Any Opinions on Alexander Valley Vineyards (the winery)?

I stopped by on a bicycle ride on Saturday and I thought the lineup was pretty nice. They had a Rhone blend that tasted not of sweet fruit and aclohol but had some nice earthyness and savory elements and was almost French.

Their reserve Zin was very pleasant as well, with brambly black and red fruits and a pronounced earthy note that complemented the fruit...alcohol was also reasonable at 14.7% abv and the wine didn't taste hot.

The 2005 Cyrus blend (about 76% cabernet this year) was delicious. Bold anise notes and lovely cassis fruit with berries, leather, tobacco. Beautiful medium mouthfeel...not heavy or alcoholic at all. Oak was well balanced and integrated. I htink this might age well, but it was so delicious right now.

Nice people as well. No attitude or snobbyness or over-polished character.

I confess that I haven't tried any of their wines in the last few years. I remember them as usually very decent wines not great, but solid as a rule.

I've been underimpressed by their wines. The tasting room is indeed quite pleasant.

You should stop by Field Stone, which is just up the hill from there, or Sausal, which is down past the Silver Oak vineyard (no tasting unless you steal a grape), or Hawkes in Jimtown.

John

John:

That was sorta my memory from past (i.e., 4-5 years ago) thus my surprise at how enjoyable their top wines were on Saturday. The Cyrus was really in a nice place. We'll see if my palate was simply Gatorade-fatigued when I drink the one bottle I picked up. Plus, I am swayed by the whole "family owned" thing.

I've tried Sausal and they do make a decent Zinfandel (especially for the price).

The disappointment of the day (I did make a second stop on my ride ) was Chalk Hill, which was just sorta OK. Beautiful, incredible views from the winery on Chalk Hill Road, though...a worthwhile stop for that reason alone.

I had their Cab a few years ago and really liked it. I had gotten the impression that they were generally well-regarded, but not widely praised.

I'm curious how folks feel about the Alexander Valley in general. There is at least some snobbery about that considers Alexander (and Sonoma in general) as inferior to Napa, but I feel Alexander produces some stylistically wonderful wines, and though the quality may not reach the heights that Napa does, there is great quality there. And I think Alexander provides an elegant relief for those who might have tired of blockbuster Napa Cabs.

I've had some wonderful wines from Alexander Valley, Ryan. They "seem" to be softer and somewhat savory, perhaps????, than the Napa standard, but, as with Napa, it is really hard to generalize.

Heck, the Cyrus was darn good!

I've been buying AVV wines for many years. Almost all are very solid offerings. Cabs and Cab blends are the best -- as to be expected in AV.

All good to read since I bought a 3L of the 2005 Cyrus because the bottle looked really nice and the price was right. Not my normal criteria but what the heck. It looks great in the cellar. Glad to know I might actually like to drink it.

Ryan,
To me, Alexander Valley is as distinctive as Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley, and Sonoma Mountain. The Cabernet Sauvignons tend to have a tart aftertaste that I do like, and there are a couple of vineyards of really tasty Sangiovese.

John