Leg 2: Sonoma County Wineries
Winery 6: De Loach Vineyards
Nestled in the Russian River Valley, De Loach Vineyards produces some excellent Pinot Noir and has a reputation of producing America's Burgundy. In addition their Chardonnay's and Zinfandels are award winning with Wine Spectator saying they produce some of the finest Chardonnay's.
Our $10 tasting consisted of choosing 5 wines from a selection of 15. We choose the 2006 Kent Richie Chardonnay, 2006 O.F.S Chardonnay, 2006 Green Valley Pinot Noir, 2006 Russian River Valley Zinfandel and 2006 O.F.S. Pinot Noir. We loved the 2006 Kent Richie Chardonnay and the 2006 OFS Pinot Noir.
The Chardonnay was rich, with ripe flavors of pear and apple well balanced with a creamy mid-palate. The Pinot Noir was bold exhibiting a bouquet of cherry with a nice finish. We loved the Chard and Pinot and shipped both bottles home.
WInery 7: Rodney Strong Winery: Larege well known winery located off of Highway 101 in Healdsburg. Rodney Strong produces wines sourced from great Sonoma appelations: Chalk Hill, Russian River Valley and Alexander Valley. 
We had a great tasting of some fabulous Chardonnays,Cabernets and Pinot Noirs. The 2006 Russian River Valley Chardonnay was full bodied with a creamy texture, some oak with hints of apple and lemon. I loved this one because of its balance of oak and the long finish. We also had a tasitng of the 2005 Reserve Pinot Noir Jane Vineyards. Rich, with apparent aromas of cherry and earth aged in French Oak barrels.
A great winery, which also had entertainment-a concert which was scheduled for later that evening. All in all a nice tasting for a fee. At this point I am noticing that the Sonoma wineries don't charge as much for their tastings as compared to Napa. But when you enjoy wine, I guess who cares..money is of no concern?
Winery 8: Simi Winery. The Simi tasting room is located along Healdsburg Ave in Sonoma County, The room is not deep in the vally but along a very busy main street in Sonoma County. None the less we visited and drank some fine Cabernets. Simi produces a great Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Wine Enthusiast rated the 1998 and 1998 vintages 93+. We had a tasting of the 2004 Cab Reserve and it was rich and full bodied.
I'm sorry to say that we neglected to buy a botlle of the Reserve because I'm having a hard time finding it now in my local wine shops.
Winery 9: La Crema
A fairly well known winery producing some good, not so over-priced wines. Again,the tasting room was not in the valley, but on the main street in Healdsburg. The main street in Healdsburg has some great little restaurants and shops so it pays to go into town when you need a diversion form drinking!
Located in Healdsburg,California, La Crema produces some fine Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The tasting fee was a nominal $10 and our tasting consisted of 4 wines. We had a tasting of the 2006 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir. Nice Pinot sourced from the Anderson Valley and some Russian River Valley. The wine had a great bouquet of cherry and bark. We also had a tasting of the 2006 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir sourced from 90% Russian River Valley grapes and 10% Sonoma Coast grapes. Also a nice wine. The Chardoanny was the 2006 Russian River Valley Chardonnay with a great bouquet of pear and butterscotch and just the right amount of oak. All in all another fine tasting for a "not so lavish" fee.
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