Ultimate California Wine Blog

Imagery touts itself as more than just a winery. It is no secret that I hold in high regard wineries that support the arts, but Benziger-owned Imagery goes far beyond simply supporting the arts; they call themselves "Estate Winery and Art Gallery." And what an art gallery it is – on the walls and on the bottles. Every single Imagery release has a decidedly unique, artist-designed label that must include an image or allusion to the Parthenon. On most winery websites, there are biographies of the owners and the winemaker. Here, there is also a biography of Bob Nugent, the curator of the continually growing exhibit which began with their first bottling in 1985. Nugent not only curates the in-house exhibit, but is an accomplished artist in his own right, and a tenured professor of art at local Sonoma State University.

It would be easy to continue to expound the virtues of Nugent and the art, but other factors need to be taken into consideration — like architecture and atmosphere. The building complex is appropriately moderne with some natural rock united with industrial siding reminiscent of any metropolitan city’s artist lofts. A garden, an instructional walkway, and alluring landscaping all comprise what awaits the visitor.

The sales area is not only filled with the expected retail items, but many artistically-befitting items which carry on the whimsical themes viewed throughout. The tasting bar is large, but does not impede the view to the number of galleries which lie behind it. The staff, even when deluged with customers, are gracious and helpful.

With all the accolades laid upon the visuals of Imagery, it is in due course that I should mention the wine. Imagery was started by Joe Benziger as a sister winery to his family’s larger endeavor, Benziger. As I have yet to blog the older sibling, I can only imagine that Imagery is the playful youngster; a place where Joe can have fun in his craft. I am only guessing, but it comes about from the interesting varietals that are found at Imagery – fun, intriguing, and with exception of a Cabernet Sauvignon (which I did not taste), not your grandfather’s wines:

2004 WOW Oui – An blend of Sauvignon Blanc with Muscat Canelli. An initial sweet smell confirms the Muscat grape but the overt grapefruit entry almost overwhelms. Some floral, but the grapefruit predominates. $24.00

2003 White Burgundy – A blend of 60% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Blanc, and 10% Pinot Meunier produces a wine that is pale yellow in color with a combination of aromas of both pineapple and butter and hints of tropical fruit. A surprisingly sweet entry shows butterscotch but mostly it feels like a sugar-coated California Chardonnay while trying towards a French sensibility. $27.00

2002 Malbec – Initial jammy aromas subside to show more black pepper and tobacco. The muscular entry thins to produce plum and mineral. Exotic at first entry and muskier than most. $36.00

2002 Stone Dragon Syrah – Dark, purple/black to the very edge. Fully concentrated with roasted almond and mineral qualities in the nose. Huge and full in the mouth, the lingering aroma and chewy mouthfeel has a punch at the end showing great umph. $35.00

2002 Petite Sirah – Intensely concentrated and an almost solidly black wine. Dark jammy black raspberry and blackberry couple with clove and pepper. Exotic and erotic Middle Eastern spices in the finish including cardamom and sumac. $36.00

2003 Petite Sirah Port (500 mL) – Everything the 2002 has in flavors and aromas except concentrated into a syrupy liqueur lovliness accentuated with dried floral qualities behind the jamminess. Not just sex in a glass – this is complete copulation with orgasm. $32.00

Imagery Estate Winery and Art Gallery ~ 14335 Highway 12 ~ Glen Ellen ~ CA ~ 95442 ~ 877-550-4278

Arrowood Vineyards was started by Richard Arrowood in 1986 while he was making wines for Chateau St. Jean. In the beginning, it was just he and his wife, Alis Demers Arrowood, working alone. Richard didn’t just up and quit Chateau St. jean to start his own winery. For the first several years, it was Alis who worked the cellar, offered tours, and managed the business while Richard held down both jobs. Their first release was in 1988 and fame quickly followed.

Now, with over a dozen varietals offered through Arrowood’s tasting room, I should have actually listed them under six of Sonoma’s thirteen appellations, as their wines are made from Alexander Valley, Dry Creek, Knight’s Valley, Russian River, Carneros, and greater Sonoma vineyards. The large, gleaming white building complex shares an entrance way with Imagery Winery on the Sonoma Highway so I have blanketed them under the Sonoma Valley appellation.

