Gundlach Bundschu Winery - Spell it out: Gun-Lock-Bun-Shoe!

This winery, known as much for its wines as for it’s mouthful of a name is a must-stop destination for anyone who finds themselves in or near Downtown Sonoma. GunBun (an easier shortened version of the name) is located just 5 minutes away from the Square, but the winery sits at the base of the dramatic Mayacama mountains and sports an impressive man-made cave and a beautiful ivy-covered and recently renovated tasting room. Call in advance and make sure to make a reservation for one of the several tours offered - the staff are friendly, informed and share a healthy dose of humor along with the wines.

Since we visited the winery in late December, we took the wine cave tour as it was too cold and rainy for the vineyard tour. Our jovial tour guide, Collin, welcomed us outside the entrance to the cave with a custom dance that would ease us into the correct pronunciation of the winery’s name. “Gun!” (he made a pistol shape with his right hand). “Lock!” (he turned his right finger into the palm of his left hand). “Bun!” (he patted his derriere). “Shoe!” he lifted his leg and slapped the sole of his shoe - I knew the tour would be entertaining to say the least. We walked through the long barrel-lined caves, pausing in front of a table set up with photos of the Bundschu family and the winery history timeline.

The brief overview of the GunBun Winery history begins with Jacob Gundlach’s purchase of 400 acres of vineyards in Sonoma in 1858, making it the oldest family-owned winery in Sonoma. Jacob named it “Rhinefarm” then went back to Germany, married Eva, his childhood sweetheart, and traveled around Germany and Bavaria on his honeymoon, collecting rootstock to plant his farm back in Sonoma. The Gundlach's returned to California, and planted the first 60,000 vines, producing the first full vintage in 1961. Seven years later, Charles Bundschu entered the family when he married Francisca Gundlach, Jacob’s eldest daughter. After Jacob died in 1894, the winery was renamed Gundlach Bundschu, and the winery prospered and grew over the next ten years. The winery underwent several challenges, including the devastating earthquake of 1906, which destroyed the SF based Winery, forcing it to move back to the Sonoma country, and then Prohibition, in which the Winery doors locked, but the winery continued to produce wine for the monasteries. The winery as replanted in 1969 and in 1976 the Winery released its first three wines: A Zinfandel, A Riesling and a Kleinberger. The winery caves were constructed in 1991, and at that time, the 10,000 Sq. Foot cave was the largest in California. Here in this Epic, historic cave, we then were offerred glasses of the first varietal produced at GunBun, a dry Riesling.

The tour wond around the labyrinth of caves to another corridor where we moved on to Pinot noir, grown in the Sonoma Estate vineyards that stay cool and foggy - the perfect mild climate for pinot and chardonay grapes. Different appellations specialize in different varietals and GunBun has various vineyards across Sonoma and Napa Valley that are best suited to each varietal. Gundlach Bundschu wines are acrefuly sorted and pressed, and then barrel aged for about a week before only the free-run juice is used for the signature wines. The more tannic press juice is sold to other wineries - all in Napa, Collin joked, hinting at the Napa-Sonoma rivalry. The tour gives a great overview of the blending process. We invited us to a barrel tasting of a 2010 Malbec that was aged in French Oak and then the same wine aged in American Oak and then blended the two together to get the mix similar to what would be eventually bottled. The informative tour culminated with a tasting of three more red wines in the private cave tasting room. An elegant table was set for us to taste a Tempranillo, a Merlot, and a Vintage Reserve Bordeaux Blend - three wines I'd gladly take home.

What I love most about Gundlach Bundschu Winery is it can produce a great variety of venerable wines yet the winery and brand maintains a lighthearted sense of humor. The winery has been known for pulling public stunts such as kidnapping Richard Branson in Sonoma, and hijacking the Napa Wine Train and switching out all the Napa wines for Sonoma wines. Back in the tasting room and gift shop, I couldn’t resist grabbing one of the wine corks that have emblazoned on them pictures of a gun, padlock, steamed bun and man’s shoe. I gave it to my mother in law the next day at brunch - she loves the GunBun wines but can never remember how to pronounce the German name.

2010 Gewurztraminer (by the way, the name means “spicy wine”) - $22.50 per bottle
Fragrant aromas of orange blossom, tangerine, white flowers and a wisps of coriander. Crisp yet complex flavors of ruby grapefruit, fresh lychee, kiwi and meyer lemon with notes of warm spice and lush texture. Fresh fruit flavors lead to a dry, vibrant finish that lasts for a long time.

2009 Tempranillo - $37 per bottle
Intense aromas and flavors of brambly blackberry, dark blueberry and mission figs with layers of dark cocoa, fresh tobacco leaf and black pepper, and wisps of white floral and smoke. Refined structure with firm, smooth tannins and a long, lush finish full of chocolate, spice and fresh fig.
Delicious now, this wine will show best within eight years from vintage.

2008 Merlot - $30 per bottle
Aromas of bing cherry and violets are followed by a full, velvety palate of opulent black cherry, black plum and berry flavors, with notes of mocha, fresh tobacco leaf and chai spices. Round tannins add weight and a lush texture and lead to a lingering, creamy finish. Delicious upon
release, this Merlot will benefit from five years of cellaring from vintage.

