Benziger Family Winery, Sonoma County

late spring view of Benziger

The weirdcombos tasting crew went to Benziger last Sunday after we’d seen this exciting show on cable TV that featured this place. It’s in the outskirts of the charming town of Glen Ellen at the foot of Sonoma Mountain, an extinct volcano. We signed up for the tram tour ($15 each which includes the 45 minute tour and some wine tasting at the end. This bothered some of us, as we were so anxious about drinking the wine that the tour got a bit long and frustrating.)

weirdcombos crew awaiting the tram

Benziger was started around 1980 after the Benziger family moved to the area from White Plains, NY. They tout their Demeter-certified biodynamic farming techniques. I took the tour but I’m still not sure exactly what that’s supposed to mean. Their literature shows a pyramid with abstract symbols relating to the four classical elements and “spirit.” It focuses on “spirit” at the top, then “life force,” “working the cycles of nature” and then more practical stuff. That part sounds like a philosophy of wine production that includes re-using waste as fertilizer, having animals on the property to do weeding and stuff and, well, rotating various crops between vine rows and on plots of land that aren’t cultivated for grapes to keep the soil healthy. Something like that. I’m not too sure what I think about it all. It sounds like a snazzy way to promote the wines on the market to me. Maybe I’m too jaded, if that’s possible?

The estate has about 85 acres, of which about 45 are cultivated for grapes. They’re in the Sonoma Mountain AVA though frankly I’m not sure what that signifies. These folks used to own the “Glen Ellen” label which they sold to Hublein in 1993 while keeping the more luxurious Benziger name. Despite the glamour, the winery contracts with about 45 other producers in other parts of California to get grapes for wines sold at many price points. These contractors are also asked to take on some of the biodynamic techniques.

The estate itself is quite stunning. It’s divided into 30 “blocks” of grapevines producing mainly Bordeaux varieties and Zinfandel. These eventually go into the estate wines, the highest end for this producer. Overall Benziger produces about 150 thousand cases of wine annually, though only a tiny amount is from the estate. The tour was informative though somewhat annoying if you’re already a bit knowledgeable about wine production.

thirsty tourists have abandoned the tram

Plus our guide didn’t handle questions very well. For example, when we were ooh-ing and aah-ing over the outdoor crush pad and fermenting tanks (weird that the tanks were exposed to the sun, by the way), one of our group asked about the type of oak used in their barrels. Our guide sort of abruptly cut her off and said that he’d discuss this more in the cave that they’ve dug into Sonoma Mountain. He did provide a longwinded explanation in the cave, but couldn’t he have been a bit more graceful about handling the question by the crush pad?

The problem came up again while we were actually in the extensive wine caves. A tourist asked our guide whether or not the caves went onto the property of another as they seemed so substantial. He responded with an exasperated tone reminding her that the estate is “85 acres!” “Really, don’t you get it, lady?” is what he was thinking, I’m sure. The cave was marvelous. It had a pleasant earthy, musky, fruity smell and went on and on in a grid pattern. I bet it would be a lot of fun to go skate boarding through the place!

Once the tour was finished, we had some wine tasting. They offered two wines in the original wine producing building and then two from a list of choices in the main tasting room. My notes might be a bit sketch here because they didn’t have a take-away flier about most of the wines.

Benziger biodynamic pyramid

2007 Sauvignon Blanc. This wine was not made on the estate. It came from Mendocino County, I think. We had it first in the old wine room. Hegui couldn’t believe it, mumbling “How pathetic!” It is true that they’re pretty cheap offering a tour of the estate winery and the first tasting is some second-rate citrus-y wine from another county.

2005 Oonapais, Sonoma Mountain: This was an estate wine blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit verdot and cabernet franc. (I know this because there was a helpful flier provided for this one). This had a metallic taste that I did not like at all. However, some of our group thought it was delightful; the metal tasting “bloody,” “meaty” and “savage.” I like the sound of “savage.” However, those that liked this wine kept pouring their samples into my glass, making me think that perhaps they weren’t as thrilled as they let on.

2006 Winemaker’s Claret, Sonoma Coast: This was a blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot. It had a cherry color, a caramel taste and a longish finish that was thick on the tongue. We got a bottle of this to have with our picnic lunch. At $40 a bit pricy for dining al fresco, but it was nice.

2005 Zinfandel: This was cherry colored with a long finish with peppery notes.

2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve: This one had more depth than the Zinfandel. It was also cherry colored and a long almost bitter finish.

We had a huge picnic afterward in the area that the winery provided. I’ll detail that in the entry about Jacuzzi Family Vineyards. Overall, this was a fun experience but I wouldn’t come back. The place was more pretentious than was strictly necessary. The Benziger staff were not that welcoming and seemed positively mean about their wine tasting. Oh well.

should have used corkage at Benziger

weirdcombos up close