Holidays in Sonoma – Cline Cellars and Jacuzzi Family Vineyards

January 21, 2015 by Leave a Comment

This is my last on my series on Sonoma and my visit there for a long holiday weekend.

On Thanksgiving day, there were two wineries open- Cline Cellars and Jacuzzi Family Vineyards. These two wineries were not originally on our wishlist, but because of the happenstance of them being open, we visited. And, we had a fun time trying these value wines and visiting. Both had some really unique attractions to their grounds. Both handle groups well too and have friendly, efficient pourers.

Both of these wineries are owned by the same family venture and are located basically across the street from each other on Highway 121.
A view of the vines and a few rose bushes (with no roses in November) of the thousand roses they have on the cline Cellars property

We stopped at Cline Cellars first. Cline offers sustainably farmed wines using a great variety of grapes, which was fun to try. They do not have a tasting fee to try 5 of their non-reserve wines, or it is only $5 to try a flight of three reserve wines.
stairs to the tasting room of Cline Cellars Tasting wines at Cline Cellars Tasting wines at Cline Cellars, tasting five non reserve wines are free!

If you get a chance, pick out the Late Harvest Mouverde to sample, which is a dessert wine so comes with a little bit of chocolate!
If you get a chance, pick out the Late Harvest Mouverde at Cline Cellars to sample, which is a dessert wine so comes with a little bit of chocolate! If you get a chance, pick out the Late Harvest Mouverde at Cline Cellars to sample, which is a dessert wine so comes with a little bit of chocolate!

They also have several special attractions on the ground so you can walk around to stretch your legs viewing their carp pond (bring quarters to buy a little fish food out of their machine), their various exotic birds, and two adorable miniature burrows named Pudding and Fancy.
Feeding carp at the carp pond at Cline Cellars Feeding carp at the carp pond at Cline Cellars Some of the exotic birds saved and on display on the properties of Cline Cellars Some of the exotic birds saved and on display on the properties of Cline Cellars Some of the exotic birds saved and on display on the properties of Cline Cellars Some of the exotic birds saved and on display on the properties of Cline Cellars

We were not in the right time of year for it, but they also have thousands of roses around the property. As you walk to visit the other ponds, you will probably notice some humorous signs warning of ridiculous animals that might be in the waters(such as sharks…) – and there is California Mission Museum on the property (free admission) and a train car (seemingly used for special occasions) to peer in as well. If you stop by, make sure you walk the grounds and not just taste. If you are visiting Sonoma with family, this is one that would please everyone.

Part of the John Galt Express on the property, seemingly for special occasions at the Cline Cellars grounds Part of the John Galt Express on the property, seemingly for special occasions at the Cline Cellars grounds

Across the street, Jacuzzi Family Vineyards with their stone structure and large spaces and decorative elements seems ready for any special occasion. I also admired their amphora shaped shrubbery. Yes, this Jacuzzi family is the same one that invented the bath and spa that still bears their name.
The amphora shaped shrubbery on the grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards The front of the building for the tasting room of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards The front of the building for the tasting room of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Some of the beautiful grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards

This is a place I would suggest trying their wide variety of grapes they make into wines (they have almost 2 dozen wines!), and after picking out a favorite get a glass or bottle and enjoy a little time here chatting and relaxing. Like their sibling Cline, there is no tasting fee to try 5 wines. For a few a small fee, you can get the Chocolate Shooters, which is a chocolate cup filled with a bit of wine. Our pourer was very friendly and knowledgable. I wasn’t surprised to learn that I liked several of their reds because they have volcanic rock (I always seem to love volcanic soil wines), particularly their smokey Barbera. My friend and I ended up sending a case home – and we got confirmation that they shipped it the next day. Yeah, that means the day after Thanksgiving, so efficient!

Also like their sibling Cline, they use sustainable practices. For instance, they use a “Compost tea,” consisting of molasses, fish emulsion, rock dust and microbes fertilize the vines. And, they use sheep to control weed growth and pull the rest out by hand. By hand. Wow.

At Jacuzzi’s location is The Olive Press, a whole room almost as large as the tasting room for the wine, where you can try various combinations of olive oil and vinegar infusions and seasonings. They really have some excellent combinations and ideas, such as Lime Olive Oil and Coconut Balsamic Vinegar, or Jalapeno Olive Oil and Peach Balsamic Vinegar, and I love the Fig Balsamic on a cheese plate.

Here’s a good look at some some of the grounds at Jacuzzi: notice the statue wearing shades!

Some of the beautiful grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Some of the beautiful grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Some of the beautiful grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Some of the beautiful grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Some of the beautiful grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Some of the beautiful grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Some of the beautiful grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Some of the beautiful grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Some of the beautiful grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Some of the beautiful grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Some of the beautiful grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards

This post is part of my series on my trip to Sonoma where I list various recommendations.

