I visited Ridge several times when founder Dave Bennion was alive. I even
tasted some wines he made, not Paul Draper, and bought the 1970 Jimsomare
Zin from his foreman, which when tasted blind in 1984 at the Pope's palacio
in Parkton, was mistaken for a cab and an indication of longevity. Also
visited Ken Burnap of Santa Cruz Mountain one of the early pinot noir
pioneers and the folks at Mound Eden when Merry Edwards revised the wine
making. I did a little business with Roudon Smith and always liked Bargetto
wines for their variety and price. Also there used to be a lot of great
little wineries South of Santa Cruz to Carmel who made wonderful plonk, a
long the line of Round Hill. Just fun places to stop in for a quick quaff.
Thomas Cruse was one if I recall who had humorous labels way before Randall
Graham. Finally any David Bruce wine is worth drinking as they were
extremely individualistic and tannic. Even the good dentists failures
defied the cookie cutter conventions of the 1990s and beyond. He and Martin
Ray occasionally thrilled and always perplexed convention.

--
Joe "Beppe" Rosenberg
"Midlife" wrote in message
...
in article , Pantheras
at
et wrote on 11/15/04 6:00 PM:

Midlife wrote:

I could use a bit of help. I will be in the San Francisco area for
(US)
Thanksgiving and, as always, will spend some time tasting in the
Napa/Sonoma
area. That weekend there is a tasting, at Copia, featuring 31 Santa
Cruz
area wineries. Given all the tasting alternatives available, I asked
Copia
for the specific wineries list so that I could decide if that's how we
should spend some time. Trouble is (as is happening more and more
these
days) I only recognize a small number of the 31 wineries on the list.
Other
than Burrell School, Clos La Chance, Kathryn Kennedy, Mount Eden, Ridge
and
Thomas Fogarty, the list is a mystery. Any comments would be helpful.


I am very partial to Sonoma County, particularly the Healdsburg area.
You could motor up to Healdsburg and go directly to the Ridge winery
there. And while you are at it, visit some more great wineries without
getting into the crowds that you find in Napa. There are now 5 or 6
tasting rooms on the square in Healdsburg and there is a combined
tasting room in Gyserville that is good. Rafanelli is close to Ridge
but you will need to call ahead to get the gate code. Chateau Souverain
is a great place to visit and they have a wonderful restaurant that
servers dinners. There is also a restaurant in Healdsburg called Zin
where every item on the menu is designed to complement the wine.


Luckily for us, my wife and I are able to visit the Napa/Sonoma environs 3
or 4 times a year. This trip we have only the one free day and our
daughter
has asked us to go with her to a private tasting at Franciscan which will
involve wines from other wineries owned by the same group. The Copia
event
seemed like a nice way to complete the day and experience wines from a
different region.

We've been to Rafanelli two or three times. Dave is a great guy. In
September he had us tasting from fermentation tanks. That's what's so
great
about smaller wineries. My wife and daughter went to Ridge - Lytton
Springs
earlier in the year. For some reason they were not thrilled with what
they
tasted at that time.

When we're able to stay at a relative's cottage on the Russian River,
we're
close enough to have dinner in the area and have enjoyed many wonderful
meals there. Most often we are back in SF by dinner time. I'll keep your
recommendations for future reference.