Oct 9, 2024 | Dysfunctional Family Winery, Hydeout Sonoma, Sagrantino, Sonocaia Winery, Sonoma lifestyle, Sonoma Valley, Uncategorized
Enjoy this pictorial journey of Fall in the Sonoma Valley
From our sun-soaked vineyard to the bustling crush pad, immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the Sonocaia Estate Winery in the Sonoma Valley. Explore the heart of California wine country and savor every moment of the season.
With our 2022 vintage, we reached the promised land having created a Sagrantino wine with superb color, great depth, structure, and varietal distinction. It’s simply a gorgeous wine that goes so very well with grilled beef, rich pastas, and aged cheese. And the most perfect match of all – mushroom risotto!
Bottling the 2022 vintage
The finished product – vintage 2022 Sonocaia estate reserve Sagrantino. The first truly representative example of our almost decade-long effort to replicate Umbrian Montefalco Sagrantino in the Sonoma Valley.
The bottling crew
Valley of the Moon “Vintage Festival” – Grand Tasting Event
We poured our recently bottled 2022 Sonocaia Sagrantino estate reserve and the 2021 Dysfunctional Family ‘Double Buffalo” wine at the Valley of the Moon “Grand Tasting” event at the Barracks on the Sonoma Plaza. A really large audience crowded around our tasting table for three hours, a wonderful surprise given that we were literally surrounded by much larger and more famous wineries.
The Grand Tasting inspired a big crowd from around the country
Lead by Executive Director, Robyn Sebastiani (2nd from right), the entire Vallay of the Moon “Vintage Festival” staff made the event a great success.
Valley of the Moon “Vintage Festival” – Harvest Dinner and Auction Event
Celebrating 200 years of Sonoma Valley wine and farming, we donated a monster 6 Liter Methuselah of the 2017 Red Blend – 32% Cabernet, 29% Petite Sirah, 25% Syrah, and 14% Merlot, all from 100% organic, 100% Sonoma Valley vineyards, and 100% grown, produced, and bottled by our company.
Valley of the Moon “Vintage Festival” – Grape Stomp
As a large audience roared with encouragement (from a significant distance), 2-person teams raced each other to stomp ten pounds of grapes and produce a winning volume of liquid, and happily got themselves and the judges covered in red grape juice in the process
This was the winning team’s submission. And the stomping was much harder than it looked, even for the energetic youngsters.
Recent visitors to the Sonocaia estate
These are a few of the photos of various visitors to the winery, very random and with instructions to “just act natural.” They were all very good at following instructions.
Vintage 2024 – harvest prep
Sanitation and equipment checks are a constant at the winery. And especially at the start of harvest. Even more so when your assistant winemaker, Dominic Smith, also of Domesday wines, shows up with a new ultra-sleek, super-gentle, and very expensive Italian must pump.
A brief pause for some fun on the Sonoma Plaza
The Sonoma Plaza has an all-summer-long Tuesday night Farmer’s Market. It always attracts a large audience, especially when the food trucks and the music make the scene.
A grand rodeo at the Wing and Barrel Ranch in Carneros
The most incredibly all-American and patriotic event of the year in Sonoma, other than Fourth of July, our hosts Christine and Jon Curry of Landers Curry (famed Sonoma home builder and interior designer) served us ample cold beverages, provided perfect seats to view the parachute, barrel racing, and bull riding (and it should be called bull falling), followed by an hours-long BBQ. The right way to prep for harvest.
Watching, waiting, tick tock, and finally, it’s go-time for the harvest
It’s a bit nerve-racking and daunting to work to diligently farm a vineyard and then put your head on the pillow every night in October and say to yourself “should I pick…now?” The decision will affect the quality and features of that vintage for years to come – in barrel, in bottle, and on your dinner table. But the decision must be made. And so in my view you make it fearlessly and without hesitation.
5:00am, the sky is dark, the air is perfectly cool, the tractor lights are glowing, it’s time, let’s do this.
The team is psyched for the final bin as the sun begins to set on a long day, and the mighty Kubota tractor keeps on chugging
Wait, did you wash those feet?