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Holidays in Sonoma – Iron Horse Vineyards

January 2, 2015 by 2 Comments

I’ve been a fan of Iron Horse Vineyards since I discovered them back in 2009 – I selected their Wedding Cuvee for my wedding. And, they were the winery I was most excited about visiting when we came to Sonoma. They are very small in size, but have a great big heart.

To visit Iron Horse, you need to make an appointment, which you can do online if you’d like – they want to manage the number of tasters to make sure you have a good experience and are not lost in a crowd. When you arrive, be prepared to drive up a slender one way dirt road (which was muddy for us!) until you see a little roundabout and clustering of wooden barns. The road is a little longer than you might expect. I sort of liked that feeling of confusion and whether we were lost as it is probably reminiscent of the founders, who when they discovered this property also thought they were lost until they came up the knoll to the view of the hills you are about to see. The parking area is on the dirt and gravel on the right side, where you get your first view of the rolling hills of vines.

View of rollings hills of vines at Iron Horse Vineyards View of rollings hills of vines at Iron Horse Vineyards View of rollings hills of vines at Iron Horse Vineyards View of rollings hills of vines at Iron Horse Vineyards

Later the sun came up, yielding the pictures up there that don’t include me – that first one was taken when we first arrived and it was still misty at 11 AM, much like the foggy day the founders came upon this property and bought it 2 weeks later, feeling like these grounds were like Camelot! That is only part of the reason for the horse on their bottles: a horse that looks like that was also found on a weathervane they uncovered as they were breaking ground. It really seems like fate no?

When you walk up to the tasting room, you discover it is just a simple outdoor wooden bar that you stand at. They have heaters if the weather gets chilly, and there are some benches you can sit at a bit back from the tasting bar overlooking the vineyards but otherwise no standing. There are no dogs allowed on the property.

You can choose from a sparkling flight. Or they also offer pinot noir and chardonnay. Of everything I tasted, I liked it all. And we tried to be thorough…
The delicious wines of Iron Horse Vineyards The delicious wines of Iron Horse Vineyards 2012 Iron Horse Vineyards Estate Chardonnay 2010 Iron Horse Vineyards Native Yeast Chardonnay 2010 Iron Horse Vineyards Ocean Reserve Blanc de Blancs. Iron Horse gives $4 a bottle to National Geographic's Ocean Initiative, establishing marine protected areas and supporting sustainable fishing practices around the globe. Iron Horse 2010 Wedding Cuvee 2011 Fairytale Celebration Cuvee Iron Horse 2010 Classic Vintage Brut 2010 Iron Horse Russian Cuvee Iron Horse 2010 Winters Cuvee "2007

It was so good that my friend and I joined the wine club. Just as I have wonderful memories tied to the Wedding Cuvee, it turns out she has the same story with their Fairytale Celebration Cuvee. That’s the kind of wines they have – ones that are perfect for every and any special occasion and whose flavor is so distinctive versus most sparklings that are poured that you end up etching a strong happy memory with their unique flavors.

I love how their wine club is so flexible that you can specify whether you want all whites, all reds, all sparklings, all stills, all sparkling + red, or all sparkling + white. Every wine is a vintage wine that is aged at least 3 years, if not more. And really, there are never too many bubbles in one’s life. Eac one really has its own character – and sometimes its own story.

The Russian Cuvee was made for the historic Reagan-Gorbachev summit meetings which ended the Cold War.. Iron Horse Vineyards sparkling is still now has been served in the White House to presidents and their guests since 1985.

Meanwhile for the limited edition Ocean Reserve (which has citrusy lime tones), Iron Horse gives $4 a bottle to National Geographic’s Ocean Initiative, establishing marine protected areas and supporting sustainable fishing practices around the globe. They have a Rainbow Cuvee in support of marriage equality as well.

The Winter’s Cuvee has a touch of estate made pinot noir brandy. The Classic Brut has a bit of tartness to it reminiscent of apples, while the Brut X has a great dryness that makes it so sharp and crisp.

I guess I’ll have to stop gushing about Iron Horse now and just highly recommend that you visit them when you visit Sonoma. It is definitely a casual rustic feel, which is such testament to the down to earth winery that creates the classy sparklings good enough for the Pope and heads of state and maybe, you too will like them?

If you haven’t guessed, this was my favorite winery I visited during my Sonoma trip! And, I totally had an Iron Horse sparkling to celebrate New Year’s 2015 too.

Have you been to Iron Horse, or had Iron Horse sparklings before? Or do you have a certain specific memory tie to a certain producer of sparkling wines?

This post is the fifth in my series about visiting Sonoma.

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