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Organic farming sign outside the entrance to Michel-Schlumberger Wine Estate

The past few trips we’ve made to Sonoma have been filled out with, for the most part, drop-in tastings or spur-of-the-moment visits on the way to specific destinations.  This year we decided to focus almost exclusively on appointments to get a slightly different perspective of the wineries we wanted to visit, especially since many of them were on the small side, offering a more personal experience than your average tasting room visit might.  That’s exactly what we got at Michel-Schlumberger Wine Estate, located on the western hills of the Dry Creek Valley in Healdsburg.

Michel-Schlumberger is certified organic, and uses many of the principals of biodynamic farming.  The grounds include many interesting sights, such as a vineyard tractor that runs on bio-diesel, birdhouses and perches that attract raptors to help control vineyards pests, and a special breed of miniature sheep that help to “mow” the cover crop around the vines.

The hospitality center is located in a beautiful Spanish-influenced building, situated around a courtyard full of lush plants and a reflecting pool, and seems much more like a private residence than public attraction.    If I remember correctly, at one time, the tasting center actually was home to a former owner, and it hasn’t lost its warm appeal.  On this occasion, we opted for the wine and cheese pairing at $25 per person (of which half of the proceeds go to the Healdsburg Education Foundation).  However, many different options are available for a visit to the winery, including a green tour & hillside tasting, a vertical tasting of reserve cabernets, or even the chance to create your own custom tour with advance notice.  In all cases, reservations are required.

Our tasting of four wines and four cheeses (ordered especially for the pairing from the world-famous Cheese Shop in downtown Healdsburg) was especially fun because of the presence of another couple who had also reserved a tasting at that time.  In our company was Erin McGrath, herself a wine blogger  for Vintwined, along with her fiancé Russ.  In addition to a shared interest in writing about wine, we also shared many of the same tastes in style and varietals as well.

First on the menu was the 2006 La Brume Chardonnay, paired with a Carmody cheese from Bellwether Farms in Petaluma.  More classically Burgundian in style, there was just enough oak to give it structure without overwhelming the fruit.  The Carmody, a fresh-tasting cheese made from cow’s milk and aged only about six weeks, was a lovely companion to the Chard.

Our second pairing featured the 2005 Pinot Noir, which is the only estate-grown and bottled Pinot in the Dry Creek Valley.  A very food-friendly wine, it was a lovely match to Bellwether Farms’ San Andreas, a delicious sheep’s milk cheese that has some similarities to Manchego. 

The third offering was the 2005 Syrah.  The winemaker choose to blend a very small amount of Viognier into this wine, resulting in a less dense outcome.  This is not a fruit bomb Syrah, nor is the alcohol content so high as to leave you wondering if you’re really drinking a Zin.  This is a pretty wine that would pair well with grilled meat dishes.  In our case, however, we were able to try it with St. George cheese, from Matos Dairy in Santa Rosa.   A full-flavored, rich cheese, we enjoyed the pairing immensely.

To wrap up our visit, our final tasting combined the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, a varietal that Michel-Schlumberger is well-known for, with Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam, a personal favorite of everyone at the table.  The triple-cream cow’s milk cheese created a rich background for the structure of this cab, which should drink beautifully over the next four to five years.

Needless to say, we couldn’t leave without purchasing a bottle (in this case, the Pinot Noir), and taking a walk around the courtyard.  With great wine, lush grounds, and lovely company, our visit to Michel-Schlumberger will always be remembered as one of our favorite Sonoma County experiences.