Ultimate California Wine Blog

Sebastiani Vineyards and Winery is one of the old stalwarts of Sonoma, having been in business for just a hundred years. Their vineyards are even older. In 1904, Samuele Sebastiani purchased vineyards that had been planted by the Franciscans back in 1825. Samuele’s son, August, took over the winery in 1944 and increased the production exponentially, introducing America to "Nouveau" Gamay Beaujolais, and gaining a reputation as a skilled winemaker.

The current facilities lie just a few walking blocks away from picturesque downtown Sonoma Square. It is a lovely walk, by the way, as you past many historic buildings. The building facilities are large and daunting and the entrance to the tasting room is awe-inspiring with its tremendous bounty of booty to be purchased.

I will frequently bemoan the wine-related tschotchkes that are peddled in most commercial tasting centers, but I have to admit that the sheer volume AND quality of plates, decorative items, jewelry, housewares, and clothing at Sebastiani has yet to be surpassed. The other surprising factor (for me, at any rate), was the quality of the wine. Being a baby-boomer, there is a certain reputation that certain wines have by virtue of having been served "by the carafe" to my parents when I was growing up.

2004 Pinot Noir Blanc (Eye of the Swan) – A Pinot that sees skin contact for 24 hours. Rather nice balance of acid and a touch of sweetness. Bright entry blossoms in the mouth for a full, creamy finish that suggests banana. $13.00

2003 Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast – Massive fruit bomb. Somewhat harsh coffee, strawberry entry levels out to a smoother finish of vanilla. $15.00

2002 Pinot Noir, Carneros – Oaky aromas slowly hint at a jammy cherry bouquet and a hint of petrol. Acidic mid-palate and a rather strident finish. $24.00

2001 Zinfandel, Sonoma County – Enticing smoky raspberry and lavender notes anticipates the mouth feel quite nicely. A fruit forward finish with a touch of spice. $15.00

2002 Domenici Zinfandel – Fruit bomb aromas of jammy raspberry which fade to produce a little candy shop spice. Velvety entry produces a balanced, even taste with a slight spiced punctuated finish. My pick of the tasting! $25.00

2001 Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County – Green bell pepper scents subsides to produce overtly blackberry tones. Herby mid-palate finishes in spicy qualities. $17.00

2001 Cabernet Sauvignon, "Cherryblock" – Very fruit-forward, jammy aromas of dark fruit and a touch of oak. Opulent-style apparent on entry with a hot mid-palate that will subside with aging. A balanced, mineral finish didn’t disappoint. $75.00

2004 Sylvia Sebastiani’s Symphony – Symphony is a hybrid grape developed by Dr. Harold Olmo of UC Davis comprised of Alexandria Muscat and Grenache. This wine is grown in the Clarksburg Appellation in Yolo County. The wine is a light straw color and being over 3% residual sugar, is a tad sweet. Aromas and flavors of grapefruit and more subtle tropical fruits. $15.00

I was delighted to hear German-born Walter Schug speak at the tenth annual Taste of Sonoma celebration held at Copia a few months back. He was part of a six-person panel comprised of other local winery owners, growers, and winemakers. Having started out as a grape grower for Gallo, Schug has seen more than fifty harvests in California. In helping Joseph Phelps establish the Phelps winery in 1973, Schug made his first Pinot Noir.  Those years at Phelps were breakthrough years as it enabled Schug to spearhead the establishment of what is now known as the Carneros Appellation.

Tapping into his German heritage, he explained that there is often a joke that Germans have one long leg and one short leg for working the mountain vineyards in Germany.  In Carneros, the workers have no necks as there are almost constant strong winds. These strong winds force the grapes to grow thicker skins for protection. And while it is perfect Pinot country,  he lamented that it would also be the perfect appellation for Riesling and Gewurztraminer grapes… if there were a market for such grapes.

Finding the winery to taste Schug’s wine takes a little perseverance.  At the pseudo-three-way intersection of Highways 116 and 121 sits a small, innocuous delicatessen, Carneros Deli. Immediately to the side of the deli is an access road which, if you drive along long enough, leads you to the front gate of Schug, up and around a small hill, and ultimately to a small German-heritage styled building which houses the winemaking facilities and tasting room.

The tasting room is small but the reception and warmth which lies within is large. During my last visit, the bloke who poured for me was the very one who was there during my last visit, well over five years ago. They are friendly and informative and the wines themselves are extremely impressive in an age of over-priced, bombastic fruit bombs.

2003 Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma County – Having seen just a tad bit of oak, this classic offering of Sauvignon Blanc presented warm and soft tropical notes on the nose. The mouth entry was a surprise with crisp, bright grapefruit which immediately softened to a clean, spicy melon finish. $15.00

2003 Chardonnay, Carneros – Inoculated in new barrels, I was surprised at how pale in color this Chardonnay was. Light, apple and tropical notes just barely tantalized before displaying deeper pear tones. Elegantly balanced with even acidity providing a very clean, tangy finish. $20.00

2003 Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast – Jammy plum aromas are somewhat the antitheses to the bright raspberry and cherry mouth entry. Acidic mid-palate provides a nice balance to the somewhat dry finish. $16.00

2003 Pinot Noir, Carneros – Oak aromas present themselves upfront which pair nicely with the warm, soft entry of cherry and dark berry. There is a brightness in the mid-palate which is punctuated at the end with a spicy finish. $20.00

2002 Pinot Noir, Carneros, "Heritage Reserve" – Barrel aged 16 months, this incredibly dark, spicy wine showed immense amounts of dark berry along with cinnamon and clove aromas. The velvety entry was supple and hinted at some of the toasty oak underneath. A dry, spicy finish highlighted the mouthfeel of this exceptional offering. $30.00

2001 Merlot, Sonoma Valley – Huge jammy dark fruit subsides to hint at just a whisper of bell pepper on the nose. A tight entry blossoms to dark, full-bodied fruit with a dry, spicy finish. $20.00

Schug ~ 602 Bonneau Road ~ Sonoma ~ CA ~ 95476 ~ 800-966-9365