After a week in Bordeaux, I'm back home in jaw-dropping Sonoma County. This is a place where when I wake up, I am reminded that at every turn that I am lucky to be here. If this were a vacation, it would be kick ass- But it isn't- this is where I live.
There is a quiet shift happening all over CA. Small winemakers working on the fringe of ripening, alternative packaging, offbeat varietals, orange wines, reds you can read the paper through, trading oak for Acacia and for concrete, and perhaps most importantly, an abandonment of making juice that people think will "sell" vs compel... You may have to dig, sniff, root, and toodle- but even the most die-hard europhile will find something here that makes them say "America- Fu** Yeah!"
There are no lines, no borders, no counties, or AVAs--
This is Healdsburgundy...
(and yes, you can get a shirt that will go to pay for bottling)
