Hello everyone and welcome to winery Wednesday! Today I am talking all about a winery I recently visited in beautiful Sonoma Valley. We began our day at the beautiful MacRostie Winery located specifically in the up and coming Healdsburg wine region. The drive into the winery alone through acres of vineyards, sun-kissed with autumn colors, was stunning!

The MacRostie Winery vineyards date back to an iconic time in the valley during the mid-1970s. Three decades later of winemaking, the MacRostie family along with the renowned wine maker Heidi Bridenhagen, have created one of the most beautiful wineries with some pretty incredible wines.

Now, I know the idea of traveling during these times can be a bit unsettling for some and with new guidelines being announced each day it is hard to keep up. During our entire experience we felt completely comfortable with socially distanced tables, face masks required, hand sanitizer on each table, and other health practices. I definitely recommend MacRostie Winery when Sonoma County travel guidelines are lifted after the holidays.

We began our tasting experience with their sparkling wine varietal which was a perfect way to start the mid-morning tasting. This Sonoma Coast Sparkling Brut has aromas of honeysuckle accompanied with crisp acidity on the palate.

We then continued our tasting with a side by side comparison of the 2017 Sangiacomo Vineyard Chardonnay and the 2016 Wildcat Mountain Chardonnay. Now I have heard MacRostie is known for their fabulous Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays and I can confidently confirm this statement. The Sangiacomo Chardonnay is from the Carneros region and featured lovely notes of red apple and a smooth finish. The Wildcat Chardonnay is from the Sonoma Coast and showcases citrus aromas, and I would definitely pair with some goat cheese and honey!

Now onto the Pinot Noirs! This varietal is becoming my go-to lately and these MacRostie Pinot Noirs did not disappoint. A 2017 Russian River Pinot Noir with black fruit aromas and perfect to pair with a holiday turkey or prime rib this upcoming Christmas Eve. Next up was the 2018 Putman Pinoit Noir from the Sonoma Coast region and displayed a medium to full body and a silky finish.

As an extra treat, our wonderful host brought out the 2018 Clockwise Cabernet Sauvignon from the Yountville Napa Valley area. A varietal consisting of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon in addition to Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. This bold and high tannic wine has hints of dark fruit including black cherry, plum and licorice. I really loved this Cabernet Sauvignon and its would pair nicely with a filet mignon, a heavy marinara based pasta, or poultry.

Overall, our visit to MacRostie was a great experience and I cannot recommend enough once these travel restrictions are lifted! I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and your glass is full of some MacRostie wines!