Sonoma in NYC

Last night I was invited to taste the best Sonoma, California has to offer at the Taste of Sonoma: On Tour event at City Winery, featuring more than 100 wines from 50 wineries throughout the region.

Wine glasses waiting to be filled

Having taken a trip to that region last year, I was really excited to see if there was anything I recognized and remembered. Adjacent to Napa Valley, Sonoma is known for full bodied Cabernet Sauvignons and rich Zinfandels as well as fruity Pinot Noirs and crisp Chardonnays and sparkling wines.

The food at the event featured cheese heavy passed hors d'oeuvres (I loved the carrot and ricotta crostini) and meat and cheese platters from Murray's Cheese.

I was happy to recognize some of my favorite Zinfandels from wineries I visited last year (Sbragia overlooking Lake Sonoma and Dry Creek Vineyards) as well as some new ones (Fritz was amazing).

As far as whites go, we liked the stainless steel-aged Chardonnay from Rodney Strong as well as the Wedding Cuvee from Iron Horse Vineyards. Francis Ford Coppola Winery, another one I visited, sampled both their Director's Cut Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 (YUM!) and their 2012 Director's Cut Pinot Noir. The most-interesting-wine-of-the-night award went to the 2009 Baker Lane Estate Vineyard Syrah, which we tasted against the same wine in 2011. The gal pouring told us that these wines are almost strong enough that they don't even need food, "meat and wine in a bottle," she said. And we agreed in the best way possible!