Twomey Cellars, Russian River, July 2, 2014

Winery - 8 / Wines - 7
Range:  1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Modern beautiful tasting room with great vineyard views.  Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Merlot.
www.twomey.com

Twomey Cellars operates two tasting rooms: one in Calistoga in Napa Valley, and this one in the Russian River Valley.  The Calistoga location is designed after a classic farmhouse, while the Russian River location is a modern design with a curving room and sweeping, panoramic view of the vineyards just outside.  The Russian River Valley tasting room was acquired by Twomey when they purchased the Roshambo Winery operations (in 2006).  My first visit was in 2007 and I quickly fell in love with the place.  I have returned nearly every other year since then to explore their amazing Pinot Noir wines.  Depending upon when you visit, you may have an opportunity to explore as many as four different Pinot Noir growing regions side-by-side.  Twomey produces Pinots from Santa Barbara County, the Sonoma Coast, Anderson Valley, and the Russian River Valley, allowing the taster to learn the influences each region may have on the wine from the same grapes.  And, yes, there is a noticeable difference between them.

The courtyard entry to Twomey Cellars

Driving up the Westside Road that hosts most of the wineries along the Russian River, it is easy to miss the Twomey Cellars tasting room, so watch carefully for the driveway entrance (which is well marked).  The winery building is on the downside of a small hill and easily missed, but certainly worth the extra effort to find it.  There is a courtyard leading to the front door with a handsome fountain sporting the winery’s name.  The exterior (and interior) is modern, finished in concrete with neutral warm tones and large walls of glass facing the vineyards.  Inside, the tasting room is a long, high space with a gently arching ceiling finished in in rich wood planks.  The flooring is a glossy dark brown with off-white walls along the interior.  Floor-to-ceiling glass lines most of the tasting room offering view onto the vineyards just outside.  I large patio sits just outside the tasting room and is furnished with a number of elegant patio tables fitted with umbrellas, which is where you really should be tasting in this glorious weather that the Russian River offers most days.

Walls of glass bring the outside in at Twomey Cellars.

My tasting flight began with the 2013 Sauvignon Blanc, a crisp version of this wine.  (I am starting to miss the beautiful 2012 Sauvignon Blancs as they were truly magnificent.)  Next I enjoyed a side-by-side comparison of the 2012 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir and the 2012 Russian River Pinot Noir, both of which were delicious.  This was followed by the 2009 Merlot.  As luck would have it, they had a 2007 Merlot open from earlier that was tasting deliciously, with a subtle richness to it.  My favorites were the two Pinots, and I brought home a bottle of each.

Based on this experience, I would rate the winery as an 8 and the wines offered as a 7.  This is consistent with my prior visits.

Top 5 Winery Visits of 2013

If you drink a lot of bottles of wine during the year, it is easy to put together a list of your top five (or ten) favorite wines from the year.  Then I realized that I visited 30 different wineries during 2013 and figured I should pick my favorites from that list.  This turned out to be nearly as difficult as selecting just five favorite wines from the year.  I narrowed the list down to my favorite nine wineries, and then had to start dropping off some notable wineries.  The five left standing are truly a remarkable list.  Four are located in Napa Valley, while the fifth is perched above the Russian River.

Larkmead, March 25, 2013
St. Clement Vineyards, March 1, 2013
Gary Farrell Winery, July 5, 2013
Hess Collection Winery, August 14, 2013
Ehler's Estate, May 14, 2013

Though this last winery did not make the list, it was the best of those that did not and is worthy of mentioning here for its intimate setting (underground in a working cellar) and scale.


