Trione Vineyards and Winery

Recently we received some sample wines to try from Trione Vineyards and Winery in Geyserville, California. We had not heard of Trione before and were intrigued by their story. For more than thirty years they have been providing grapes for some of the top wineries in the area such as Duckhorn, Kendall-Jackson and Sonoma-Cutrer among others. They farm almost 700 acres in the Russian River Valley, Alexander Valley and the Sonoma Coast. Only since 2005 have they decided to make their own wines. They opened their tasting room in 2008, and so far they have garnered several awards with subsequent vintages. Sounds like a wine tasting trip we should make this summer.

When they built the winery they decided to preserve a 97 year old stone building, “The Old Stone Building” that was the Nervo Winery back in 1908. It was built using basalt rocks from a local quarry and lumber from Oregon and was built to be earthquake proof as the 1906 San Francisco earthquake was a recent memory. When you visit their web site go to the Media section to read the details of this unique building. The building has been renovated as a hospitality center hosting winery and wine club events.

We received the wines in a very nice recyclable box holding six 50 ml bottles, the perfect size for a tasting. I think I need some of these small bottles to take on my next airplane flight, no more mediocre wine while flying! There were two whites and four reds in the box.

We started with the 2010 Trione Vineyards Russian River Valley, River Road Ranch Sauvignon Blanc (14% abv). This Sauvignon Blanc had a year of barrel aging and is a light straw color. The nose started out a little floral and then turned a little floral and grassy. Great acidity and flavors much more like a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc rather than the citrus and tropical fruits you often find in California Sauvignon Blanc. These flavors are the result of a new yeast strain, Alchemy II, from South Africa.

The 2008 Trione Vineyards Russian River Valley, River Road Ranch Chardonnay (14.3% abv). A pale yellow, lighter than I would expect for a 2008 with buttery caramel on the nose. Aged in a mixture of new, one and two year old French oak, there was caramel sweetness, some citrus, orange rind and toasty flavors. It was crisp and clean in the mouth with a little roundness. This is a big rich and complex Chardonnay, so pair accordingly.

2008 Trione Vineyards Russian River Valley, River Road Ranch Pinot Noir (14.2% abv) – A nice pale red as most Pinot Noir tends to be. Brambly fruit, earthy nose. Earthy, medium tart cherry flavors with some smokiness. The clean finish lingers a long time. Twenty percent of the grapes were left as whole clusters and three clones, 115, 667 and 777 were used.

2008 Trione Vineyards Russian River Valley, River Road Ranch Syrah (14.8% abv) – A lighter color than I usually expect from a Syrah, the nose is smoke and dark plum. A light mouthfeel with plenty of fruit, good acidity and a medium length finish. This wine is for when you want to enjoy a lighter Syrah and not the huge fruity ones often made.

2007 Trione Vineyards Alexander Valley, Block Twenty One Cabernet Sauvignon (14.5% abv) – A medium to dark red with a light complex nose of floral, fruit and vanilla with an occasional flash of mint. Really pleasant ripe fruit flavor with a touch of spice and vanilla. Nice restraint on the use of oak. This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite Verdot and Malbec.

2007 Trione Vineyards Alexander Valley, Geyserville Ranch Red Wine (14.5% abv) – A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (57%), Merlot (35%), Petite Verdot (4%) and Malbec (4%) it is dark ruby color with an earthier nose than the Cabernet Sauvignon. A complex wine with ripe dark fruit, spiciness and cedar flavors. The flavors are bigger with well integrated tannins.

Disclaimer – These wines were provided as tasting samples.