Sonoma Vintage Help?

WINE TALK
1

I’ve mentioned it before, but my mother-in-law works in the tasting room at Field Stone Winery in Alexander Valley, and this fall they’ve had a library release of various single-vineyard cabs (Hoot Owl Vineyard, Home Ranch, Turkey Hill), petite sirah, and petite sirah port.

I get to pick a few bottles for Christmas , but aside from reading a vintage chart or two, I don’t know what might have been good vintages up there. My general options are listed below, and while the PS port is probably the safest bet, I’m leaning toward table wines.

Hoot Owl Cabs = 1981-1991 (with a few vintages missing)
Other Cabs = 1982/1984/1985
PS = 1978-1999
PS Port = 1991-1999

Any Sonoma wine lovers out there with advice to offer? Thanks…

2

1991 is great everywhere in California. Those would be my first bet. All of your 90’s ports should be kicking with some variability. The '78 is a good bet. For the Cabs I imagine 85, 86, 87 and 90 are also pretty good bets.

3

Wow, I forgot about this producer! I enjoyed the late 90s Petit Syrah, '97 & '99 I thing, but that was a long time ago. I also liked some sort of 97 Reserve Cab, but I don’t think its the one you’ve got available.

Good luck

4

Just giving this one a quick bump since it slipped to page 2 pretty quickly and I need to decide soon. Thanks for the input.

Cris, that jives pretty well with what someone on the CT forum mentioned. 1985 and 1991 are high on my list of choice older vintages…and I happen to know that, among other things, a 1978 PS will be coming down with the in-laws for tasting over New Years. [wow.gif]

Blaine, I’ve tasted a decent amount of their wines over the last few years and have particularly liked their reserve petites and cabs…maybe not spectacular, but I think they’re pretty solid. Their lower-level bottlings can be good, but they’re hit and miss for my palette. I’m looking forward to seeing how some of these older wines have aged.

5

I think you can eliminate 1981 and especially 1989. Very rough weather conditions in Sonoma for those vintages.

6

I would skip 82, 83, 88. 85-86 would be my top picks from that decade. Also pass on 98.

Been drinking FS PS since the 78 vintage.