Visiting Sonoma, Part 1

Back yard at the Ridge Vineyards tasting room.

Happy, even though my glass is empty!

Behind the bar, Eliot was a fount of information. That band on his arm is for his repetitive stress injury from pouring so much wine.

With three-hundred wineries in Sonoma County, how do you pick which ones to visit? (When "all of the above" is not an option.) At the top of my list was Ridge Vineyards, mainly because I've always had good wines from them (thank you, Bud Armstrong...). So we made a visit to Healdsburg, Calif.
The chic tasting room -- high ceilings, stone floor, soothing earth tones -- has been open since 2002. I tasted nine wines there today.
1. 2007 Santa Cruz Mountain Estate Chardonnay ($40); decent but forgettable. I suppose Ridge is not the place I'd pick for Chardonnay, but I was curious.
2. 2008 Buchignani Carignane (100 percent old vine carignane, $28). A bit tart with a faint scent of cotton, this red was described by our bartender, Eliot, as a perfect "summer wine," and he was spot-on.
3. 2007 Lytton Springs (71 percent zinfandel, 22 percent petite sirah, 7 percent carignane) was thick-tasting and inky. A little too overwrought for me. ($36)
4. 2007 Zinfandel Carmichael (96 percent zinfandel, 4 percent petite sirah). Available only at the Ridge winery, this one was lush and a bit jammy without being a fruit bomb. The petit sirah seemed to take the diva-like zin grape down a notch. ($28)
5. 2006 Lytton Zinfandel Estate (84 percent zinfandel, 16 percent petite sirah). You'd think since I liked the zin/petit sirah combination of the wine before this, more would be better. But this one just didn't hold up. It had some nice mineral aroma, but was ultimately kind of a wallflower. ($30)
6. 2007 Zinfandel Paso Robles (100 percent zinfandel); a spicy charmer, with notes of cinnamon and classic zinfandel structure. ($30)
7. 2008 Zinfandel East Bench (100 percent zinfandel). Both drier and brighter than the previous zin, Eliot called this one a classic "Dry Creek" zinfandel. Nice peppery notes.
8. 2007 Monte Bello (79 percent cabernet sauvignon, 10 percent merlot, 9 percent petit verdoh, 2 percent cabernet franc). This is one for the connoisseurs (and the wealthy, at $145). It has a delicate perfumey aroma, very herbal, with layers of flavor. A very special wine.
9. 2007 Pagani Ranch (85 percent zinfandel, 10 percent alicante bouschet, 3 percent petite sirah, 2 percent carignane). This one was tangy, with an almost sticky quality to it. Interesting but not my favorite. ($36).
Which bottles came with me? The 2007 Zinfandel Carmichael and the 2007 Zinfandel Paso Robles. I'd love to double back for the Monte Bello, but I'd have to rob a couple of banks first.