Their tasting room is expansive and open with the bar area set in front of large, inviting windows which provides natural light that is warm and spacious. The staff are informed and helpful, especially with the obscure questions that tends to come from one such as I. While there are some of the expected offerings of Merlot, Chardonnay, and Cabernet, I tried to keep my tasting geared more towards some of the unusual varietals:

2001 Pinot Blanc, Saralee’s Vineyard – Pale, straw colored has an initial aroma of sweet melon and kiwi. Easy and creamy in its entry, delicate pear that is elegant and smooth. $25.00

2002 Côte de Lune Blanc, Saralee’s Vineyard – An unusual blend of white Rhone varietals; Roussanne, Marsanne, and Viognier.  Astonishingly bright floral subsides to show some tropical fruit with hints of grapefruit underneath. Effervescent entry displays more of the floral qualities also reveals hints of minerality. $20.00

2004 Gewürztraminer, Saralee’s Vineyard – Alsatian styled with low residual sugar, there is a definite surprise at the complexity in floral, grapefruit, and sweet aromas. The mouth entry is easy and mirrors the floral qualities, but brightens to produce a bubble-gum finish. $20.00

2000 Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County – This wine spent 30 months in both French and American oak and was culled from 15 different vineyards. A modicum of Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot is blended in to reveal layers of anise, black pepper, and green bell pepper behind the dark fruit. A cassis-dominated entry pairs with black licorice to show chew spice. Would love to taste again in ten or fifteen years. $45.00

2000 Syrah, Saralee’s Vineyard – Blended with 5% Viogner, purple and inky dark in color demonstrates black cherry, smoky spiced anise, and burnt grass. Spiced jammy entry continues in smokiness with hints of green bell pepper. $39.00

2000 Syrah, Sonoma Valley – Inky blackness in the glass transcends to ripe, blackberry liqueur with soy sauce. Perfumey and heady in its BBQ qualities that does not seem to end. $35.00

2003 Select Late Harvest White Riesling, Alexander Valley – Choosing grapes with Botrytis cinera, this lovely dessert wine is exceedingly clean with tones of light honey and bright, fresh orange blossoms. Easy and not overtly sweet, despite its 9.3% residual sugar. Lovely… $25.00

Arrowood ~ 14347 Sonoma Highway ~ Glen Ellen ~ CA ~ 95442 ~ 707-935-2600

If you like word games, than Navillus Birney has a great one for you to play with. Write the world Navillus on a piece of paper and hold it up in a mirror. Yep, Navillus is actually Sullivan in reverse. It seems that when Rick Sullivan and Jonelle Birney Sullivan started their winery back in 1998, they understandably wanted to put their name on their label. And they did so for several years, while their wines gained in fame and following. Little did they know that another Sullivan Vineyards, having made wine out of Napa for twenty-some years, would add a level of confusion between the two… They did the next best thing by keeping their name but reversing the letters.

While their actual wine-making facility is adjacent to their home on Sonoma Mountain Road, the Sullivans have made the heart of Glen Ellen in Sonoma home for their tasting room. They purchased the historic "Mercantile" building which was built in 1920 and the room is lovingly decorated with amazing displays of local historic celebrities, most notably, M.F.K. Fisher (whose own house was a mere two blocks away).

While only presenting two varietals (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir),
Navillus Birney has something special going for them; Rolando Herrera
as winemaker. I have written about Herrera in other blog entries as
well as other published articles and he is a winemaker whom I am
keeping an eye on for both future and present greatness.  Out-of-the way and definitely charming, Navillus Birney makes a perfect lunchtime stop as they are in a neighborhood of some exceptional hidden restaurants including The Fig Cafe and Glen Ellen Inn Restaurant.

