Author: Linda Murphy

Top 100 Wines: Meet & Greet David Ramey

He’s produced wine at Simi, Matanzas Creek and Chalk Hill wineries, and Dominus and Rudd estates, all of which benefited from his experienced gained at the Moueix family’s famed Château Pétrus in Bordeaux, France. Yet David Ramey found his final winemaking home in Healdsburg, with Ramey Wine Cellars, where he produces spectacular Chardonnays from Russian […]

Top 100 Wines: Methodology

Methodology: It’s a tough job. Really. With more than 400 Sonoma wineries producing thousands of different bottlings each year, how did we settle on 2015’s best? It took lots of tasting, and retasting, and assistance from the judges at The Press Democrat 2015 North Coast Wine Challenge, to come up with 100 great wines sure to please all palates and […]

Top 100 Wines: Sauvignon Blanc

Dry Creek Vineyard 2014 Sonoma County Fumé Blanc $14 Its oh-so-friendly price and wide availability belies its greatness. When young, this Sauvignon Blanc has effusive floral, citrus and fennel aromas, succulent lemon-lime, grapefruit and pleasantly grassy flavors, with a lingering finish. With age, it becomes a multidimensional wonder. (LM) Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery 2014 Russian River Selection Russian River Valley Sauvignon […]
Armando Ceja is the winemaker for Ceja Vineyards in Sonoma. (photo by Beth Schlanker)

Vineyards to Vintners

The children of Mexican immigrants take their skills from working the vineyard fields and open their own wineries.

A sampler flight of beers at Bear Republic Brewing Co., in Healdsburg. (photo by Christopher Chung)

What Ales You?

Embrace authentic winter brews: the amber and brown ales, the porters and stouts of the beer universe.