Local Boys and Girls Make Good with First Ever Organic Sonoma Valley Wine Tasting: Incredible Breadth and Depth

Featured: Front row: Jasmine Egan (general manager, Winery Sixteen 600); Allie Badar (conference administrator and Bedrock enologist); Katie Bundschu (proprietor, GunBun and Abbot's Passage) Morgan Twain Peterson MW (Bedrock Vineyards). Back row: Sam Coturri, winemaker and bon vivant (Winery Sixteen 600).

There are so many amazing things to know about the upcoming organically grown Sonoma Valley conference that's about to happen at Fort Mason next weekend - Sun. August 17. 

Get your tickets ($73) here https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sonoma-organic-regenerative-biodynamic-educational-tasting-sorbet-tickets-1333223440199 

I want to celebrate this for being the first vintner collaboration on organically grown wines that I have seen. No one else - not Napa, not Paso, not California – has taken the lead on presenting the breadth and depth of organically grown wines being made today. This tasting is just what we need - regional, grassroots enthusiasm for a new kind of wine culture that talks about organic farming, not just sulfites. We should be elevating these producers and not falling for greenwashing claims. 

At Sonoma Valley’s organic wine event, producers will collectively pour 20 different varietals in a range of styles. This region, as you may recall, is the birthplace of North Coast winemaking, and it's gaining momentum as a destination for organic-minded folks to tour and taste. All the charm, less BS. But mostly – great wines. 

Enjoy this listen from the Indie Wine Podcast about the event, featuring the leading organizers. 

VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE

This tasting encompasses so many styles and varieties. I'm going to list some here, just to highlight the varied choices attendees will find:

Sparklers

Gloria Ferrer, the Spanish owned giant producer of Cava, is now the biggest organic grower in the county, having converted 330 acres to organic certification. In addition it's on a path going forward to put "Made with Organic Grapes" on its front labels, now that the winery is certified organic, too. 

Historic Vineyards: Reds to Die For: Monte Rosso, GunBun, Bucklin Old Hill, Bedrock

Most wine regions would kill to have the kind of historic vineyards one can still find in Sonoma Valley. 

To mention the most obvious one, Bedrock makes one of the most beautiful old vine wines you can buy–the Bedrock Heritage Red. The flagship wine–they call it their O.G.–comes from 33 acres of vines first planted in 1888. The field blend (of 30 different varieties) grows on red, cobbly soils in the historic Sonoma Valley Bedrock vineyard. Bright, light. Red fruits. A classic.

Once and Future will also delight with historic sites (like Petite Sirah from Calistoga).

Hamel Family, Abbott's Passage and others are also making old vine blends.  

Great Cabs

Starting with Laurel Glen, one of the original Cab greats, on Sonoma Mountain, there are so many other producers making incredible, acclaimed Cabernets in this tasting. From Kamen, and its Moon Mountain District minerally Cabs to Hamel Family's refined biodynamically farmed wines, the list of amazing Cabs at the tasting is worth the price of admission alone. Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards & Winery is another incredible producer and its winemaker Alejandro Zimman also makes the Cabs at Winery Sixteen 600. Hanzell also makes Cab. 

Chardonnay and Pinot Noir 

That's the thing about Sonoma - it encompasses cool climates where these grow Burgundian varieties grow beautifully. Canihan Family, Donum Estate and Hanzell will all pour. 

Rhone Wines

So many incredible Rhone wines from rosé, to Grenache and Syrah...Sixteen 600, Lasseter Family, Hamel, Kamen....I could go on and on..

White Wines

Canihan Chardonnay, Ram's Gate Pinot Blanc, Hanzell Chardonnay, Sixteen 600's Homage Blanc...I don't have time to list them all but suffice it to say, you will be busy tasting them all. 

BOXED WINE and CANS

Winery Sixteen 600's got you covered here.

FULL LINEUP

• Verification Provided

Not all vineyards are certified organic, but to the organizer's credit, they required each producer not certified organic to provide their pesticide use report (spray records reported to the Ag Commissioner and the state of California) to verify what chemicals are used on the vines. 

Wouldn't it be nice if natural wine events did this also?

ALL WINERIES

Certified 

Abbot's Passage (estate Zin only)*

Bedrock*

Benziger Family Winery (estate wines only - about 7% of production)

Brown Estate (estate Zin only)

Canihan Family Winery*

Dane Cellars (check sourcing)*

Gloria Ferrer (newest vintages only)*

Gundlach Bundschu (estate wines only; don't miss the Gewurz)*

Jambe de Bois Wines (Enterprise Vineyards' grapes)*

Kamen Estate Wines*

Korbin Kameron

Lasseter Family Winery* 

Ram's Gate Winery (estate only)*

Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards & Winery*

Winery Sixteen 600*

Not Certified 

Fest Wine Co.

FRES.CO 

Hill of Tara

Kivelstadt

Las Vivas

Marioni Wine

Pangloss Cellars (check on sourcing)

Sean Minor

Tidings

VINEYARD TABLES

In addition, and this is quite cool, certain certified organic vineyards will also be featured with the wines sourced from them:

Bedrock Vineyard

Enterprise Vineyards

Montecillo Vineyard

Rossi Ranch

This will be an unforgettable tasting!

PS If you want more info on these wineries, most of them are included in Slow Wine USA. You can buy a copy of this indispensable guide, including wines grown only without herbicide (at a minimum, many are certified organic) at www.slowwineusa.com.  Wineries indicated with a * are all ones I have written about for Slow Wine, which is a book written by 16 contributors. (In addition to writing about 50-60 entries, I edit the whole enchilada–a labor of love.)

Buy your ticket for the organic Fort Mason tasting here. 

PS What do I mean by local boys and girls make good? Listen to that podcast and you will understand. Three of the main organizers all went to high school together.