Christopher S. Nelson 
Restrictions on coronaviruses, wildfires and uncertain business conditions over the past two years have left many wineries in Sonoma County thinking about how to run their tasting rooms while staying in the dark.
Yet remarkably few local tasting places have closed during the pandemic. In fact, many are now booming after adjusting to the masses to offer more personalized tours to fewer guests willing to pay more for the extra attention.
More remarkable still, certain confident winegrowers opened new tasting rooms in the second half of 2021, to hell with the pandemic. They recognized that the thirst for wine tasting remains unquenchable no matter what the conditions, and that direct interaction with customers is the best way to sell immediately and retain customers.
Here are the tasting room’s most exciting debuts of 2021, all highly recommended for ringing in 2022. The focus here is on Healdsburg, which continues its run as a travel and tourist darling, and where some projects long delayed by politics, remodeling, wildfires and COVID-19 have finally come to fruition.
Abbot’s Passage Winery & Mercantile
Katie Bundschu established Abbot’s Passage in 2021 on the former Valley of the Moon Winery site in Glen Ellen (where vines were planted in 1863 and the stone cellar built in 1887). It’s his personal branch on his family’s Gundlach Bundschu wine tree. Many wine tastings take place at the tables in the olive grove, weather permitting.
There are also food and wine experiences among the old zinfandel vines, with crackers, cheeses, cold cuts, dried fruits and pickled vegetables, many of which are homemade. The flagship products are the Rhône-style reds, mixed in the field; the lively Sunblink, a blend of Roussanne, Marsanne and Grenache Blanc; and The Traverse, a Bordeaux-style red blend. Visitors can try out the shuffleboard courts at this kid-friendly and dog-friendly winery, and the Indoor Mercantile sells glassware, jewelry, hats, tote bags, and other goods chosen by Bundschu, which embraces women-owned businesses and local crafts.
777 Madrone Road, Glen Ellen, 707-939-3017, abbotspassage.com
Landing of Bacchus
This collective of six wineries with tasting rooms, a large plaza, event spaces, a rooftop terrace, pétanque grounds, picnic tables and a gourmet market opened at the end of the year. summer 2021 on the western outskirts of Healdsburg. It is one of the most ambitious and anticipated wine-centric venues to open in Sonoma County since the start of the pandemic and has already become a place to stay for families with children and dogs, and for families with children and dogs. wine lovers looking for hard to find wines.
Aldina Vineyards owners Al and Dina Lopez and their children, Monica and Francisco Lopez, took three years to build the Mediterranean-style facility, central plaza and family area of Frank’s Place outside the south wall , with pétanque, picnic tables, pipes. to music and opportunities to stroll and taste wines.
The tenants of the Bacchus Landing cellar, each with their own tasting bar and outdoor terraces, are Aldina Vineyards, AldenAlli, 13th & Third Wines, Montagne Russe, DOT Wine and Smith Story Wine Cellars. They are open Thursday through Monday for walk-in people, although appointments are recommended, and Tuesdays and Wednesdays by appointment. Most offer pairings, with bites from Bacchus Landing’s cuisine and market. Contact each winery, by phone or website, for details and reservations.
The program of events for 2022 includes Fundays Sundays starting in March, with food trucks and other activities; live music in the square on the first Saturday of each month, from April 2; a spring bazaar (May 7); Celebration of Independence Day weekend with live music and artisan dining experiences; and a pop-up art gallery (August 6).
A bonus: There is plenty of parking in the Bacchus Landing lot, which is equipped with several electric-car charging stations.
14210 Bacchus Landing Way, Healdsburg, bacchusland.com
Vineyards:
AldenAlli, 707-494-2045, aldenalli.com (chardonnay, pinot noir, zinfandel)
Aldina Vineyards, 707-799-1821, aldinavineyards.com (chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon)
DOT Wine, 707-385-9855, dotwinery.com (chardonnay, pinot noir, sparkling)
Roller Coaster, 855-467-8773, Russian wines.com (chardonnay, pinot noir, syrah, cabernet sauvignon)
Smith Story Wine Cellars, 707-494-5575, smithstorywinecellars.com (pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, sparkling wine)
13th and third wines, 917-940-6653, 13thandthirdwines.com (Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Viognier, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre)
Brooks Note Wine Cellar
Many great wines are produced from grapes grown in the Petaluma Gap (American Wine Zone) AVA, although the number of cellar tasting rooms in the town of Petaluma can be counted on the one hand. In August 2021, Garry Brooks added another finger by opening the Brooks Notes Winery tasting room downtown.
