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Family of Friends Newsletter

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Catapult Vineyards at sunrise in the Petaluma Gap AVA

Impact of Climate Change on the Petaluma Gap AVA

By Eric Schwartzman | July 20, 2022

Petaluma Gap AVA wines are said to have a bit more balance and refinement because the wind hardens and thickens the grape skins producing more tannins, which render the feeling of texture in your mouth. The microclimate produces wine with a combination of freshness, refinement and elegance with more intensity from the tannins. 

But like the rest of the Bay Area, the Petaluma Gap climate is changing. At the Golden Gate Bridge, sea level rose 9 inches between 1854 and 2016 as a result of melting land ice and the thermal expansion of ocean water.…

Docks at Bodega Bay

Wine Tasting Near Bodega Bay: Top 8 Tasting Rooms

By Scott Butterfield | May 3, 2022

It’s now the perfect time of the year for wine tasting near Bodega Bay. This amazing area lies on a San Andreas Fault line, roughly 20 miles as the crow flies from Petaluma, about 30 minutes on the highway from downtown Petaluma to The Links Golf Club at Bodega Harbor, which rests at the southern opening of the bay.

If you’re flying in, book yourself into Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport (STS) which is right in Petaluma,…

Wine Festivals Reopening Post Lockdown

Wine Festivals: 2022-2023 Calendar

By Scott Butterfield | April 21, 2022

After a two-year lockdown, life is finally opening up again. So we scoured the web to put together this endemic 2022-2023 Wine Festival Calendar. It features 11 California Wine Festivals, including 4 in Sonoma and Napa, and 2 in Santa Barbara. Plus Nantucket, Oregon, and Colorado wine festivals, and a wine festival reopening in France. The Dana Point Wine Festival is happening too close to our publication date, so we opted not to cover it.All the festivals serve food,…

Sebastopol Wine Tasting Experience at Halleck Vineyard

By Ross Halleck | April 14, 2022

For more than 20 years, we’ve been hosting Sebastopol wine tasting experiences at our estate. We’re just inland from the majestic Sonoma Coast about 20 minutes from Bodega Bay or 15 minutes from the Barlow. Our Sebastopol wine tastings aren’t held in a traditional visitors center or hospitality tasting room. Rather, we welcome you and your dog if you have one, into our home. We have indoor and outdoor seating and a sweeping view of our vineyard,…

Guests enjoy the hospitality of Sonoma county winemakers and an event by Sonoma County Tourism.

Celebrated Sonoma and Sebastopol Wineries Reopen

By Marta Heacock | April 5, 2022

Two years after the global pandemic effectively crushed tourism for Sonoma and Sebastopol wineries, tasting rooms are opening again. The lights are coming back on. And visitors from all parts of the globe are raising a glass to celebrate the return of relative normalcy.

To welcome Los Angeles-based travelers out of their homes and back to wine country, on March 22, 2022 Sonoma County Tourism, hosted a very special event. An Evening With Sonoma: Beyond a New Perspective – Life Opens Up was a veritable reopening for Sonoma and Sebastopol wineries and tourism alike. …

Sweet and Dry White Zinfandel Wines from Halleck Vineyard and Sutter Home

Sweet vs Dry White Zinfandel Wine Tasting (Review)

By Marta Heacock | March 22, 2022

Ross Halleck and Harris Miner are back at the estate in Sebastopol for a sweet and dry White Zinfandel wine tasting, and discussing about their differences, similarities, and pairing possibilities.

Table of contentsHistory of New World White ZinfandelSutter Home Sweet White Zinfandel Wine Tasting NotesHalleck Vineyard Dry White Zinfandel Wine Tasting NotesWine Review VideoWhite Zinfandel Wrap Up

On one side of the table,…

Wine, Bottle, Reviews, Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand, Wine Pairing, Marlborough, White Wine

New Zealand vs California Sauvignon Blanc

By Scott Butterfield | March 18, 2022

California Sauvignon Blanc is like New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc in many ways. But the two varietals from different regions deviate in some respects as well. In this wine review, Ross Halleck and Harris Miner are in Sebastopol wine tasting and discussing the popular Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, comparing to the Halleck Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, judged Best of Class White and Best White Wine in California (94 pts) at the 2019 Orange County Wine Society.…

Château Ste. Michelle Gewürztraminer Vs Halleck Vineyard (Wine Review)

By Marta Heacock | March 16, 2022

In this wine review, Ross Halleck and Harris Miner are in Sonoma wine tasting and talking about New World Gewürztraminers from the Russian River and Columbia Valley appellations. First on the list is 2019 Château Ste. Michelle Gewürztraminer from Washington’s Columbia Valley, and then we’ll move on to the Halleck Vineyard Dry Gewürztraminer Callendrelli Vineyard from the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County. 

Table of contentsThe Gewürztraminer GrapeTraditional Gewürztraminer PairingsChâteau St.

Wine, Bottle, Reviews, Pinot Noir, California, Wine Pairing, Monterey

Sonoma Coast vs La Crema Monterey Pinot Noir (Wine Review)

By Scott Butterfield | March 15, 2022

In this wine review Ross Halleck and Harris Miner are in Sonoma wine tasting and enjoying two California Pinots; La Cream Pinot Noir from Monterey and Halleck Vineyard Hillside Cuvee from Sonoma Coast.

Table of contentsLa Crema Monterey Pinot Noir Tasting NotesHalleck Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir Tasting NotesWine Review (Video)The Last Word

La Crema Monterey Pinot Noir Tasting Notes

2019 La Cream Monterey Pinot Noir

La Crema Monterey Pinot Noir is one of the most popular wines in the world.…

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