Winery Review: Foppiano Vineyards

My parents were in town last week, and we always enjoy taking trips to wine country when they visit. We've covered both Napa and Sonoma over the last few years, so this time around, we hit up the Russian River Valley. It's a section of Sonoma County with a bit of a cooler climate, known mostly for its Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. (This is not my picture of it, but it would be a beautiful place to visit in the fall.) Having no real idea where to go, we drove around the Healdsburg area aimlessly for a few minutes and finally stumbled upon Foppiano Vineyards.

Foppiano is south of Healdsburg proper, just past the Russian River itself on Route 101. It's an area that's mostly dominated by small, warehouse-style wineries. Those aren't necessarily bad--in fact, in Napa or Sonoma, they're likely quite good--but I can find them in Berkeley, and my parents can almost as easily in Georgia. It was nice to see Foppiano as a "traditional," if a little small, estate-and-vineyard style winery.

The tasting menu let us sample the winery's six current vintages: two 2010 whites, a 2010 rose, and three 2009 reds. We really enjoyed the Sauvignon Blanc, which lacked the intense acidity that varietal sometimes comes with but managed to retain a lot of its citrus fruit flavor; the Chardonnay, which follows a current trend of moving away from the "wood and butter" reputation, instead finishing with a bit of spice; and the Lot 96, an intriguing Petite Sirah blend that comes in refillable half-gallon jugs in addition to standard 750 ml bottles.

Unsurprisingly--both for the region and my personal taste in wine--my pick of the day was the Pinot Noir, fruity and not too dry. Our tasting guide claimed that it would evoke a "cherry cola" flavor. I was skeptical until I tried it, but once I did, I was sold, and I bought a bottle convinced my parents to buy me a bottle to take home.

Foppiano was small and quiet, and my family was three out of four people doing a tasting when we went. The selection is limited to a handful of typical Russian River varietals, but they're the best the region has to offer, and Foppiano does respectably with all of them. If you're in the Healdsburg area and want to try some of these cooler-climate wines in a "typical wine country" setting, then Foppiano is worth a visit.