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La Crema

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La Crema Estate at Saralee Vineyard

La Crema Estate at Saralee Vineyard

Estate at Saralee’s Vineyard:3575 Slusser Rd, Windsor, CA 95492

Website: https://www.lacrema.com/russian-river-estate-2/

La Crema has two locations in the Russian River Valley.  Their Estate at Saralee’s Vineyard provides a full wine country experience with private seated tastings, tours of the property, and picnic tables.  The second location is a tasting room in downtown Healdsburg with a much more casual, lounge type of vibe.  I’ve always considered La Crema to be a household name.  It’s one of the first wines I was introduced to, and I became a fan of their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay right away.  That’s what drew me into visiting.

La Crema tasting room in downtown Healdsburg

La Crema tasting room in downtown Healdsburg

It’s been a few years since my husband and I first visited the tasting room.  I was excited for it because I always liked their wines, and the in-person experience tends to make it even better!  The tasting room is right off the square in downtown Healdsburg.  It looks very modern inside with stark white walls and wide open space.  There’s a tasting bar near the front entrance and a second reserve tasting room in the back.  Since I was already familiar with the standard La Crema wines, I opted to do a reserve tasting.

La Crema Reserve tasting lounge in downtown Healdsburg

La Crema Reserve tasting lounge in downtown Healdsburg

The reserve room is set up like a lounge with a big L-shaped comfy couch in one corner.  There was a group of people there when we arrived, which is to be expected for a popular winery toward the end of the day.  My husband and I stood around for a bit trying to be patient.  Unfortunately no one acknowledged us for a while, and once we worked our way in to let the host know we wanted to do a tasting, we got minimal explanations of what was being poured.  Unfortunately I left feeling bummed about our mediocre experience.

I insisted on waiting to write about La Crema because I felt they needed a second chance.  This time I wanted to visit the estate.  It took a few years to arrange that, but now I feel like I’ve had the true experience.  My husband and I set up a private tasting at the Estate at Saralee’s Vineyard.  The estate is tucked away down some back roads.  The main tasting room looks like a lodge centered in the middle of a vineyard.  Out front were some people enjoying a beautiful day at some picnic tables.  A hostess greeted us as we approached the front entrance.  We were set up for a seated tasting on the back patio looking out over the vineyard.

Tasting bar inside La Crema estate

Tasting bar inside La Crema estate

To get to the patio, we walked through the sleek looking tasting room.  The front half had tiled floors and colorful paintings on the walls.  The ceilings were paneled in wood to give that lodge feel.  The space was expansive.  In one corner there were comfy chairs for individuals to lounge around.  Across the room was a counter for purchases.  Toward the back of the room where the patio was located, there was another stand-up tasting bar with people gathered around it, as well as additional high-top tables for indoor tastings.  There were lots of people there, but it didn’t feel crowded at all because it was so spacious.  The outside patio was covered to provide shade and there were several tables set up for groups of 2-4.  It was so serene.  We had a hostess who came directly to our table to pour 6 wines and educate us on the vineyards they came from.  We started off with a sparkling rosé and then tried two chardonnays and three pinot noirs.  These were single vineyard wines that are not mass produced and they were all lovely.  I was so much happier with this experience than the tasting room.  I’m glad I visited the estate.

Tasting notes from La Crema Estate tasting

Tasting notes from La Crema Estate tasting

I certainly don’t want to give a bad impression of the tasting room.  We happened to be there when they were busy and didn’t get the service we were looking for.  However, it’s still a nice place to check out when in downtown Healdsburg. If you are like me and really want the full winery experience, I would definitely recommend making the extra effort to make a reservation at the estate.

 

Papapietro Perry

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Papapietro Perry Winery

Papapietro Perry Winery

4791 Dry Creek Rd, Healdsburg, CA 95448

Website: https://papapietro-perry.com/

Papapietro Perry is a little gem in the center of Dry Creek Valley.  The winery was started by friends Ben Papapietro and Bruce Perry.  Ben is a native from San Francisco of Italian descent who grew up with wine.  He learned from his grandpa who made wine in his basement.  Ben met friend and business partner Bruce Perry working together at San Francisco Newspaper Agency.  They started making garage wine as a hobby.  They both had a love for Pinot Noir.  The two friends got into the wine business after volunteering to help with harvest at a Sonoma County winery.  Now, it’s been 35 years since they’ve been making wine for their namesake winery.  Ben’s wife Yolanda joined the business in 2008, and Bruce’s wife Renae manages marketing and sales.

