Truett-Hurst & VML Wineries | Sonoma, CA

Sometimes wine tasting in Napa and Sonoma can be daunting. With so many wineries to choose from in a relatively small area, I often feel like I don’t know where to begin. However, during my last visit, I felt like I found a couple perfect spots.

Tucked away on a gorgeous piece of land in the heart of the Dry Creek Valley in Northern Sonoma County sits Truett-Hurst Winery. Truett-Hurst encompasses 26 picture-perfect acres, complete with an eco-friendly tasting room, an organic garden, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah vineyards, and several outdoor seating areas.

We made our way into the tasting room where we began our tasting and learned a bit about the winery. Truett-Hurst was purchased fairly recently by bio-dynamic/organic farming guru, Paul Dolan, and the former winemaker of Fetzer Winery, Phil Hurst. Virginia Lambrix was brought on as winemaker and completed the winery’s vision of “creating world-class wines using bio-dynamic principles.”

With our second glass of wine in hand – a delicious and juicy 2010 White Sheep Pinot Noir – we decided to stroll down to the banks of Dry Creek. We were given pairs of “fish finder” glasses that we thought were just a clever little touch until we discovered they magically allowed us to have a crystal clear underwater view. We watched a few salmon making their way up-stream and headed back to the tasting room.

We finished our tasting with a 2010 Black Sheep Pinot Noir, 2009 Rattler Rock and Red Rooster Zinfandels, and a 2009 Burning Man Petite Sirah. The entire line up was expertly crafted and really tasty, but I absolutely loved the ’09 Black Sheep Pinot Noir and the ’09 Red Rooster Zinfandel (both of which I took home with me).

After a really great experience at Truett-Hurst, we asked our tasting room host for a recommendation on where to go next. He suggested we head down the road to VML – Truett-Hurst’s sister winery. VML is winemaker Virginia Marie Lambrix’s brand new winery that specializes in hand-crafted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley.

We pulled up to the winery and were blown away by the beautiful, Alice in Wonderland type gardens and vegetation that lead us up to the tasting room. We walked inside and were immediately greeted and offered some crackers, cheese and chocolate to accompany our tasting.

One of the first things I noticed about VML wines were the incredibly cool wine bottle labels. Apparently Virginia Lambrix hired a company to come up with a brand image that truly reflected her personality and passion. The branding company felt like she was like a witch or a sorceress – mainly because of her dedication to organic/bio dynamic wine making practices – and created labels that I felt communicated this perfectly.

Our tasting consisted of a 2010 Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc, a 2010 Chardonnay, and two 2010 Pinot Noirs – one from the Russian River Valley and one from Ivywood Vineyard. All the wines we tasted were fantastic. You could taste the impeccable care and craftsmanship in each glass. I took home a bottle of Chardonnay and one of each of the Pinots (and ordered another bottle of each when I got back to Los Angeles).

We left VML and headed on a quick, scenic drive towards the rocky coast before heading back to our hotel. I feel like we were so lucky to find both Truett-Hurst and VML Wineries and highly recommend both to anyone visiting the area. Virginia Lambrix is an incredibly talented winemaker and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

 

TRUETT-HURST WINERY
5610 Dry Creek Road
Healdsburg, CA 95448
Phone: (707) 433-9545
Email: info@truetthurst.com
Tasting room hours: 11AM – 5PM Daily

VML WINERY
4035 Westside Road
Healdsburg, CA 95448
Phone: (707) 431-4404
Email: info@vmlwine.com
Tasting room hours: 11AM – 5PM Daily