Funny? Yes. But not a joke. Mike and Dom dropped the last 20% of this fruit into the bin as ‘whole clusters’ (stems on) and foot-tread the fruit. Truly, the most gentle and really pretty compelling way to very softly break up the berry skins without cracking the seeds. Works really well on smaller lots of 1-2 tons. Not so much on 100 tons!
Final thoughts
With all the wines quietly fermenting in the winery, we’re now busy with punchdowns and pumpovers 2-4 times every day for the next month. Then, it will be time to press that wine into barrels. And then eat some turkey and mashed potatoes.
But meanwhile…wait for it…Acorns! Just like clockwork, as the last grapes are harvested, the oak trees start dropping acorns. And I start yet another year of passionately collecting them for the baby oak tree nursery.
And from the Hydeout gardens, a payoff of amazing Fall potatoes
Warmest regards to you each for a fantastic, cold, rainy, quiet, and peaceful winter
Next post – a review of the over 100 blogs posted here since June 2017
Happy tourists in their hot air balloons grace the early morning October skies over the Hydeout Farm and Sonocaia Winery
Aug 22, 2024 | Dysfunctional Family Winery, Hydeout Sonoma, Sonocaia Winery, Sonoma Farming, Uncategorized
Two featured Dysfunctional Family Winery red blends
Our Dysfunctional Family 2021 Red Blend also known as the “Double Buffalo” is drinking well right now. It is a deeply colored, medium-bodied, easy-drinking wine, with an all-American blend of 62% Syrah, 24% Zinfandel, 8% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet. Your dinner party guests will enjoy this very approachable wine that drinks nicely all evening long. Plus, the Dysfunctional brand name and “Double Buffalo” iconography make for good conversation. Less than 25 cases remain.
Find it here: Dysfunctional 2021 Red Blend ‘Double Buffalo”
Taking a step back to an older favorite, we have a few cases remaining of this 2018 Red Blend, this one sourced from my colleagues’ 3 small hand-farmed 100% organic vineyards in the heart of Sonoma Valley; for those who prefer a softer version of our annual blend, this is juicy wine with a smooth plush texture, soft red fruit, and silky tannins – looks like Cab (65%), tastes more like a fat Syrah (23%), and finishes like a Pinot (9% Cab Franc and 3% Merlot). Let it breathe a bit, then enjoy with it salmon, or lightly smoked/barbecued/roasted food. It is aged for 20 months in a mix of French and American oak. Less than 12 cases remain.
Find it here: Dysfunctional 2018 Red Blend
Click here to have a look at the rest of our wines here, including our 100% estate Sagrantino, rosé, and many red blends
20% off instantly! Because you are a subscriber to this blog, you are automatically in our “friends and family” discount program! When you order, for UPS shipping or pick up at the winery, enter this discount code for an instant 20% off: FF20
News from the Hydeout farm and around the Sonoma Valley
Bobcats
Wildlife is a constant presence here at the Hydeout Farm. It constantly ebbs and flows as rapidly-reproducing animals at the bottom of the food chain (like mice and rabbits and squirrels) get consumed by apex predators who are higher on the food chain. Two weeks ago, a pregnant Bobcat appeared, and then a week later, two baby Bobcats showed up. It’s been interesting to observe how rapidly the population of rabbits and squirrels drops off – whether they are eaten, relocate elsewhere for safety, or both. Even the raucous and very pack-like black crows have vanished.
Red Tail Hawks and Cooper Hawks
Life is dangerous for the apex predators too, but in different ways. In this first image, a Red Tail Hawk adult stretched its wing near some power lines, causing an electrical arc and sadly, the hawk exploded with 7000 amps of juice. I found its severed foot at the bottom of the power pole. Very impressive claw! One week later, an adult Coopers Hawk was training a fledgling to hunt. But sadly, it hit something… maybe misjudged a tree, and broke a wing. We found the young hawk sitting in the driveway looking dazed. When we approached slowly, it just fell over. We collected the hawk into a box and drove it up to the Santa Rose “Wild Bird Rescue.” We’re waiting on news of its recovery, and hope to repatriate the fledging bird back to its home soon.