I wanted to visit this winery because it was recommended by locals for their great Pinot Noir.  That’s their specialty.  My husband and I visited during Passport to Dry Creek Valley weekend, which is a huge event in the sprint every year.  Each participating winery comes up with a theme and has food and wine pairings.  Their theme was The Beatles.  The winery is located in a little industrial park type area with a few wineries in the same cluster.

Papapietro Perry Barrel Room

Papapietro Perry Barrel Room

From the outside, Papapietro Perry looks like someone’s country home.  To the left of the tasting room is the barrel room inside a big garage-like structure.  During Passport weekend it was completely open with different stations for tastings.  The place was hopping with people.  We meandered through the barrel area to a huge patio on the opposite side of the tasting room.  There was a Beatles tribute band on stage.  It was like being at a friend’s outdoor party listening to music.  The patio was set up with small tables, lounge chairs, and ceiling fans overhead.  It was a totally casual environment.

A Beatles tribute band playing on Papapietro Perry's patio

A Beatles tribute band playing on Papapietro Perry’s patio

The wines live up to their reputation.  This winery is truly a place for Pinot Noir lovers.  They have so many to choose from different vineyards throughout the various AVAs in Sonoma.  My favorite of the day was the Campbell Ranch Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast.  It had lots of juicy red fruit flavors and a freshness that you would expect from the Sonoma Coast.  It paired well with the ham and beans they were serving.  I was also fond of their Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel.  It’s totally worth a visit if you are coming for Pinot Noir, but if that’s not your thing you probably want to seek out someplace else.  There are several other tasting rooms within the same block.

 

Sonoma-Cutrer

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Sonoma-Cutrer Winery

4401 Slusser Rd, Windsor, CA 95492

Website: https://www.sonomacutrer.com/

Sonoma-Cutrer is on the eastern border of the Russian River Valley, not too far from Kendall Jackson Estate and Martinelli Vineyards & Winery (both are worth visiting).  Sonoma-Cutrer is suited for a casual crowd interested in Pinot Noir or Chardonnay.  The grounds are very pretty.  We drove down the driveway surrounded by vines and parked near a quiet pond.  There was a picnic table situated beneath tall oak trees near the pond.  Outside of the winery and tasting room is a huge, perfectly manicured croquet field.  To get to the tasting room we walked up a flight of cement stairs leading to a rather industrial looking building which was a stark contrast to the rest of the grounds.  The building almost seems out of place in comparison to the elegant tasting room, patio, and croquet field.

Tasting in front of the croquet field at Sonoma-CutrerWe arrived at the winery as the first tasting reservation of the day.  My husband and I like to take advantage of the fact that we are up bright and early due to the east coast to west coast time difference.  It often allows us to have a peaceful tasting experience before most other people come out to the wineries.  It was a nice, sunny day with a little breeze.  We felt like special guests when our host pointed us to seats and our name card on a table  that was already set up outside facing the croquet field.  We sat down in the cushioned chairs with a little table in between us lined with wine glasses.  We were taking in the scenery and fresh air while waiting for our host to start us on our tasting.  The host took her time serving us one wine at a time.  Most people wouldn’t balk at getting served tableside and taking all the time they need, but I got a little antsy waiting between pours since we still had a full day ahead of us.

Sonoma-Cutrer Tasting RoomDuring the tasting I meandered inside to check out the tasting room.  Inside had an elegant feel with a tasting bar in the center of room and panoramic windows facing out toward the extra large patio.  The room felt modern and bright with wood floors and tall white ceilings.  In the left hand corner of the room was a private tasting area with a long, dining room style table.  The outdoor patio extends from the steps leading up to the winery all the way around the left side of the tasting room with more seating.  This winery is built to accommodate large crowds.  As one might imagine, it seems to be a draw for bachelorette parties.  One party of girls showed up toward the end of our tasting, and they were already a rowdy group before their tasting even started.  By the time we were heading out another bachelorette party was coming in.  We felt we were leaving just in time.

If you are looking for more of a casual atmosphere and don’t mind the larger groups, this winery might be good for you.  As mentioned, they focus on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  Their wines are distributed and are not too hard to find.  There were two tasting experiences to choose from – the reasonably priced Heritage tasting or a Reserve tasting for twice as much.  In my opinion, the Reserve tasting is worth spending a little extra to try their single vineyard wines. I enjoyed the creamy The Cutrer Vineyard Chardonnay with notes of pears, apples, and citrus, and also the Vine Hill Pinot Noir that tasted of black cherries and brown sugar with a chocolatey aroma.   If you are looking for more than a tasting, they also have a couple of tour options.  And of course, if you want to hang around, you could play a game of croquet.