I’m thinking of going to Sonoma County for wine tasting the first week of September, right after Labor Day. Which should put me pretty much at the beginning of harvest. Not the best time to taste.
Can people give me suggestions of good places to taste that will be open on a weekday? I’m up for anything except most Bordeaux varieties. I do like petit verdot.
I don’t suppose anyone knows of any interesting events planned?
I guess I could schlep over to Napa for a day if there’s not much going on in Sonoma County.
Taste of Sonoma at MacMurray Ranch Saturday the 1st.
Copain does weekday tastings as does Arista.
You can visit Joseph Swan by appointment. If you are on the Williams Selyem mailing list you can taste there by appointment. Merry Edwards Winery in Sebastopol is open on weekdays. Gary Farrell Vineyard and Winery has a beautiful view as well as some attractive Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. It is open except major holidays. Martinelli Tasting Room is also open daily and has some Pinot Noir and Zinfandel worth trying. You may want to explore the tasting rooms in Healdsburg for more concentrated options.
Me.
Best, Jim
I always recommend a stop a Littorai, with an appointment.
Matt
I am going in Sept and contacted Littorai. The fee is $30 per person paid in advance and does not apply towards a purchase. I think that is high for Sonoma.
Concentrate on Russian River and Dry Creek Valleys for Chard, Pinots, Syrahs, Zins. Anyone with a hospitality staff will be open. If it’s a one man operation they may be busy.
Contact Jason Jardine via this website @ Flowers. Mel & I thought the 2010 wines were extraordinary and were exceeded by his hospitality.
It’s a very good tour.
I am sure that Littorai does a nice tasting and tour and when I do a tasting with a tour I will always buy 2 to 4 bottles even if I didn’t like the wines. I guess what I don’t like , this is what they do in Napa and I hate to see it started in Sonoma where it is definately not the norm. Actually, most of Napa’s tasting fees will go against a purchase.
Red Car Wines, Sojourn, Scribe are three of my favorites and I recommend to just about anyone who will listen. Scribe and Sojourn you’ll need a reservation. Worth it.
In addition to Jim Cowan, Kevin Kelley @ the IPA in Santa Rosa, Ryme in Healdsburg, Grace Wine Co. & Scholium Project (they may both be in Napa though). You might also want to see what’s going on with Jim Mack up in Bennett Valley (Jemrose).
**meant to add Scholium, but they are in Napa.
Jim, thanks for the invitation. I will contact you to see what your schedule is like.
Thanks to everyone else for the suggestions.
Littorai makes some low alcohol wines that sound intriguing. The $30 tasting fee might be a nice introduction to their wines, because I don’t think I can afford them. Can someone describe the tour? Would they do it for one person?
The tour is about 45 minutes long and includes the Biodynamic environment around the winery (that includes some of the vineyards). Extremely informative and fun. After that you get 4-8 wines to taste.
Let me know if you are interested and maybe I can help with the tour fee 
I live less then 5 minutes away, know all the people and this is the first time I heard about the fee. The wines are magnificent.