Gloria Ferrar Vineyards (Freixnet)

José Ferrer championed his dream of producing exceptional traditional method sparkling wine in the New World. In the 1980s, he arrived from Barcelona, Spain to Sonoma with his wife Gloria in search of the ultimate region to make sparkling wine. They settled upon Carneros and began to plant the estate, with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines, Pinot Noir is planted in the rocky, volcanic soils on the estate’s highest ridges. Chardonnay is planted in the clay-rich soils on the lower sections of the estate.

Gloria Ferrer Vineyards was the first sparkling wine producer in Carneros and the first to plant Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grape clones in the region. Different clones of each grape varietal are selected and planted for the different characteristics they offer when combined with different soil types, and the location planted on the estate.

Roederer Estate  (Champagne Louis Roederer)

Jean-Claude Rouzaud, former president of Champagne Louis Roederer, understood that first-rate estate vineyards create exceptional sparkling wines, which is why he selected the 580-acre Mendocino County's Anderson Valley site in 1982. The vineyards were planted in 1984, the winery was built in 1986, and the first Roederer Estate MV Brut cuvée was introduced in 1988. As the California outpost of Champagne Louis Roederer, Roederer Estate winery is considered one of the top sparkling wine producers in the United States.

Roederer Estate's sparkling wines are produced using estate-grown grapes exclusively from the winery's own vineyard and special oak-aged reserve wines are added to each blend. The winery produces four sparkling wines: the multi-vintage Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut, debuted in 1988, the Brut Rosé and Roederer Estate's vintage têtes de cuvée, L'Ermitage and L'Ermitage Rosé.

Domaine Carneros (Champagne Taittinger)

Champagne Taittinger dates back to 1734 in Reims, and is one of the last remaining privately held Champagne firms. In 1987 the House established Domaine Carneros in the Los Carneros AVA to create terroir driven California sparkling wine using the Traditional Method and still Pinot Noir. he 138 acre estate is situated up a slope rising over San Francisco and San Pablo Ba. The winery building is modeled after Taittinger's Château de la Marquetterie in the Champagne region. The first vintage release was 1991, the 2nd cuvée, and Blanc de Blancs, was first produced in 1988 and In 1992 a still single grape Pinot Noir.

Mumm Napa (G.H.Mumm)

In 1827, Jacobus, Gottlieb and Philipp Mumm establishes their Champagne house in Reims, France. In 1983 Embracing the classic winemaking techniques of Champagne, Guy Devaux produces Mumm Napa’s first vintage sold under the name Domaine Mumm. In 2002, Champagne-born, Ludovic Dervin is named Mumm Napa's head winemaker. Following in the footsteps of Guy Devaux, Ludovic previously worked at G.H. Mumm. Mumm Napa became the first California sparkling winery to receive 94 points from Wine Spectator, awarded to 2004 DVX.

About 73% of Sonoma County's agricultural production is growing wine grapes. The Sonoma County Terroir includes 18 AVAs (American Viticultural Area), which define wine zones with distinctive personalities, microclimates, and varying approaches to viticulture and winemaking. Famous areas we will visit to discover world class Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs are Alexander Valley, Russian River Valley and its sub regions of Chalk Hill, Dry Creek, Green Valley, Carneros, and Sonoma Valley.

History

Sonoma could be said to be the birthplace of the California wine industry and the influence of Agoston Haraszthy, a Hungarian noble and innovative winemaker who brought close to 300,000 grape vine cuttings with him from Europe. In 1857 he created Buena Vista Vineyards, which was followed by Gundlach Bundschu Vineyards in 1858. The history of producing quality sparkling wine in California can be traced to the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County where, in 1892, the Korbel brothers began producing sparkling wine according to the méthode champenoise. At the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, fewer than 50 wineries in Sonoma County survived.

Terroir

The combination of Mediterranean climate, geography and geology of the region are conducive to growing high quality grapes for wine production. The difference in climate and soil, allows cooler climate grapes grow well in certain regions and in others, warm climate grapes are more suitable. 

Sonoma County has an ideal long growing season, with sunny days and little rain in the summer with average highs in the 70s to 90s and even warmer inland with cool evening temperatures in the 40s and 50s, which help preserve the grapes’ acidity and balance. The Pacific Ocean cools the western and southern regions of Sonoma County, and the daily summer fog patterns are ideal for cool climate varieties. Vineyard elevations range from sea level on the coast to 2,600 feet above sea level, which influences soil fertility and ripening times.

Sonoma Wine Adventures

Our Spanish Heritage route focuses on wineries with roots in Spain with tapas pairing lunches and if time a visit to Barcelona and discovery of top artisanal Cavas in the Penedes. On an extended Italian Heritage theme you can fly to Venice to discover to the best sparkling Prosecco and the art cities of Verona, Vicenza and Padua. Everything is possible.

Multi Region Journeys