Sunday in Sonoma ~ Balletto in Santa Rosa, CA.

 

Continuing where we left off yesterday, the third winery we ventured to, we choose to go over to the near by town of Santa Rosa and to the home of Balletto Vineyards. So with another enjoyable jaunt through the Sonoma Valley area, we ended up at the tasting room .

Again we had our free tasting coupon, and saved 5.00 a person. We had an offering of 9 wines, out of 12 currently produced to taste, starting out with the Bone dry Rose'. The color of faded pink roses and the nose of fresh Spring and Summer fruits it was a lovely way to start the tasting experience. being dryer it was a wonderful break from the often sicky sweet Rose' wines that are often poured. Truly a worthwhile purchase for a hot weather, porch sitting sipping wine. We then moved onto a Pinot Gris, two Chardonnay's both a classic steel barrel offering that had all the crispness and brightness of a warm Summer day and my favorite of the day, one that was aged in French oak so had a more buttery, creamy taste and feeling with a hint of Myer Lemon to the nose.

Soon we were on to a Gewurztraminer, again more dry and a bit less sweet than we were used to in the same varietal, but with the classic nose and sweet finish, it was a again a wonderful choice if looking for a Summertime Porch wine , or as our server mentioned at Thanksgiving with Turkey. Then it was onto reds, my hubbies fav, and our normal choice, even during the hot months to have after dinner while relaxing. We sampled a 2009 Estate Pinot Noir, which I noted had a wonderful nose and a even better taste to it ( this was the one we went home with). Another Pinot Noir was a 2009 from Burnside Road Vineyard, meaning that is where the fruit was from. Black cherries, heavy spices, and even a warmth of leather were all part of this wonderful offering. These were followed by a 2006 Zinfandel and a 2007 Syrah. Each wine was retailed between 14.00 and 24.00 with the exception of the Burnside Pinot, which retails at 40.00. Of course there is discounts if you are a club member of 20% off, a standard savings at most wineries. You can check out everything from History , philosophy of the wine makers to the ordering information here.

The front of the tasting room, and gift shop.

The lovely covered seated area...perfect to sip that glass of wine from the bottle you just purchased.

The sounds from the fountain is so very relaxing and calming.

The interior of the tasting room, there is also a small gift shop to one side.

Of course had to have hubby snap the prerequisite photo that I have each time we visit a winery, this time beneath the olive trees for a bit of shade.

Tomorrow I shall wrap up the week of blogs about our visit to Sonoma with where we ate dinner....I was in heaven , that is all I am going to say for now. *Cheers*