Anomaly Vineyards, March 25, 2013

Gary Farrell Winery, July 5, 2013

www.garyfarrellwinery.com

While traveling in the Russian River area, I had time again for a visit to just one winery.  I know I should branch out and explore more, but when I have time for just one visit, I want a sure thing.  And, the tasting room at Gary Farrell Winery provides a “sure thing” experience.  Of course, another reason to visit is to keep up with the latest vintage of wine and to check out what’s new at the winery.  In this case, the winery has changed its tasting experiences.  In the past, tasters were offered a choice of flights including a standard flight and a reserve flight.  Last year they did away with the standard flight and just have the one.  This year, they added attended outdoor (or indoor at the beautiful cherry-wood tables) tastings for a small premium.  Given the wonderfully warm weather this day, there was plenty of demand for the outdoor tastings, so I opted to taste at the counter inside.  The good news is that inside has nearly the same view of the Russian River valley below as the outdoor tables have.

The handsome cherry tabletop inside Gary Farrell's tasting room

The tasting flight consists of two Chardonnays, two Pinot Noirs, and a Zinfandel.  I started with the 2010 Rochioli-Allen Vineyards Chardonnay followed by the 2010 West Side Farms Chardonnay.  I preferred the sweeter edge of the Rochioli-Allen to the West Side Farms.  Next came the red wines, starting with the 2010 Stiling Pinot Noir, and followed by the 2010 Ramol Pinot Noir.  I was a little uninspired by both, although they were each well made (the Stiling being unusually light bodied).  Then I was offered an off-menu pour of the 2010 Hallberg Pinot Noir, which was bar far my favorite of the day.  (I purchased the 2009 vintage of this wine last year.)  Finally, I tasted the 2010 Bradford Zinfandel, which I gave some serious thought to purchasing.


A full review was written already about Gary Farrell Winery during my visit on July 25^th, 2012.

Gary Farrell Winery, July 25th, 2012

Winery - 8 / Wines - 7
Range:  1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Mountain-side winery with tree-top views of Russian River Valley.  Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah
www.garyfarrellwinery.com

After rushing about Sonoma County working with the planning department, I had enough time left for a single winery visit along the Russian River.  So, I visited my staple winery there, Gary Farrell Winery.  For avid, mountain-climbing bicyclists, the ride up the driveway to the tasting room will be exhilarating … for the rest of us, drive a car with a sturdy motor, as the hill is an ambitious trek up to the tasting room, but not without its rewards.  The driveway entrance to the winery can be found off the lower portion of the Westside Road, but is easily missed if not watching for it.  A modest wooden sign announces the entrance to the winery.  Once atop the winery driveway, you immediately understand why it was located there: the views are spectacular.  So much so that the tasting room is built around the views, with tasters at the bar looking out a panoramic window that wraps around the tasting bar.



The view of Rissian River Valley from Gary Farrell Winery

 The tasting room has an elegant mountain home feel to it, with rustic lumbers on the ceiling, beautiful (yet simple) woodwork surrounding the doors and windows, plenty of natural light, a tile floor that draws in the colors of the forest just outside, and glass doors that open onto a patio where you can enjoy your wine tasting in the beautiful Russian River Valley summer weather.  When the weather is less agreeable, there are a few tables indoors for a sit-down tasting in addition to the handsome tasting bar that wraps around two lengths of the room.  The tasting bar is my favorite vantage point because you are practically forced to take in the tree-top splendor outdoors as you take in the glorious wines that this winery produces.




Entrance to Gary Farrel Winery on top of the hill



The tasting list consists of two Chardonnays and three Pinot Noirs.  My favorite of the Chardonnays was the 2009 Rochioli Vineyard for its clean fruit, grass and mineral notes, and balance.  The three 2009 Pinot Noirs represent the best of Northern and Southern California wine-growing.  The first comes from the famed Bien Nacido vineyard near Santa Maria and was the lightest of the three.  The second was from the Hallberg Vineyard in the Russian River Valley, and was the most balanced, fullest, and richest of the three.  The third was from the Rochioli Vineyard (just a few miles up the road) and was the most complex of the three.  I was so taken by the Hallberg that I bought a bottle.

Inside Gary Farrell at the seated tasting area

Based on this experience, I would rate the winery as an 8 and the wines offered as a 7.  This is consistent with all of my previous visits.