Healdsburg is one of my favorite areas in wine country, and one that I don't make it to quite often enough (Sonoma is a mere 45 minutes away from the city, so I frequently—and lazily—end up there), but going there is such a treat, I should really do it more often. Unlike the Carneros region in lower Sonoma County (e.g. the town of Sonoma), which specializes in Burgundy-style wines like pinot noir and chardonnay, Healdsburg sits between Alexander Valley, Dry Creek, and Russian River Valley, thus exposing its wineries to a wider variety of micro-climates and thus a wider variety of grapes that thrive in each. Dry Creek tends to have great zinfandel, Alexander Valley goes Bordeaux (cabernet sauvignon and my favorite, merlot), and for the Burgundy lovers, Russian River is more pinot and chardonnay, although all dabble in sauvignon blanc, rhone grapes (grenache, syrah, and mouverdre), and even sangiovese. Long story short, you can hit several wineries in a short radius and taste a lot of different varietals.
The one tasting room I almost always hit while I'm in Healdsburg is Ridge Vineyards, which has been around since 1962 and also has its original location in Cupertino (yes, really), which started way back in the 1800s as Monte Bello. That happens to be the name of Ridge's flagship wine, a Bordeaux-style blend that has a big taste (and a big price tag to match). Ridge's zinfandels are top-notch—they grow grapes on their own land but also buy from other regions and blend in petit verdot, carignane, and other varietals to balance out zinfandel's super-sweet tendencies.
Speaking of carignane, I bought three bottles of their 2011 vintage the first time I visited Ridge; I drank the last one a few months ago, and it was even more divine than the first time I had tasted it: dark berries with just a hint of soft spice, smooth and dry and just about perfect. Every time I've been there since, they've been sold out of carignane, and the 2013 vintage was so small, it was released only to the wine club. I've been told the next release is in June, so guess who'll be going back to Ridge this summer!
As for this trip, I went home with the reasonable Carmichael zinfandel, which tastes like a subtle cherry cola, and to me, that's as perfect as a zin can be. I also took a bottle of the 2013 Perrone Merlot, which already tastes amazing—dark cherries, velvety tannins, a little earthiness—but needs to lay down for a bit and mellow out. Ridge gets extra points for noting on the back of its labels when the wine will be at its peak; as someone who is slowly learning the merits of aging one's wine, this is especially helpful. Speaking of labels, I love how simple and iconic they are. I mean...
My purchases
Of course, it would be silly to hit just one winery after making an hour-plus-long drive, but thankfully there are lots of great options in Healdsburg. Also on my list of faves: Medlock Ames (which we also visited on this trip), Unti (which we sadly did not), A. Rafanelli (ditto), and Preston (ditto again). Ah well, until next time...