaurants, a central plaza, and tons of charm. However, it lacks the Spanish influence that, in my opinion, makes Sonoma so interesting.