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2005 Arrowood Chardonnay, Sonoma County

90 points - Steve Heimoff, Wine Enthusiast December 2007

Winemaker's Notes: 2005 was kind to Arrowood. Mild weather throughout most of the season and during harvest led to ripe fruit flavors and good acid level.s The nose for our Sonoma County Chardonnay combines honeysuckle, peaches and apples. The palate is rich and lush with almonds and a touch of vanilla. The wine is well structured and impeccably balanced.

Our 2005 Sonoma County Chardonnay showcases fruit from the Preston Ranch and Alary Vineyards in the Russian River Valley and the Alta Vista Vineyard in Sonoma-Los Carneros. By blending select lots from three different vineyards, each with its own distinct flavor profile, we are able to creative a wine with layers of flavors, impeccable balance and great complexity.

Sonoma County is the world's most diverse appellation. From the cold-weather vineyards near the Pacific coastline to the protected sites along the eastern edge of the Mayacamas Mountains, Sonoma County is uniquely qualified to product outstanding wines from warm- and cool-climate varieties alike. With such variety and range, Sonoma offers winemakers a wide assortment of flavors and textures to utilize when creating regional blends.

Rodney Strong 2004 Estate Vineyards Knotty Vines Zinfandel Sonoma County

Rick Sayre did a beautiful job blending the juice from four different vineyards, in four distinctly different terroirs, to bring out a better-than-the-price $20 Zin that says "Sonoma" through and through. The wine gets its name from a century-old Zinfandel block in a vineyard west of Russian River about midway between Healdsburg and Geyserville. Legend is that the late Rod Strong was advised to pull the block out when he bought the vineyard many years ago, but he was too smart for that. Most of the fruit comes from the other three spots, which are in Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, but the personality of this wine comes from those knotty vines.

This wine is not a giant jam jar, which you might expect from the 2004 vintage, but a medium-bodied, nicely complex, very well balanced Zinfandel that lets you savor its qualities rather than knocking your socks off. Favorite qualities were the brightness and juiciness of the fruit (which is plenty ripe_, the spiciness of the mid-palate and finish, and how the wine could not be from anywhere but northern Sonoma County. 1-% Zin, 14.5% alcohol, enough new American oak to keep it firm for another couple of years, but drinking nicely now.

Raymond Burr 2005 Chardonnay

Showing balanced depth and complexity, light straw to golden color, aromas unfold with layers of pineapple and citrus, it has a delightful balance of between bright focused fruit and creamy vanilla. It was aged on the lees and is 100% barrel fermented.

Gold Medal and Best of Class winner North of the Gate Wine Competition 2007 "...this straw honey Chardonnay is perhaps the best we've every made! 100% Estate Grown"

Ryamond Burr 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon

A full, solid, complex Cabernet Sauvignon. Rich, ripe and earthy. Aromas and flavors of blackberry, chocolate and a hint of oak. Medium tannins with a long finish. A fruit bomb!"

Silver Medal Winner - San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition 2009