Sustainable vineyard farming practices
Our Sonocaia and Dysfunctional Family wines are 100% organic. We do our best to balance old world methods with modern science. We never use toxic chemicals of any kind; after all, we live on this land, eat the food, and drink the water. As the grapes ripen, wild birds and other animals positively lose their minds on the sugary grapes. One of the best deterrents is to install bright reflective tape in the vine rows. As the breeze blows and the tape shimmers, little blasts of confusing bright light reflect out in a kaleidoscope fashion. The streaky light makes the birds nervous. It’s not perfect, they do learn to overcome their fear. But hopefully we minimize damage to the fruit we’ve worked so hard to grow over the previous 9 months. I like to say we’ll keep 4 acres for the humans and the wild life can have the other 7 undeveloped open acres.
Sonoma International Film Festival
27 years of the best in film, food, wine, and fun – it all starts up again on March 19-23, 2025. Buy your passes here: SIFF. Also, mark your calendars for SIFF’s next monthly Tuesday night feature, “Giants Rising”, “the secrets and superpowers of the Redwoods”, and winner of more than six film festival awards, at 7:00pm on September 17th at the Sebastiani Theatre on Sonoma Plaza.
Hot Air ballooning in Sonoma Valley
Your adventure begins the moment you arrive at the Sonoma Skypark in Sonoma. You’ll want to allow at least 3-4 hours in total for this unique outdoor adventure. The first image is looking up at the balloons from the Hydeout pool deck. The 2nd image was of the Hydeout farm and Sonocaia winery, taken from the ballon. You can see a portion of the vineyard at lower right, the winery at far right. The last image is also looking out over the pool deck ten minutes later. They were moving very fast despite looking like the balloon wasn’t moving at all.
Sonoma City Party
On August 1st, the Sonoma City Council and the City of Sonoma presented the 27th Annual Sonoma City Party. The City of Sonoma hosts this annual party to bring our community together for fun, festivities, and to celebrate our vibrant community. A long-standing tradition, this unique event celebrates the rich history of Sonoma, its residents, businesses, and non-profits. The event is free to attend and concludes with a raucous band and dancing as the sun sets.
Zucchini races on the Sonoma Plaza
Sonoma hosts a fabulous farmer’s market on the Sonoma Plaza every Tuesday evening all summer long. On August 20th, instead of music, they held the hilarious, energetic, and wild zucchini races. Adults and kids alike entered. The track was swarmed by screaming participants. The world briefly stopped spinning on it’s axis as the gate fell and the utterly ridiculous zucchini’s raced, rolled, and toppled over the track. 
Click here to watch a very brief Zuchini race movie
New Rooster and chicks
Some weeks ago, 20 new baby chicks arrived from the nursery. And just 10 shorts weeks later, they are ready to be introduced to the adult population. In this first photo, you see the chicks just as they arrived, little baseball-sized fluff balls. In the second image, it becomes quickly obvious that one of the babies was incorrectly sexed at the nursery and is in fact not an egg-laying hen, but a rowdy teenage rooster. Note: “Oreo” is available for adoption (we already have 2 adult roosters which is twice what we need or want!)
Doing good in Sonoma – Impact 100
We hosted the entire board of Impact 100 here at the Sonocaia winery. It is our pleasure to support the local non-profits. Impact 100 Sonoma is a women’s philanthropic organization founded in 2009 to support the vital services and programs of nonprofits serving our community. By working together and pooling our resources, we’re helping to build a just and thriving Sonoma Valley.
Last, a bit of humor
Not meant to be political, and you could probably take this either way, left, right, or otherwise, but it still made for a good and slightly ashamed laugh… 
Next up…
Harvesting our Sonocaia Sagrantino. The 2024 harvest is just around the corner. This week, brix (sugar readings) were in the 17-19 range. I am hoping to push the harvest out as late as possible as Sagrantino’s thick skin loves a long growing season. And coffee-colored seeds and refined tannins are way more important than sugar water measurements. But as always, the weather will be ultimately in charge.