Brooks and his wife, Joanne Note, planted a small vineyard in Sonoma in 2002 while working in tech. In 2004, Brooks took a leap of faith and ditched technology to make wine. After starting at Ravenswood, he worked in production at Kosta Browne and Dutton Goldfield and also earned a degree in wine and viticulture at UC Davis. Brooks and Note started their label with the 2011 harvest. Current releases include Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, a Grenache / Syrah / Mourvèdre blend, and Cabernet Sauvignon, all made in small batches. The departure flight is $ 25; a tasting of five Pinots Noirs, with a cheese plate, costs $ 40; six wines from a single vineyard, accompanied by cheese and cold cuts, costs $ 75.
426, boulevard Petaluma N., Petaluma, 707-981-8470, brooksnotewinery.com
Jeff Cohn Cellars
Jeff Cohn worked for years as the director of winemaking at zinfandel superstar Rosenblum Cellars in Alameda. Concurrently, he created JC Cellars in 1996. In a long, long story short, Kent Rosenblum sold his cellar and brand to the Diageo company, and Cohn pushed all of his chips into JC Cellars, later renamed Jeff Cohn Cellars.
After building their brand, Cohn and his wife and business partner, Alexandra, finally established a tasting room in downtown Sonoma. In June 2021, they moved to Healdsburg to be closer to the wineries whose grapes they buy and to the Grand Cru Custom Crush in Windsor, where Jeff produces the wines. He describes the wines as “shameless”: Zinfandels, Syrahs, Grenaches, Mourvèdres and Viogniers Blancs from Rhône varietals, Roussannes, Marsannes and Grenache Blancs which remain wonderfully balanced for their robust nature. Tastings of five wines cost $ 35; the private tasting Vault ($ 60) includes eight reserve-level wines, served in a private tasting room.
34 North Street, Healdsburg, 707-938-8343, jeffcohncellars.com
Marine Layered Wines
Baron Ziegler and winemaker Rob Fischer were among the founders of Banshee Wines in downtown Healdsburg in 2012 – a tasting room that attracted the young wine drinkers so coveted by many older wineries. The partners sold a majority stake in the business to Foley Family Wines in 2018 and Ziegler and Fischer went on to create Marine Layer Wines, producing some truly exceptional Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs from the cool climate vineyards of the Sonoma Coast.
After leaving Banshee, Ziegler rented out the former Flight Deck Tasting Lounge (across from Center Street in Banshee) for Marine Layer and launched a major remodel of the space, now with an inviting mix of stylish, crisp and relaxed decor. . Seats are on sofas, in front of a closed glass fireplace and in a long bar. After experiencing delays related to the pandemic, Ziegler opened the 3,200 square foot space in September 2021, offering five wine flights for $ 35 and five wines with a soon-to-open Little Saint mezze plate that includes dips, spreads, homemade crackers and raw vegetables, for $ 50.
308 B Center St., Healdsburg, 707-473-8214, marinelayerwines.com
Knights Bridge Wine Cellar
For several years, Knights Bridge Winery owner Jim Bailey and his partners have served their estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnays at a tasting room located in the former National Bank Calistoga building in the center. -City of Calistoga. Today, Bailey and his wife, Kelley, hosted tastings at their Knights Valley estate with the opening of a wine production plant and tasting room in eastern Sonoma County.
The estate’s cellar processed its first fruits in 2021, although grapes have been planted there for over 160 years. The living room, which debuted in December, has a view of Mount St. Helena and the vineyards to the east, visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Upon entering the state-of-the-art production facility, guests follow the same route as the grapes, passing five custom tulip-shaped concrete tanks, through the barrel cave, and into a natural skylight. filled with art for private seated tastings of wines, as well as local cheeses and cold cuts. The wines, produced by Doug Danielak since 2006, are elegant and sober – I would dare say French classic – with a fruity character balanced by savory notes and robust tannins for aging.
Call the salon at 707-341-3391 or email [email protected] for more information, appointments and tasting fees.
17134 Spencer Lane, Calistoga, chevaliersbridgewinery.com
Wines of La Prenda
Ned Hill, owner of La Prenda Vineyard Management, operates several sites in the Sonoma Valley. A few years ago he started producing wines from his customers’ grapes and selling them under the Sonoma Collection and La Prenda labels. In October 2021, Hill and his wife, Erika, opened a tasting room in downtown Sonoma to showcase the wines made from the grapes they grow. Their portfolio is broad, including sparklers, pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir, malbec and Bordeaux-style red blends.
Tastings cost $ 20 for the Sonoma Valley Tasting, $ 25 for the Signature Tasting and $ 35 for the Reserve and Library Tasting. Most of the wines, produced by former Schug Vineyards winemaker Mike Cox, are well priced and are classic examples of what Sonoma (and some Napa) grapes can produce. It is a great place to taste a wide range of wines at a reasonable price.
535 First St. W., Sonoma, 707-938-7228, laprendawine.com
