Wine Wrangling Woman: #DellaSantinas on Napa Street, near Sonoma Square!

Our starving tummies took us to Della Santina's in Sonoma, right off the town square. I love this place. It reminds me of what the tasting room in Bottleshock might have looked like when it was filmed. (You've gotta see that movie please!)

This is such a romantic place that opened in 1990. You walk through old ornate iron gates, down a brick-lined path to the entrance of restaurant. We dined on the back patio under stringed lights, grape vines, wisteria and other flowers hanging everywhere. It was a beautiful evening with Italian comfort food and great wines.

Before being seated for dinner, we had a bottle of 2012 Gumphof Pinot Nero ($18). This is a dry red wine from the Alto Adige appellation of Italy. Very nice wine. While sitting in the Enoteca Della Santina, we noticed a note stapled on the wall among others that was extremely interesting.

It turns out that it was a note written to the owners of the restaurant by George M. Taber, author of Judgement of Paris, California vs. France and The Historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine!
The note reads that "it was a great day for wine, and I was there!" George was the only journalist in attendance at the judgement in 1976.

Don and Linda had been reading book and now I am about to begin reading it. I want to know the truth behind the judgement, not a Bottleshock presented it!

We were seated for dinner on the patio. Lauren and Tyler, Linda's daughter and son-in-law brought a bottle of their wine for us to share.

2012 Merryvale Pinto Noir ($38)! Thank you Lauren and Tyler! A dark ruby red color, complex aromas of black cherry, earth, graham cracker, and cassis. On the palate soft tannins to balance a nice acidic backbone.

We also had a 2012 Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley ($60).

“Intense, smoke-accented aromas of cherry and blackcurrant, with Indian spice and floral notes adding complexity. Juicy and precise on the palate, offering energetic dark fruit flavors and a hint of chewing tobacco.”

- Josh Raynolds, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, May 2014