Warmly, Ken
Jul 25, 2024 | Dysfunctional Family Winery, Sonocaia, Sonocaia Estate, Sonocaia Estate Vineyard, Sonocaia Winery, Sonoma, Sonoma lifestyle, Sonoma Valley, Uncategorized
Living in the Sonoma Valley wine country is definitely gratifying. We constantly meet happy people on their vacations. And we eagerly share our wine and vineyard and farm life. Like everything in life, there is work involved in growing grapes and making wine, sometimes hard work. But at the end of the day, it is worthwhile. Please enjoy these photos and captions of the most recent weeks around the Sonocaia winery and the Sonoma Valley…
Standing in front of the winery “totem pole”, wonderful winery clients visiting from Kukui ‘Ula resort in Koloa, Kauai. Their visit was so entertaining. Every few minutes, another couple of their friends wandered in. We started as a group of 7 and ended at 13. And they walked away with smiles and much wine including dramatic large-format bottles. Great group.
Euphoria Yoga Day Retreat
We partnered with Euphoria for a Yoga Day Retreat. Guests enjoyed a full al fresco yoga practice, relaxing sound healing, and a complete wine tasting experience.
An invitation – Travel with us to Umbria Italy: Wine, Wellness, and Culinary Retreat with Euphoria
Special offer just for Sonocaia Winery blog subscribers
September 29th – October 4th, 2024
Join Euphoria Retreats, a Sonoma-based luxury retreat company, for a visit to Umbria Italy. Immerse yourself in Italian cuisine, culture, wine, and nature at the famed Borgo di Carpiano Resort. This retreat offers a blend of wellness and indulgence, featuring activities like cooking classes with Chef Luca, wine tastings, and walks through the wooded landscape. Guests will explore the medieval village of Gubbio, enjoy three glorious fresh light meals a day prepared by your very own in house chef. There will be plenty of time to relax by the pool and warm evening toasts. The retreat promises a rejuvenating experience in a setting rich with history and modern comforts. In the mornings you are invited to mix in some wellness and try on some light exercise, including stretching and flowing with resistance bands under the guidance of Lisa Carlsson, co-owner of Euphoria Retreats. For more information call 707.309.0010, we love to chat about travel!
Note: Cynthia and I travelled on a version of this Euphoria tour two years ago. We like to think that Tuscany is to Napa as Umbria is to Sonoma. As dedicated growers of the rare Umbrian Sagrantino red grape variety, we were on a pilgrimage to taste the original Sagrantinos in their native land of Umbria. And we concluded our travels at the very glorious Umbrian mountain hideaway, Borgo di Carpiano. We can highly reccomend this travel excursion. And as subscribers to this blog, you get 25% off using the special discount code, if you apply soon!
Expansive view from the Borgo Di Carpiano Resort terrace
It’s always time for fresh homemade pasta at the Borgo!
Rack and Return – time for a bit of wine science
The primary wine fermentation, when yeast converts sugar to alcohol, take places in the first few weeks after harvest in the Fall. Then the wine is pressed and moved into barrels to settle and ‘elevage.’ Sometimes spontaneously, but traditionally after winter when the barrel cellar begins to warm up a bit, a secondary fermentation begins called Malo-Lactic fermentation. Malic acid (like the tartness in a green apple) is converted to Lactic acid (like the acid found in dairy). The result is a profound softening of the wine along with an increase in desirable aromatics.
And, after the secondary Malo-Lactic fermentation is complete, it is traditional to perform a ‘rack and return.’ Simply put, the wine is drained from the barrels into a vessel, the barrels are cleaned, and the wine is then returned to the barrels to complete the ‘elevage’ or cellar aging.
The most critical activity during rack and return is the very labor intensive act of sanitizing the entire winery and all of the equipment, moving the wine out and back to barrels, and then sanitizing everything again. It is fair to say that the number one activity in a winery is sanitization. Keep things spotless, like a hospital, and most trouble can be avoided.
