Tasting at Deerfield Ranch Winery

I have been wanting to go tasting at Deerfield for a very long time and this weekend was the perfect opportunity. Two of my favorite people, Fred and Cheryl, were visiting from CT/NY and on Sunday we all, my parents, “auntie” and “uncle”, myself and Emma (my dog), decided to go up to Sonoma for lunch and tasting. When we first got to Sonoma we went to eat at the least flavorful TexMex place I have ever eaten, La Casa. After lunch, my puppy, Cheryl, and my mom had some ice cream from the Ben and Jerry’s shop, by consensus much better than the lunch place.

At this point I was itching to get the winery, did I mention that I had been wanting to go here for TWO years, and so we drove up 12 into Kenwood, where Deerfield is located. It is a gorgeous setting. I find Sonoma so much more peaceful than Napa because it is less crowded, less built up, but with the same gorgeous natural scenery. The winery had just redone its facility in the last few years and had built a wine cave into the mountain. At the very end of the cave is the tasting room, and the walk down is cool and smells of pressed grapes, and the passage is lined with barrels of wine. The tasting room itself is beautiful with couches, leather chairs and long wooden tables. It is set up to allow you to take your time with the tasting.

We decided on the VIP tasting, as this was the only winery that we were visiting today, and I have to admit the prices for tasting are a little higher than other places. However, if you buy 3 bottles they waive the tasting fee and there are definitely 3 bottles you will want to buy (and the wines are quite reasonably priced). Let’s do the tasting rundown, shall we?

We started out with two Sauvignon Blancs in completely different styles. The 2006 was not at all grassy, had a buttery feel, a lot of grapefruit and pineapple, and a very long finish. It was not my favorite, very different from the Marlborough, New Zealand style, but F and C loved it! The 2007 was very different, as it was done in steel instead of oak. This wine was very bright with peach, some floral notes, smooth and crisp with a medium finish. I preferred this Sauvignon Blanc, but you cannot go wrong either way. This wine came in at 18.00 a bottle.

Next came the 2006 Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley. This was a Pinot done in the old world style, heavier on the earth and spice, less heavy on the fruit. I loved this, however, my sentiment was not shared by other members of my tasting group who prefer fruit forward wines. There was a spice box that had definite notes of cinnamon and clove, strawberries, cedar, damp earth, damp wood, and cherries, with fine tannins. This was an incredibly balanced and delicious wine. 45$.

Next we were served the 2002 Super T-Rex, Deerfield’s Super Tuscan blend with Sangiovese, Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, and Dolcetto. This was by far my Dad’s favorite wine of the day, but he tends to be an Italian wine fan in general. This had notes of raspberries, chocolate, green pepper, anise, cedar, cherry, and blackberry. It was very balanced, smooth, and had a nice refreshing acidity to it. Very good. 45$.

Next came the Red Rex, the multipurpose blend, and it was just that. If you know anyone who does not like red wine, this is a really easy drink and a very friendly wine for them. Our resident white lover, red not-so-mucher, Cheryl, gave this the non-red drinker stamp of approval. Maybe I will have to actually get her a stamp that says “approved by Cheryl” but I could see how use of that could go overboard. This was fruit forward with blueberry, strawberry, blackberry, violet, eucalyptus, chocolate, cinnamon, anise, and herbs. It was very smooth and easy to drink. 28$ and a great party wine.

Now came 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, by far my favorite of the evening, that just sung. It is from the North Coast and is made is a Bordeaux style with the enhancement of a bit of Merlot, Malbec, Cab Franc, and Petit Verdot. This wine has pepper, blueberry, cherry, plum, cedar, damp earth, and the Petit Verdot gives it a brightness on the finish that is utterly refreshing. This is Balanced with nice fine tannins. This is a great wine, though very light for a Cabernet and will appeal more to people who love a French Bordeaux more than people who love a big, bold Napa Cab. Here is the great part, this wine is only 30$.

At this point, Walker, the beautiful Vineyard Poodle came in and was fascinated by my dog who was bullied before I got her and kind of skittish around other dogs. It just makes her uneasy. Walker is the sweetest dog and an added benefit of the Deerfield Ranch Winery for any wine country visitor who loves dogs. So sweet!

Now, we had two tastings left and two 75+ lb dogs, I would guess Walker is about 75, Emma, tank that she is, hovers between 85 and 90 lbs, in a space with a lot of glassware. I gripped Emma tighter, not a shock– this was the epitome of a bull in a china shop. However, back to the wine, we were next served the 2004 Shiraz Cuvee, which was everyone’s least favorite wine of the day. It had blueberries, violets, cedar, black pepper, and spice, but it just fell flat and was not exciting. This is the only wine here I cannot recommend.

Lastly, we finished up with the flagship, a 1999 DRX in the Bordeaux style. This is their premium wine, and price reflects it, but it is delicious. Completely round and smooth, with ripe fruit flavors mellowed by earthiness followed by spice. This is a delicious and sophisticated wine. It is a slightly more refined version of the Cabernet. However, at 85$ a bottle would I pick this over the Cab? Heck no. The value on the Cab is through the roof.

And that concluded our tasting. We bought the Super-T (for my dad), the Red Rex (for the next time Cheryl visits), and the Cabernet (for me!) and concluded our spectacular visit.

I do have one last thing to note: this is a completely organic vineyard, so it is great for the environment at the same time as being great tasting. I definitely recommend a trip up here to taste.