2003 Sonoma Mt. Chardonnay - 100% malo shows classic kiwi, lemon, and grapefruit notes. Clear in its bright yellow color, a fruit-forward mouth entry has a tangy, bright finish. $30.00

2003 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay – 100% malo. Yellow in color that is almost fluorescent, effusive citrus in nose and flavor that blossoms to show lime and a finish of lemon peel. $30.00

2002 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir – Light garnet and slightly cloudy with orange tint on the edge. Initial aromas of earthy brett, dark herbs, and mushrooms with pale, cherry fruit. A slightly effervescent entry subsides to display anise in the mid-palate and perfumey finish of dried roses. $28.00

2002 Sonoma Mt. Pinot Noir, Katherine Vineyard – Ruby color throughout produces an earthy raspberry aroma with a tease of smoke. The entry is at first dusty with cocoa and clove spice, and brightens to show a heather floral finish. $34.00

Navillus Birney Winery & Vineyards ~ 13647 Arnold Drive ~ Glen Ellen ~ CA ~ 95442 ~ 707-933-8514

From the delight of a personal invitation, I was honored to visit and sit down with Jason Passalacqua at his Dry Creek winery. He has the enigma of being a relative newcomer on the block with his winery, but also having  four generations of history on which to build his business. Sound confusing? Not really…

Jason is a local, having grown up in a family that was making wine as early as 1930. His parents were growing grapes and, like most upstart kids not wanting to be in the family business, Jason dashed off to earn his own way in the Silicon Valley during the dot-com boom. But family and friends and a desire for a slower life brought him back home and in November of 2003 he purchased the historic Pezzi King Winery putting his own name on the shingle (now I have to investigate where Pezzi King moved to…). He and his wife, Noelle, spent several months making it their own and in March of 2004, Passalacqua Winery was officially born.

The winery has a lot of great things going for it. Outside, there is an enclave of picnic tables, some under private arbors, others on a wooden deck adjacent to the tasting room. Fountains and cobblestone pathways intersect herb and flower-bedecked trellises. Because of the slight hillside on which the estate lies (apparently the only one in the valley!), a unique vantage point of meandering vineyards is the view from these alluring grounds.

The newly decorated tasting room has been repainted in lighter more inviting tones than the darker, more maudlin colors which existed when Pezzi King was in residence. Regarding the wine’s availability, herein lies another remarkable difference; the wine is only obtainable at the estate itself or through its wine club — it is not distributed whatsoever. At a production level of 4,000 to 5,000 cases and with a great following, many of the wines are already sold out. There is no charge to taste in the main room, but a private back room is under development which Jason informs may include some light fare along the lines of cheese or tapenade to pair with the wine for a modest fee.

2003 Alexander Valley Sauvignon Blanc – Light and clear, an initial aroma of lemon and cream tantalizes with a hint of sweetness (undoubtedly from the Muscat clone from which the vine is grown). Bright, floral qualities show easily upon the mouth entry but blossomed to a fresh herbal grass with elements of the elegant Japanese shiso leaf. $15.00

2004 Chardonnay – An unreleased wine which I was privileged to taste. 30% malo fermented in 25% new American oak shows sweet fruit in a Sauvignon Blanc style, producing a modicum of cat pea aroma (which I have never minded). Dried floral in aromas and taste, accentuated with a crisp, teasing finish. Not yet priced.

2002 Dry Creek Valley "Old Vine" Zinfandel – From vines that average 70 years old, this wine saw 25% new French oak and was clear and medium ruby in color. I was initially astonished by the floral tones of dried lavender and heather which were matrixed with spicy black pepper and dark fruit. A jammy entry showed both some of the dustiness of the heather but also heightened spice, especially in the mid-palate. Long, even finish with a touch of wood. $29.00

2003 Sonoma Valley Zinfandel – Made from both Russian River and Dry Creek fruit, this was another unreleased wine which showed light garnet in color. Enticing aroma of jammy plum, clove, and a hint of eucalyptus. Even, moderate fruit flavor which demonstrated more even, dried floral qualities on the finish. No price yet available.