Vineyard management – and a bit more wine science
We just completed deleafing the fruit zone on the north side of the Sagrantino vineyard the result is to bring in plenty of air and light to the grape bunches on the north side of the canopy but avoids sun burn on the south side of the rows from the scorching sun by leaving the leaves in place; we’re going for perfect ripening here. We also irrigated for the first time since the winter rains. We’ve captured surface rain water for just this occasion. We’re trying to stretch out irrigation as the vineyard gets older. Eventually, we should be able to dry farm 100%. Dry farming saves water. And makes grapes very deep, dark, and delicious. The roots reach deep every year looking for water. And eventually they go deep enough that they don’t need added water. The result is very evident – dense dark rich wine vs. somewhat watery, bland, and/or weak wine.
Sonoma Valley Museum of Art
Sonoma is blessed with many non-profits including several that enrich the lives of the residents. The SVMA museum is a treasure in our small town, with a constant flow of challenging and intriguing works on display. This summer’s annual museum gala was held at the famous Buena Vista Winery. Built in 1861 (see stone walls in photo), revived by the Bartholomews in 1949, and brought back to life again in 2011 by Jean-Charles Boisset and Gina Gallo.
The Sonoma Valley Museum of Art held its annual gala at the stunning Buena Vista winery. It was a spectacularly successful event, with delicious food and drink al fresco, and funds raised support art education in Sonoma Valley.
Hot Air Ballooning
Hot air ballooning is a year-round spectacle in Sonoma Valley. If you’re up early enough, you’ll very likely see hot balloons in the sky. Cynthia signed up with a visiting friend and joined Sonoma Ballooning for a ride. Call time is bright and early at 5am. Here a few photos from the ballon and from the ground.
Click here for Cynthia’s hot air balloon flight log video
A blurry but close view of the Sonoccaia winery, Sagrantino vineyard, and surrounding Hydeout farm
Another perspective of the Sonocaia estate grounds, vineyard and winery on the right half of the photo
Our wines! You have not yet tasted our fabulous Sonocaia and Dysfunctional Family wines? What are you waiting for? Call us to plan your visit:
Dysfunctional Family Winery rosé, made in the traditional French saigneé style, a bit darker and more robust than typical cotton-candy rosés, best ice-cold with appetizers before dinner
And when you’re done with rosé, consider these gorgeous red wines:
Enjoy the rest of your summer. And thanks for reading!
Ken Wornick
One last thing – a taste of San Francisco
Yes, San Francisco is in the news, currently challenged with an endless homelessness and crime problem/debate plus empty offices and vacant retail spaces due to (depending on who you ask) covid, work from home, taxation, crime, etc. But, “The City” still provides many glorious ways to enjoy it.
Driving back from a wine tasting event in San Francisco, we could not resist pulling over and marveling at the beauty of the Palace of Fine Arts on Lyon Street, host the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. It’s like a little taste of Rome or Paris in our own backyard.
Feb 23, 2024 | Sonocaia, Sonocaia Estate, Sonocaia Estate Vineyard, Sonocaia Winery, Sonoma lifestyle, Sonoma Valley, Uncategorized
Thinking about booking a corporate event or a private family function? Our winery and farm might be just the right place…
Sonocaia is more than just a warm and inviting estate vineyard and boutique winery.
We’re also eleven acres of compelling ecological and agricultural projects.
Venues
We offer corporate team building functions and private family events, all mixed with learning about sustainable and eco-friendly practices. Explore the symbiotic relationship between nature and viticulture. Savor serious wines and farm-to-table produce while fostering a commitment to ecological and agricultural values. Schedule an educational seminar on a variety of grape, wine, and farming topics.
The winery and farm has a continuous and evolving set of projects underway at all times. Visitors are encouraged to inquire in advance about topics of interest.
Click here to inquire about booking your customized event
Catering
We partner with great chef-caterers offering delicious food options as part of your event plan.
Add an ecological or agricultural topic to your visit
Begin with a farm tour of bee hives, fruit orchards, and olive trees. Meet in the elevated pool house for a customized educational seminar. Take a stroll through the vineyard. Learn about composting, creek restoration, and surface water recovery. Or head straight to the winery to taste wine and enjoy a carefully curated chef’s meal.