2008 Vintage Reserve - $80 per bottle
Intense aromas of cassis and dark black fruit are laced with violets and complex spice.
The dense flavors of blueberry, huckleberry and boysenberry are clean and polished, and layered with star anise, dark chocolate and creamy espresso. The beautifully balanced structure give the wine great depth and length, and ensure it will age gracefully up to 20 years from vintage
.

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Sonoma's Castle - Ledson Winery

Driving along Highway 12 through Kenwood, Sonoma, it’s challenging not to find yourself mystified by Ledson Winery, and after visiting it, even more enchanted. The 16,000 square foot gothic-inspired French Normandy winery is known as “The Castle” and it’s no question why. It is an architectural showpiece boasting uniquely eggplant-colored brickwork and a slate roof, featuring sweeping staircases, marble fireplaces, cathedral-style windows, coffered ceilings, luxurious oak and crystal furnishing and furniture and over five miles of ornate wood inlays and mosaics, which were hand cut and installed by Steve Ledson’s son, Mike. When the Ledson family started construction in 1989, they thought the property would be ideal for their residence. They planted 17 acres of Merlot and began work on the house. As the months passed, the turrets, slate roofs, balconies and fountains took shape and passers-by started to take notice, some going so far as to climb the fences to get a better look. The family eventually realized that it was time to rethink the plan. Given the intense public interest in the building and the quality of the Merlot harvested from the estate vineyard - which had been sold to nearby wineries - they decided to turn the home into a winery and tasting room. In 1997 the family released their first wine, the 1994 Ledson Estate Merlot and in 1999 after two years of reconstruction, the winery opened its doors to the public.

After enjoying the neatly manicured grounds and enchanting fountain, we entered the Castle. and were greeted by Shirley, an attendant who was so hospitable that I imagined we were being welcomed by a kind servant at a royal palace. She welcomed us warmly and noted there were three separate tasting rooms, including the Reserve Tasting Room for Club Members up the grandiose stairs on the second floor. Boisterous noise and laughter wafted down from the second floor, and Shirley kindly obliged our request to head up to the Reserve Tasting although we weren’t club members. Upstairs, Freddy, the wine bar attendant, was entertaining a crowd around the beautiful 100 year-old oak bar, flipping wine bottles before he poured them the way a bartender in a trendy mixology bar would with drink shakers. Freddy welcomed us as he poured us a glass of the 2009 Gold Medal Sauvignon Blanc, and handed us the Ledson Wine list that contained over 70 different bottles of wine.

Unlike most other wine tasting rooms, here we could request to taste what we wanted from the expansive wine list and Freddie would oblige, pouring tastes that were so large, we had no choice but to sneakily pour most of it back to the dump bucket when he turned his back. The contents of the dump bucket, Freddie said, is what they sold back to Napa wineries (hinting at the ongoing rivalry between Sonoma and Napa). Ledson’s Reserve Tasting Bar surprised me for several reasons: Freddie himself seemed like the last person I’d imagine running the Reserve tasting at a “castle”. From the exterior of the Castle, I’d expected a stoic wine staff, tiny tastes of a few varietals and an overall stuffy, stodgy experience with lots of velvet red tape alluding to a “don’t touch” atmosphere. Aged 25, Freddie was like the life of a college fraternity party, entertaining us with tastes from tiny vials of barrel wines not yet bottled, performing hand-written impersonations of movie characters, and entertaining us with his jokes about Napa. If we had wanted to stay up there in the private dimly-lit second floor, I think we could have continued for several hours (and clearly some of our fellow tasters has done just that). Fortunately, it was New Years Eve, and Garrett and I knew better than to get carried away.

We selected our favorite wines to purchase (noted below) and were guided by a second tasting room staff, Brittany, to the gourmet market located on the first floor of the winery. The Marketplace is a true sensory feast, stocked with the freshest and finest of the local Sonoma bounty to create an inviting array of salads, sandwiches and quick bites. The Marketplace offers an extensive selection of locally produced gourmet items including condiments, oils, jams, tapanades and artisan cheeses and meats, plus a deli that makes grilled panninis made to order. With the generous pours at the tasting bar, and the beautiful sweeping grounds with picnic areas, keep this marketplace in mind for a great winery to enjoy a gourmet picnic either before or after your tasting.

The quality and variety of Ledson wines was the other surprise to my delight. The winery specializes in small varietal lots that reflect the diversity of their different vineyards and appellations, ranging from the Russian River to Knights Valley to Sonoma Valley. There is even a special Jeff Bridges Meritage, which received 91 points from Wine Spectator. All proceeds from the Jeff Bridges “Be Here Soon” Meritage go towards the Ledson Harmony Foundation For Children. All Ledson wines are sold exclusively at the winery in Kenwood, in their online store, and at the Ledson Hotel & Centre du Vin in Sonoma, so be sure to pick up a few bottles while you’re visiting!

A few of my top picks below: Reviews can be found on the Ledson Website. http://www.ledson.com/wines/index.asp

2008 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Reserve - $60

2007 Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - $70

2006 California Mouvedre - $36

2007 Russian River Valley Old Vine Zinfandel - Jolene’s Vineyard - $36

2008 California Gunsight Red Wine - $36

2007 Mes Trois Amors - $36

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