As appeared in “It’s Time For Wine” by Monty and Sara Preiser on 8/20/2009.

New Finds and Interesting News in 09

PART ONE of THREE

One of our best received series of columns each year deals with the new wineries we have discovered and recommend during our summer spent in California. For purposes of this article we use the term “wineries” in the broadest possible sense, meaning that while we include the traditional facility, we also include wines that have an independent label and are custom produced at a facility not owned by the wine’s producer. In other words, the vintner owns a wine, but not a brick and mortar winery. S/he merely rents the winemaking facility.

This year we have found some real beauties we will mention about below, along with a word or two about some of our favorite bottles of wine from each.

Sodaro Estate:

Some wineries sit on gorgeous properties but cannot produce wine to match. Others craft a wonderful product without a showcase winery at all. Sodaro Estate, however, has it all. The panoramic scene will grab you as soon as you arrive, and will influence you throughout your tour with Kari DiFabio (appointments necessary) and the subsequent tasting of two special wines at prices that are stunning.

-2005 Felicity Cabernet Sauvignon ($40): Bright red cherries and black plums brilliantly burst on the mid palate. There may be some 2004 available, but we preferred the 2005.

-2005 Sodaro Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($65): We think this wine reflects the more & more recognizable Coombsville characteristics of big fruit &  “dirt” on the finish. The approachable tannins want meat, especially with hints of clove & peppercorn throughout.

Sodaro Vineyard

AVAs or American Viticultural Areas describe the geographic pedigree of a wine and play a major role in their identity.  Alan Goldfarb of Appellation America recently contacted Sodaro Estate’s Winemaker Dawnine Dyer and Vineyard Manager Michael Wolf for expert input on the Coombsville region of Napa Valley; the home of Sodaro Estate Winery.

Why Cool Coombsville is HOT

Just as the pending Calistoga AVA remains in controversial limbo, at the other end of Napa Valley, a bitter brawl is underway about not only the naming of an AVA but its boundaries.

by Alan Goldfarb
October 8, 2008

n case you haven’t noticed - and chances are you haven’t – save for a little dust-up over a name, the so-called Coombsville area east of the city of Napa is the hottest spot for grapes these days in the Napa Valley. Sitting on a plateau under the imposing Mt. George, the growers in the region are experiencing a come-to-the-mountaintop moment, while at the same time they’re trying to figure out what the heck to call their little corner of America’s most important wine region.

“Coombsville, because of its proximity to San Pablo Bay, is cooler than up-valley vineyards. Thanks to that temperate climate, the region is afforded conditions that allow grapes to mature to full ripeness without driving up sugar levels. Is this why cool Coombsville is so hot? “It’s because it’s not hot,” replies Dawnine Dyer, with a hearty laugh. Dyer, along with her husband Bill, makes a Coombsville red Bordeaux blend called Meteor (along with their other brand, the Diamond Mountain-based Dyer Vineyard).”

“Dyer characterizes Coombsville as ‘not exactly in a cool climate. I would call it moderate. When it’s hot in other parts of the Napa Valley, it’s not as hot here. When it’s cold in other areas, it’s not really cold here.’”

“Michael Wolf, a vineyard management consultant, who farms more than 100 acres in Coombsville, concurs about trying to pin it down. ‘It’s a hard region to generalize about, which is one of the things that’s interesting about it,’ he says. ‘(But) it’s a region that lends itself nicely to making single-vineyard wines.’”

For the full article visit: Why Cool Coombsville is Hot

The lastest E-Newsletter from Sodaro Estate Winery was released this past Friday,  September 26.

Don Sodaro on the Sodaro Estate Vineyard

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