In addition to grapes and wine, here are a few examples of the potential topics for your corporate or family visit:
Learn about estate Sagrantino, our special Umbrian red wine
Our estate grown Sagrantino is a boutique-scale effort; it is a traditionally-made deep red wine that transports tasters to the hills of Montefalco, Umbia, Italy. A rare find in California, this varietal is relatively unknown in the new world and is sparking curiosity from both the casual traveller and the serious wine critic. We have painstakingly cultivated our highly regarded Sagrantino vineyard over the years with careful sustainable farming practices. The resulting rich wine makes a bold but approachable statement.
Learn more about our estate Sagrantino here: information about Sagrantino
Shop for our Sonocaia estate reserve Sagrantino and other wines here: shop for wine now
Or leave a message of inquiry for winery: 415-793-7985
Feb 12, 2023 | Uncategorized
Barolos, considered ‘The King” of Italian wines:
Once again, at the invitation of Don Sebastiani, Sr., fellow Sonoma winemakers and somms gathered for a studious tasting. This time at the Swiss Hotel private dining room on the Plaza in downtown Sonoma. (Note: their Reuben Sandwich, fries, and an aged Barolo highly recommended)
Barolos are praised worldwide for their complex and powerful flavors of dried flowers (rose and violet), dried red fruit (strawberry and raspberry), licorice, tar and earth. From the Langhe area near Alba in Piedmont, Italy and based upon the Nebbiolo grape. Barolos are frequently aged 3 – 5 years before release.
Wall of fame in the private dining room at the Swiss. Some bottles wait to be opened while other titans of wine were consumed long ago and now sit empty but ready to be re-admired.
The Barolos
What a hit parade of wines. I can genuinely recommend every one of these producers. It has been a long time since I was in a professional tasting where even the lowest ranked wines (since all wines are forced ranked) were wines everyone loved.
Conterno – Monfortino is a selection of the best fruit from the vineyards of Cascina Francia in Serralunga d’Alba.
Rinaldi – dried herbs, mint, sage, cedar, sweet pipe tobacco and gentle earthy notes
Conterno – Conterno Fantino winery was founded in 1982 by Claudio Conterno and Guido Fantino.
Falletto – Tarry underbrush, saddle leather, grilled meat, licorice in a subtle way. Balanced and still young palate with dried dark blackberry, subtle oak tones.
Falletto – Vibrant and fruity, yet with a solid structure, with additional depth from the earthy, smoky, tobacco and tar underneath. Bright acidity with polished tannins here, more expressive than Asili Riserva, but still need at least 5 years to mature beautifully.
Pio Cesare – Complex aromas of smoke, ash and dark fruit with precision and intensity. Layered and gorgeous. Loads of dark fruit and perfume. Full-bodied with round and wonderfully polished tannins. Wonderful length and richness.
After the Barolos, these 3 special bottles were cracked open. Here, classic old Napa Valley Mondavi, 1973 and 1982. We all really enjoyed breaking down the way these were likely farmed – back in those decades when Napa was just getting rolling.
…and this Opus One, 1984, required decanting and was a bit curious, not everyone’s favorite, but worthy of note nonetheless.
Bottles were revealed from this box of treasures.
Napa “Lighted Art” public street art festival
Went over to the ‘other’ valley on a Thursday eve to take in the light show. The Napa Lighted Art Festival is a celebration of creative arts, technology and lights, and supports innovative techniques using light and light technologies as a growing art medium. This walkable outdoor experience is FREE in downtown Napa featuring 10 lighted art sculptures for five weeks and projection artwork on 3 iconic downtown buildings for the first 9 nights of the festival. Bring the family and experience the magic of lighted art at the 2023 Napa Lighted Art Festival!
January 21st- February 19th, 2023, Monday- Thursday 6-9pm | Friday – Sunday 6-10pm
Started our tour here, where all night long they have docents at the ready to hand you a map of the installation locations.
Throwback
A trip back in time when our little start-up Redwood City winery began winning some critic’s awards:
Sonoma International Film Festival – tickets now on sale – don’t miss it!
The best event of the entire Sonoma wine country calendar. This year, the Sonoma International Film Festival will be featuring special films from all over the world, in comfortable theater venues, with amazing sound. Don’t miss this extraordinary 5-day event.Buy your passes today. Click here.
