We went on to some vineyards tour of our own, with wine experts friends of ours. We were expecting to have lots of fun, lots of wine, and lots of great vineyard experience! We were very excited to visit vineyards in Sonoma Valley, because we love wine, and going there with a serious wine lovers who know about wines and about the local vineyards, and who are club members at several wineries is even better.
First, our friends took us to their favorite vineyard in Sonoma valley, and I have to say, I can see why it made it to the top of their list. It is a beautiful stone building, much bigger than I expected, and very welcoming.
They had some wine making equipment from long ago by the entrance. It is so interesting to see them and imagine how people used to make wine. Then, you are greeted by wax figure host, where you can sign up to their club. I thought it was funny, great way to incorporate humor into the winery!
Inside was bright, lots of space and lots of really nice souvenirs & gifts on the tables. There are several sommeliers at the counter, with wine bottles behind them. We went there during the week days, so there were not that many people in the inside, but I heard on the weekends, it gets really packed there, to the point it is difficult to get to the bar, and getting attention of any of the sommelier is even tougher challenge. So we felt very lucky that we got all the space around us, and a complete, undivided attention from our sommelier.
We started with some whites, and then some reds, and many more glasses than normally allowed at any winery. (Only showing few glasses here, as they mostly look the same in a wine glass) Since we were all wine enthusiasts, I guess our sommelier really liked us! I am a big fan of sweet wines, not so much the dry kinds. So, most of the wines (if not all) we tried were on more of the sweet kinds.
The first one we tried was Moscato, 2013. It has floral bouquet, notes of spearmint and citrus. It was really, really good! I’ve always loved moscato wines, for its sweet and fruity flavor. This one was excellent, a great start to the wine tasting! Then we moved on to Pinot Grigio 2013, with peach and citrus flavor with floral bouquet. It was another great wine, well balanced, and more crisp than sweet. Next wine was Bianco di Sei Sorelle, 2013, a crisp and complex wine offering fresh flavors of peach and pear. This one was very interesting, the sommelier told us that it is steel-fermented, un-oaked Chardonnay, which I have never heard of! It is bright and crisp and shows off its flavors of citrus, grapefruit and green apple. It goes great with many types of food because of its bright acidity and fresh fruits. The last white we tried was Giuseppina, 2014, which was rich and fruity with luscious apple and pear flavors and a toasty, vanilla-oak finish. Every single wine that we tried were all high quality, flavorful, and delicious!
We moved on to some reds. We started with Rosato Di Sangiovese, 2014. It had light salmon color, flavors of honeycomb, citrus, and spices. The Rose was also aged in stainless steel, and was crisp high acid and low tannin. Then we tried Aglianico, 2011, with flavors of blackberry, mushroom, coffee, figs, with moderate tannis. It was really rich, deep, and really excellent. The sommelier told us that it is a great wine for Thanksgiving dinner, and I completely agree. The flavor will bring out the best in all the Thanksgiving classic dishes. Next one was Primitivo, 2013, with flavors of truffle and coffee, with a hint of cinnamon on the finish. It had great deep color, and with concentrated strawberry/cherry character, it had rich and velvety feel. Then to Cabernet Sauvignon, 2013. I do enjoy a good cab. It had bright blackberry and nuances of herb combined with vanilla and caramel from the oak. A full-bodied red with ample tannin, it certainly was a good cab! Another one we tried was Barbera, 2012, with smoky robust notes of cherry and raspberry. It was savory with interesting flavors. The last Red we tried was called Sagrantino, 2012, with blackberry and blueberry notes, with delicate vanilla tannis. It was rich and tannic with contrasting sweet black berry jam and savory flavors.
Then, when we thought we were all done with tasting, our sommelier recommended more wines to taste. Of course we will not say “no” to that. So he gave us a glass of La Dolce Vinge, 2013, a blend of Merlot, Aleatico, Sagrantino, Syrah, Barbera, Sangiovese, Primitivo, and Alicante Bouche. Basically, blend of lots of different wine grapes. A great way to get all that and then some! It certainly was a luscious blend, and had big berry flavors and a smooth finish. Really great Red wine. Then we got to try some special wines for club members, Valeriano, 2013, which is a classic Bordeaux blend. It is rich cherry and pleasant herbal flavors, and has great acid and structure with enough tannin without being overbearing. Then we also tried sparking wine, Pina Prosecco, a Brut-style sparkling wine, imported from Italy. It is refreshing with apple, peach and pineapple flavors. Last but not least was a dessert wine, which is my favorite kind of wine. We tried Late Harvest Aleatico, 2013, which hasw a rosewater bouquet with a refined plum-cherry finish. It was sweet, very flavorful, elegant with notes of licorice. A serious dessert wine here!
At the end, we had to decide which wines to take home, it was not an easy choice since we wanted them all! We chose Aglianico (for perfect companion to the Thanksgiving dinner), Moscato, La Dolce Vigne (this way, we figured we are getting the flavors of most of the wonderful wines they have), and the serious dessert wine, Aleatico. We are super happy with our choices, and can’t wait to open them up!
And while sipping all of their tasty wines, our sommelier also told us the history about Jacuzzi family, all very interesting! They didn’t start off with wine business, but they were in aviation industry, and you can see a propeller from way back when, in early 1900s displayed on the wall. What is even more interesting? They moved on from propeller of a plane to manufacturing water well pumps and eventually, the bath and spa that bears their name. Now you know where the Jacuzzi bathtub really came from! Incredible!
After the wine tasting, we were invited to go around back to their vineyard, with a glass of Merlot in our hands, and to try out some Merlot grapes off the vines! Our friends who have been visiting this vineyards for the last several years almost every week have never allowed to do this, so we were all super happy and excited! And let me tell you, it was such an amazing experience! We got to walk around the vineyards, and picked off some Merlot grapes while sipping Merlot wine… it can’t get any better than that! The grapes were surprisingly sweet, and of course, delicious!
Before leaving the premise, we walked around the other side of the building, where there are many tables and chairs, and also indoor even space. I can see some wonderful celebrations and weddings happening here, it will make an incredible and unforgettable events with great photos!
If you are a wine lover, head over to Sonoma Valley and go straight to Jacuzzi Family Vineyards. Great service, great wines, and great selections to choose from, you can’t go wrong. And they have so many adorable wine accessories as well, you are in for a wonderful wine experience for sure! Their customer service is really great also, we had a very small issue with the shipments of the wine bottles, and when I call them, they were extremely helpful, sweet and kind. I would love to go back there in the future for more amazing time and incredible wines!
Jacuzzi Family Vinyards – 24724 Arnold Dr, Sonoma, CA 95476