2002 Sonoma County Merlot – Much of this fruit was obtained from the Carneros region so it is no surprise that bright, distinguished cherry qualities are initially evident. These tones give way to well-integrated floral and dried twigs in the nose which mirrors in the mouthfeel of subtle smoothness. Elegant lavender and sweet herbs highlight the mid-palate and a hint of menthol reveals itself on the finish. $19.00

2002 Dry Creek Valley, "J.R. Passalacqua" Cabernet Sauvignon – Dark, purplish color shows initial qualities of dried twigs, dried flowers, and a hint of green bell pepper, all beneath a full showing of dark berry fruit. Black raspberry and cassis integrate with spice and cocoa in the mouth entry which subsides to reveal hints of lavender and heather. The balanced tannins finish in an enticing, dusty finish. $40.00

Passalacqua Winery ~ 3805 Lambert Bridge Road ~ Healdsburg ~ CA ~ 95448 ~ 877-825-5547

Lambert Bridge Winery is a minor anomoly in the Dry Creek appellation — in an area known for peppery, spicy Zinfandels and crisp, fruit-forward Chardonnays, Lambert Bridge’s mission is that of Merlot. They want to make the best Merlot possible.

Named after the historic Lambert trestle bridge which lies nearby, Lambert Bridge was initially started by Gerard Lambert in 1969. Gerard must have considered it divine providence to find such an estate as he was not remotely related to the C.L. Lambert after whom the bridge was named in 1920.

The current building is stunningly beautiful with private gardens and a dark wood-construction that is warm and inviting with its vine-covered entrance. The opening to the tasting room reveals a large, expansive bar set centre-stage in the room marked with vaulted ceilings and elegant darkwood. The tasting room staff are obviously enjoying themselves and their gregarious nature rubs off easily on the guests.

While surprisingly busy (by their account), the feeling of comraderie and ease is prevelant. No stress and no hard sell on the wine – just a relaxed, enjoyable atmosphere. Adjacent to the main tasting room is the Reserve Wines section, which is also their barrel room. Purposefully darkened, atmospheric candles were lit and placed amongst the barrels which added a touch of elegance.

2003 Sauvignon Blanc, Dry Creek Valley – Aromatic with florals, some intriguing light citrus, and the faint hint of grass. Crisp entry stays fruit forward to the bright, acidic finish. $16.00

2003 Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley – Medium ruby color produces an easy, balanced Merlot-like fruitiness in the nose. Heightened mid-palate shows more fruit which diminishes to produce herbs on the tail end. $24.00

2002 Old Vine Cuvée, Bacchi Vineyards – 70% Zinfandel and 30% Petite Sirah with vines from 98-year-old vineyards from Limerick Lane in the Russian River Valley. Well-integrated red brambleberry and dried floral qualities predominate. Black pepper shows up in the mid-palate and combines well with red fruit to produce an even, velvety finish. $32.00

2002 Merlot, Sonoma County – I’m curious why the Merlot was poured after the Zinfandel, usually it is the other way around. I was then told this was their flagship, signature wine so it is best to pour last for showing purposes, but I somewhat question that decision. This Merlot shows classic Dry Creek terroir qualities of dried floral aromas, with well-integrated, medium-balanced fruit in the mouth. Slightly elevated tannins produced a dry mid-palate, but all-in-all, an easy drinking wine. $26.00

From The Reserve Room

2002 Syrah, Teldeschi Vineyards – Delightfully aromatic, showing dark, rich jammy fruit with some hints of minerality. Spicy and enticing flavors don’t dissapoint. $30.00

2002 Cabernet Franc, Jones Vineyards – Dark berry and mineral qualities are layered and evenly balanced. Medium in intensity and ripe spice produces a rich offering. $30.00

2001 Crane Creek Cuvée, Dry Creek Valley – A Bordeaux-blend comprised of 70% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 7% ‘other’ shows nice, integrated aromas of dark spice, brown toast, and then some surprising green bell pepper. The initial flavor was more green than I expected with brighter fruit flavors than the earlier dark aromas indicated. $50.00

Lambert Bridge Winery ~ 4085 West Dry Creek ~ Healdsburg ~ CA ~ 95448 ~ 800-975-0555