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Entrance to Robert Sinskey Vineyards, located in Napa, California

Having regrettably never made it to Robert Sinskey Vineyards in previous visits, my wife and I sought out this Napa institution which has been farming organically since 1991, and more recently received its Demeter biodynamic certification.  Our pleasant tasting experience was chaperoned by Susan, who started working for the winery earlier in the year.  Somewhat unique to many of our other winery visits, Sinskey offers an hors d’oeuvres pairing to go along with each wine on their tasting menu.  You can purchase the aptly-named ’Gluttonous Flight’ for $20 ($15 is refunded with a two-bottle purchase), which on this day included four wine and food pairings.  The pairings are heavily influenced by Robert Sinskey’s wife Maria Helm Sinskey, a well-known chef and cookbook author.  Susan explained to us that Sinskey wines are made from nearly 200 acres of vineyards in the Carneros region of Napa, located in the southern part of the county.  Most of their vines are not actually in the immediate area surrounding the majestic tasting room facility, built into a beautiful hillside off Napa’s famed Silverado Trail.

As the tasting menu was dominated by reds on this day, we started our experience  with the 2006 Los Carneros Pinot Noir, which Susan explained was the most widely distributed Sinskey wine made and produced from a blend of grapes farmed across multiple vineyards.  We followed the ‘06 Los Carneros with the 2005 Four Vineyards Pinot Noir, which is aged in French oak.  Perhaps due to being a year older, we preferred the Four Vineyards to the Los Carneros, although both appeared well suited to pair with a good wild salmon steak.  Susan explained that they try and stay away from high alcohol levels, opting for more acidity to pair with food.  Next, we tried the 2005 Los Carneros Merlot, which we found very light and fruity, especially on the nose.  We ended the tasting with the 2005 Marcien, a proprietary red that is aged for 20 months in French oak.  Intrigued by our liking of the two Pinots we tried, we opted to blindly buy a bottle each of 2005 Capa Vineyards Pinot Noir, and the 2005 Vandal Vineyard Pinot Noir, neither of which were being poured in the tasting room that day but were recommended by Susan.

The final day of our trip happened to be Thanksgiving, and following a recent tradition, Healdsburg’s Porter Creek Vineyards was one of only three wineries open for business on that day.  Their modest, rustic tasting room was nearly filled with those getting an early start to the holiday festivities.  Guided by Mike, our tasting room experience started with the 2007 Timbervine Ranch Viognier, one of the few Viogniers we had a chance to taste on this particular trip.  We also tasted their 2006 Estate Pinot Noir against the 2006 Fiona Hill Pinot Noir, the latter of which is named for the 5 1/2 year old daughter of Alex Davis, Porter Creek’s winemaker.  While we liked both, we slightly preferred the Fiona Hill.  While teasing us by pouring an otherwise unavailable 2004 Zinfandel, we asked Mike about the vineyards located out the back window of the tasting room.  He explained that they in fact belonged to the massive E&J Gallo Winery, and were not part of their estate.  Since Porter Creek is certified biodynamic and Gallo does not practice organic farming methods, Gallo is required to maintain at least a small separation between their vines and those of Porter Creek.  Mike also explained that Gallo is not permitted to spray pesticides or other chemicals when the wind speed is above a certain threshold, a situation Porter Creek understandably monitors closely.

We left with a bottle each of the Viognier, as well as the 2006 Old Vine Zinfandel, which Mike assured us is likely on the same tasting path as the 2004 we tried (we hope he’s right!).  If you’re looking for a biodynamic producer with a versatile lineup of very good wines, Porter Creek is a great stop.  We look forward to getting back when there’s less of a crowd to spend more time asking questions about their winemaking practices.

Organic farming sign as posted outside Porter Creek

Next Up: Details of our tasting room visits to certified-organic producers, including Frog’s Leap Winery.

For more about biodynamic and organic wines, visit DrinkTheEarth.com.