Day 1 in Sonoma

Day 1- Ferrari Carano

My lovely wife Marissa and I at Ferrari Carano.

Ferrari Carano is a winery that I had a certain level of familiarity with,  mainly limited to the archetypal Fume Blanc that graces the grocery stores of the area. Having been to Napa Valley twice before I was excited at the chance to taste some wines from Sonoma.  Hoping and praying for something in the way of earth characters and more terroir from the wines than I had become accustomed to from Napa. Now, to be fair, Napa's wines are, without question, some of the finest I've ever had. And the styles can be very different depending on what area of the valley they are from. Take the chardonnay for example, the trend this trip has been unoaked or very little oak presence in the Chardonnays I've tried. Leaning more toward the style of Chablis, albeit more fruit forward (this is still California) and less mineral driven. North in Calistoga, Chateau Montelena's famous estate Chardonnay was crisp, but full bodied with excellent texture and acid. I also really Enjoyed Beringer's Estate Reserve Chardonnay. Lots of wet rocks piled on top of crushed apple and pair, with light butterscotch and an amazing concentration really spun my mind to thinking of Chardonnay I've had from the Macon. But my favorite by far, and the one I brought back with me, was the 2012 St. Clement Abbott's Vineyard Chardonnay.

Getting back to Ferrari Carano, I wasn't sure what to expect. After all, I had had their normal everyday table wines, but I have never tasted the reserve stuff. And I have to say, I was quite impressed with several of their offerings. Nicole Singer a lead at Enoteca began pouring the Russian River and Emelia's Cuvee Chardonnays. Upon first sip of the Russian River Chard, I knew I was in for something special here. Wonderful concentration of fruit, and a great balance. The acid was slightly higher on the Emelia's cuvee and showed a nicer blue stone minerality. 

Next were the Pinot Noirs, I was really looking forward to these as I absolutely adore Pinot Noir. Nicole was extremely gracious and poured them side by side so I could compare. First up, the 2012 Sky-High Ranch Pinot Noir, so named for high elevation in which the vineyard sits. Wonderful strawberry-plum and spice, nice balance, but a bit more restrained than I expected. Next was the Middleridge Pinot Noir. This one I loved, it was less expensive, but I liked it more than the Sky High. The fruit, acid, and alcohol were more in balance, and it had a slight tinge of earth on the back end that just won me over. Next I got poured a side by side of the 2006 and 2010 Tresor, which is Ferrari Carano's bordeaux blend. This was my favorite of the bunch and I ended up taking a bottle home. Although I tasted and loved the herbal notes and luscious fruit of the 2006, the 2007 vintage was rare in that it was a single vineyard, so I decided to take that one and have a nice surprise when I got home. All in all, Ferrari Carano is a place I would definitely recommend stopping by if you are in the area. Go to the Enoteca tasting room, and if you buy $80 worth of wine, they will waive the 15 dollar tasting fee. The staff are friendly and the wines are delicious. Good times were had by all.