Good Times and Holdredge Wines

One of my favorite things about wine country is the unexpected.
I drove by Holdredge Winery almost daily during the Chardonnay harvest. It is on Front St just off Healdsburg Ave, about a 5 minute walk around the corner from Ramey. 

Last Saturday morning I went in to help Lydia with some barrel feedings and I loaded some empty bins onto a truck for more grape picking down the line. 

All in all a light day for the Saturday AM crew. Lydia suggested we try Holdredge. She had tasted his '06 Bucher Vineyard Pinot and loved it. So, why not. What's 10 minutes out of your day to taste Russian River Valley Pinot Noir?!?

That's John, a lawyer and a pretty damn good Pinot Noir producer... with a sense of humor. He took time out from pressing the Pinot that had fermented in those white bins he is standing next to and spoke with us at length about all sorts of wine related topics. Quizzing us on facts and procedures and basically making me "think" about what I am learning here. 
They were in the midst of dumping the fermented grapes into that Press in the far background so we really appreciated him being so accommodating with his time.  His passion for all things wine was evident in the historical facts he threw out as well as the usual winemaking notes. Georges de Latour once owned the building John now uses to create some amazing Pinots, Zin and Syrah. All in very small amounts, the largest case production is only 820 cases of the '07 Pinot Russian River. The rest were mostly 10 barrel lots or less!

He was not above ribbing us for only having an espresso machine. He brought Cindy, his tasting room host, a big steaming cup of frothy mocha-cappuccino as evidence of his superiority.

What was going to be a quick stop turned into a fun, insightful, intimate visit to a great local Pinot Noir producer. Proving once again, that although the wine has to be good, it is the people involved that add greatly to the experience. But, you have to check out John's winery if you are in Healdsburg. Can't miss Pinots across the board!

So, last Saturday I did get to spend time with some of my favorite people:  Dave and his family , fellow intern Denise and Lydia. 
Can't wait to see what's in store this Saturday. 
Big sister Debbie and my dear friend, Kevin, (who is like a brother to me), are coming to town!
Last of the '09 grapes coming later today (Friday). Gotta run. 
ps - the '07 Bucher Vineyard Pinot is pretty tasty too!