Wine Outlook

Though I didn’t get around to talking about it in my last post about Monday’s adventures in wine tasting, we also spent some time at Ferrari-Carano in Healdsburg. There are actually two locations for winemaking; the other sits above Geyserville and focuses only on reds. The owners decided that with so many vineyards (surpassing 1400 acres), it would be best to give more concentrated attention to the wines to better ensure their quality. And while the wines are good, the gardens may be just as effective at drawing customers in. Rhonda Carano and her gardeners truly outdid themselves…five acres of footpaths, gazebos, waterfalls, statues, and bridges. One section included row upon row of roses in full bloom, and we even spotted a cork tree.

Right before going into the winery, a rather large boar almost blocked our way. If I recall, this fellow was modelled after a creature who ruined some of Rhonda’s flowerbeds…only to meet his demise. But the signpost indicated you’d have good luck if you rub his nose. Hence the discolored snout.

As for the wine, we tasted downstairs in the Enoteca Lounge, where some of the more exclusive wines are poured. I believe the fee was $15 for four wines, which they will return with a purchase of at least $80, or if you’re in the business (yay, job perks). While I skipped most of the Chardonnays, I couldn’t pass up trying the interesting 05 Dominique with its crazy bursts of maple and honey, the jammy 04 Zinfandel from the back yard, and my favorite of the group: the 04 Sangiovese–dry farmed in Alexander Valley and full of smoke and dried red fruit. The 2002 Trésor, a Bordeaux-style blend, had a little too much green–bell pepper and oregeno–for me to really dive into it. PreVail is the new line of wines, featuring Cabernet and Syrah fruit grown on two different mountain estates. From that brand, I tasted the West Face and the Back Forty side by side, and while I can understand why more people prefer the West Face, I really enjoyed the nose on what Teri in the tasting room called their “John Wayne.”

Ferrari-Carano, Enoteca, PreVail