Our “Sonocaia Estate Reserve Sagrantino” red wine is a proud sponsor. Please join us at the party!
Jan 19, 2023 | California Cabernet, Sagrantino, Sebastiani, Sonoma lifestyle, Sonoma wine tasting panel, Uncategorized
The experts shock me with a surprising achievement in a crowded field of arguably the greatest of the older California Cabernets. Read the compelling story and see the results of our blind tasting:
25 – 50 year old California Cabernets (1973-1999)
Spoiler alert! Here is the end of the movie first. This photo is from the big reveal – after the tasting.
These 11 wines were carefully opened, decanted, bagged, numbered, and poured. These wines are mostly from my personal cellar from when I first became interested wine starting in my freshman year in college and up to my very first garage-made wine twelve years later.
Beringer, Cabernet, Napa Valley, Estate, ‘Centennial Cask Selection’, 1973
Seven Stones, Cabernet, Estate, Napa Valley, 1999 (the very first vintage, produced by me in the estate’s garage)
The results
Each taster scored their top 3 and bottom 1 wine (shown here).
The top half of this page is the individual scoring, the bottom half are the actual bottle codes. After the tasting and scoring, the list of wines was provided to the panel.
As a second thought experiment, before revealing the actual bottles, tasters attempted to match the 11 wines tasted to the printed list of 13 possible wines shown. The 2 French wines (from my father’s cellar) were not included in the tasting and were simply on the printed list as decoys – to see if anyone would take the bait. A few did.
I could not believe my eyes! The clear winner? The 1999 Seven Stones! What? One of the first wines I ever produced. Not commercially either. Just made as a garage wine for our family.
Was this for real? Indeed it was.The tasting was absolutely blind. The results completely legitimate. Tabulations were scored by a very reliable accountant.
Story: The Seven Stones, Cabernet, Napa Valley, 1999 was the very first wine produced from the Seven Stones vineyard in St. Helena, Napa Valley. Planted by me in 1996 at my parent’s estate in St Helena. We were still living in Burlingame, Ca., and I had only just started my vineyard development business above Silicon Valley. That company is still operating, see this link: La Honda Winery and Post and Trellis Vineyards in Redwood City, California. The 1999 was one of the very first wines of my career – now 25 years ago. I didn’t have any formal equipment, fermented it in the garage, no drains, no press, no filter, just raw manual labor all the way through to hand bottling and labeling the 2 barrels, about 50 cases. The 1999 vintage was never sold to the public, only consumed by our family. There might be a dozen bottles still around. But the ’99 is what lead to the eventual commercialization of Seven Stones, which now garners incredibly high critic’s scores and sells out every year.
Side note: That 1999 Seven Stones was a combination of amazing grapes and some good luck. With an undergrad degree in geology, years of field work, followed by an MBA; a decade later I took a few extension courses at Davis. And interned for a few weeks during harvest at the vaunted Staglin Winery in Rutherford, Napa. The winemaker at that time was Andy Erickson, now of Screaming Eagle and Leviathan and Favia, among others. But I was the very lowest man on the totem pole and naturally spent the entire “learning experience” dragging hoses and cleaning tanks. Those are the rudimentary skills I had to apply to the 1999 vintage.
1970’s panel “Winners” and “Worst of the Best” – details on the scores (we were stunned, and if you weren’t there you might not believe it):
Best of the best:
- Seven Stones, Cabernet, Napa Valley, 1999 was the clear winner overall. I alone knew that Seven Stones was the somewhere in the lineup, but I didn’t know where? No one else had a clue that a Seven Stones wine was in the tasting until after the reveal. And as proof of the ‘blind’ results, I actually chose the group’s least favorite wine as my personal favorite (ever the contrarian, as you’ll see below). One note – to be completey fair, the 1999 Seven Stones was the youngest wine in the lineup, and perhaps therefore the ‘freshest.’
