Some of the beautiful vineyards at St. Francis winery.
Sonoma County, the “Valley of the Moon”, truly is a bounty of riches: the long valley just 90 minutes north of San Francisco boasts spectacular scenery, a relaxed and laid back vibe, terrific restaurants and is producing top-rated wines from a diversity of micro-climates and grape varieties.
Read MoreSome of the beautiful vineyards at St. Francis winery.
When we first wrote about the St. Francis Winery wine and food pairing, it was the sixth time we had enjoyed the experience. It speaks volumes that after six visits we’re still surprised and impressed by the menu; not once has a dish been duplicated nor have we been even slightly disappointed. And while we’ve been lucky enough to attend a number of wine and food pairings around the world, this one easily stands out as one of the best and is an absolute must whenever we travel to Sonoma County. We recently returned to St. Francis for the seventh time in the hopes it would continue to exceed our very high expectations.
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2007 Talisman Red Dog Vineyard Pinot Noir
The Red Dog Vineyard sits above the Bennett Valley, just outside of Glen Ellen, in Sonoma County. Made from 100% Dijon clones. At age 10 this has attained full maturity. The age has given it a lovely texture; a soft, silky mouthfeel to its medium body. Red cherry fruit gets back up from spice notes of clove, pepper and allspice. There is a hint of minerality on the finish. The oak is perfectly integrated, adding some texture and just a hint of vanilla. At peak now. Delicious.
Excellent +
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2011 Arista Winery Zinfandel Smokey Ridge Vineyard
The dark red colour of this wine is about all that gave it away as a Zinfandel! Some blackberry and blueberry on the nose backed up with pepper but not as fruit forward as we had expected. Secondary notes of earth along with some nice acidity. A very enjoyable and balanced wine that just lacked a little complexity.
Very Good
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2007 Walter Hansel “The South Slope Vineyard” Pinot Noir
A terrific example of a top Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Beautifully balanced with dark red fruits, specifically cherries and currants, combined with black pepper and earth and just enough vanilla to give it a little creaminess. Tons of complexity and expressiveness to this wine, a very smooth mouth feel and a surprisingly long finish for a Pinot Noir. Elegant and structured, this showed everything we love about this variety.
Excellent +
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