welcome to beautiful Hop Kiln Winery
rusty Hop Kiln conveyor belt
We went to Hop Kiln on a quest for more late harvest zinfandel after the thrilling half-bottle that our good friend, Chris, brought to our Dungeness crab massacre, oh, I mean dinner party over the holidays. Then, in January, we saw him at another party. That time he brought a bottle of 1995 Hop Kiln Russian River Valley Primitivo Zinfandel. The wine was as delicious as it was controversial. Does zinfandel really improve with age?
Ostensibly we were in Sonoma County to visit Michel-Schlumberger Wines by invitation, which we did and enjoyed, but is one winery ever really enough? Hop Kiln seemed perfect as we already had enjoyed their wine, we were nearby and you can drop in—no appointment needed.
I’ve already written about the landmarked Hop Kiln that gives the winery its name and is the dramatic focal point of any visit there. I was surprised by how large the building actually turned out to be. It really is stunning and quite unusual.
We were there on a beautiful clear day. They have ample picnic areas overlooking a small lake, which we might use on a future visit. Inside the renovated structure is a rustically elegant tasting-room with some merchandise here and there. The staff was quite friendly.
We immediately inquired about the late harvest zin but were dismayed to learn that they pulled up the entire zinfandel vineyard after it developed some sort of illness. Was it mold? That is really sad! The same guy who told us that offered a small ray of hope: they’re thinking of replanting.
Hop Kiln tasting room
Hop Kiln Russian River Pinot noir with an unusual aerator
We tried some of the wine, anyway! Boo-hoo about no zinfandel!!
2009 HKG Chardonnay, Russian River Valley: This was a very pale transparent yellow with a nose of tropical fruit. It had a lot of mineral crispness but wasn’t that creamy or buttery. Good.
2009 HKG Rosé of Pinot Noir, RRV Estate Grown: This was a pale transparent completely dry red full of strawberry, pomegranate and raspberry fruit. We liked it.
2009 HKG Pinot Noir, Estate Russian River Valley: This one was transparent red with a nose of caramel and freshly turned earth. Medium body full of red cherry with a short finish. Just ok.
As a special treat, we were offered the
2007 HKG Pinot Noir: This is a blend of 85% estate grown pinot and 15% Sonoma Coast. It was a translucent brownish red with a nose of tobacco. It had some evident age, but still held onto cherry fruit. It was certainly more complex than the 2009, and probably better.
2008 Grenache: This was a medium bodied fruit forward red with hints of bitterness and mineral at the end.
2008 Malbec: The wine was a deep reddish purple color with a nose of plum and other ultra ripe stone fruit. It seemed unbalanced and a bit sour.
2008 Rushin’ River Red: This is a blend of 67% syrah and 33% Grenache. It was a dark purplish red. The nose had red and black berries. It was medium bodied, full of black fruit. It was o.k. but couldn’t compete with a French Côtes du Rhône.