- Louis M Martini, North Coast, 1982 – with arguably the second highest scores, we all just about fell off of our chairs as this wine sold for $3.79 at the time and had a peel-off plastic capsule. But, the cork was in superb condition. It was considered a spaghetti-red table wine at the time and likely not ever intended to go up against these more expensive titans.
- Sebastiani, Cabernet, Proprietor’s Reserve, North Coast Counties, 1977 and Stephen Zellerbach Vineyard, Cabernet, Alexander Valley, 1978 were also in the running for favorite, as were several other wines vying for a place in the top 3. I was pleased for Don that his family’s wine showed so well. I was a nervous wreck knowing that our host’s family’s wine was hiding somewhere in that lineup.
Worst of Best: There really and truly were no bad wines. Not a single bottle was badly oxidized. And the ullage was excellent for all bottles:
- Beringer, Cabernet, Napa Valley, Estate, ‘Centennial Cask Selection’, 1973 – there was near unanimity in the group of this wine being the least favorite. This surprised me as I had posted it as my favorite wine. I felt it had fantastic aromas on the nose, and a depth of flavor, but others felt it was somewhat pruny and over the hill. Still available on some re-sale sites for $350.
- Grgich Hills, Cabernet, Napa Valley, 1984 – this wine garnered a few votes for least favorite. And the cork was in superb shape. So who knows? Grgich was and remains a well respected Napa winery. So many things contribute to the condition of a wine after 25-50 years. Found on some re-sale sites for $160-$300.
The Players
A pause in the action for a quick photo. At this point we’ve quietly tasted and made notes on 5 of the 11 wines. In this tasting, I invited some of my favorite colleagues from the wine world – winemakers, collectors, customers, and consultants. But I forgot to ask permission this time around, so I am afraid I cannot identity most of them.
Having a laugh: Stacey Clarke, Principal owner of Treehouse (the brand development company behind the spring 2023 launch of our Sonocaia estate Sagrantino) and me, Ken Wornick (Sonocaia, Dysfunctional Family, and Hydeout)
Many of the old corks were in very fine shape, likely due to the quality of the producers, and the excellent storage history, but a few disintegrated on contact and had to be very carefully extracted and wine decanted.
11 wines lined up and quietly tasted blind. Then tasters were supplied with a list of 13 wines, out of order, and had to guess which 11 wines were which.
Honorable mention – one of our winemaking colleagues brought a Hudson Valley Torchon Of Foie Gras (see the empty plate). It went so perfectly with our tasting. Also of note, the ducks are apparently not stuffed with feed (as with days of old). Their website says – the Moulard is a cross between the white farm duck, the Pekin, and a South American duck, the Muscovy. The Pekin has a mild flavor; the Muscovy, a gamy flavor. When the two breeds are crossed, they produce a high quality, deliciously unique flavor sought after by the finest chefs worldwide. Moulard ducks have a special ability to store fat in the liver. Like the Muscovy, they are ground-foraging ducks. Moulards don’t fly and are not fans of open water. These characteristics make the Moulard the ideal breed for producing foie gras.. The website says: Don’t Sweat the technique! The Torchon of Foie Gras is the ultimate cold preparation. Translating to “Towel” in French, its name is a result of the preparation method where the Foie Gras was traditionally tied in a kitchen towel, rolled, poached, and hung to chill for several days. The torchon of Foie Gras is a labor of love that we have refined for your convenience and enjoyment. Its cylindrical shape makes for an easy and impressive slice & serve that is guaranteed to delight.
The scene of the crime, the home of our very gracious host, Don Sebastiani Sr. of Sonoma. My thanks as always to Keith Casale, CFO of Landers Curry, who assisted Don (and me) in organizing this tasting.
Chicken Murder, Bobcat style
Went for the usual collection of chicken eggs at dusk, found this sad scene of feathers but no chicken – one of the most productive and peaceful of our flock – a Buff Orpington chickens was killed. Looks like it was pulled through a hole in the fence and dispatched just outside the coop door. This might be the first time a bobcat has taken a chicken. For us, it’s usually the hawks.
The likely fugitive from justice, a really gorgeous Bobcat crossing from the chicken coop to the vineyard. Note the telltale striping on the front left leg.
