rainy view of the dam from Sbragia
Hurrah! We finally went to Sbragia! I’ve been wanting to go there for a while, as some of you already know. The last time that we went was a failure as the others (you know who you are) didn’t want to taste the wine because they didn’t like the look of the showroom/tasting room. I have to admit, it’s a bit crassly commercial and tacky. Nevertheless, the view of the Dry Creek Dam and the Valley is spectacular from the place and we even enjoyed the wines.
2008 Schmidt Ranch Sauvignon Blanc, Dry Creek Valley: This was pale yellow with a non-descript fruity aroma. It tasted of tropical fruit and though was dry; it had a sweetness to it.
window shopping at Sbragia
2007 Home Ranch Chardonnay, Dry Creek Valley: This was the highly rated wine in Wine Spectator that I sent to my sister, Deby, for Christmas. She loved it which is the reason that we trekked all the way to Dry Creek Valley in a January rainstorm.
The wine was a pale yellow with a “sweet” smell. It tasted buttery and was lighter than the Gamble Ranch chard.
2007 Gamble Ranch Chardonnay, Napa Valley: This was a transparent pale straw yellow. It smelled of wood and had a pleasing citrusy taste.
2007 Home Ranch Merlot, Dry Creek Valley: This was my favorite tasted today. It was a transparent purplish red. We noted ash on the nose. It had good structure with a long finish. We thought that it had a few more years of aging potential. Yum!
2006 Italo’s Vineyard Zinfandel, Alexander Valley: This was transparent brownish red. It had an herbal almost rotten vegetable smell. This medium bodied zin seemed less complex than the merlot. It was just nice.
2006 Gino’s Vineyard Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley: This was a pale almost orange-ish red color. Wendy thought that it smelled of “blood.” It seemed flatter than the Italo Vd Zin with a shorter finish.
2006 La Promessa Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley: This wine was a reddish purple color. It had a jammy aroma and tasted very fruit-forward. It wasn’t my favorite though Wine Spectator apparently rated it a 90.
yummy Sbragia merlot