Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery is regarded as one of the must visit wineries in Sonoma County.
Spaswinefood has wanted to visit this winery ever since being introduced to their wines at a winemaker's dinner. This
Sonoma County winery is known for its wines, beautiful gardens and stunning vineyard views.
Stacy Slinkard provided the same rationale for why this winery has been regarded as a strong hold in Sonoma County for over 20 years. Recently we took a closer look at Ferrari-Carano wines, gardens and vineyards.
 |
| Vineyard at Ferrari-Carano Estate Winery © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Ferrari-Carano Estate Winery, Healdsburg © Spaswinefood |
Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery
It was indeed a beautiful spring afternoon when we arrived at Ferrari-Carano Winery in Healdsburg. The beautiful landscaped grounds, covering five acres, immediately captured our attention. We could easily see why the gardens are so appealing to visitors.
 |
| Ferrari-Carano Estate Winery, Healdsburg © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Ferrari-Carano Estate Winery, Healdsburg © Spaswinefood |
Sonoma County's
Dry Creek Valley Wine Region is home to the Healdsburg
Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery. Their estate winery in Healdsburg is where Ferrari-Carano produces their white wines. In addition Ferrari-Carano has a second winery in the Alexander Valley where they produce red wines. Ferrari-Carano wines are made from grapes grown in their vineyards in the Alexander Valley, Anderson Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley and Napa Carneros. Key person for Ferrari-Carano vineyards operation is Steve Domenichelli. The Ferrari-Carano
team also includes Don and Rhonda Carano, proprietors and its two winemakers. Sarah Quilder is in charge of the white wine production whereas Rebecca Deike is in charge of the red wine production.
Originally known for their white wines
Gerald D. Boyd notes that Ferrari-Carano since 1998 has focused on developing their red wines. Boyd also provides details on the development Ferrari-Carano PreVail wines, their ultra-premium wine series. For a description of the history of Ferrari-Carano see
The Prince of Pinot. The Prince of Pinot particularly noted Ferrari-Carano focus since 2006 on the production of quality Pinot Noir.
Ferrari-Carano Wines
There are two tasting rooms at the estate winery where you can sample
Ferrari-Carano wines. We began our tasting in the Enoteca Tasting Room.
 |
| Ferrari-Carano Tasting Rooms © Spaswinefood |
The Enoteca Tasting Room Ferrari-Carano wines tasted included:
1. Russian River Valley, Dominique Chardonnay 2012
 |
| Russian River Valley, Dominique Chardonnay 2012 © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Russian River Valley, Dominique Chardonnay 2012 © Spaswinefood |
2. Ferrari-Carano, Trésor 2010
 |
| Ferrari-Carano, Trésor 2010 © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Ferrari-Carano, Trésor 2010 © Spaswinefood |
3. Ferrari-Carano,
PreVail West Face 2009
 |
| Ferrari-Carano, PreVail West Face 2009 © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Ferrari-Carano, PreVail West Face 2009 © Spaswinefood |
4. Mountain Vineyards Alexander Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2010
 |
| Mountain Vineyards Alexander Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2010 © Spaswinefood |
5. Alexander Valley, Prevail Back Forty 2007
 |
| Alexander Valley, Prevail Back Forty 2007 © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Alexander Valley, Prevail Back Forty 2007 © Spaswinefood |
After tasting five of the top tier wines we returned to the tasting room on the main level. There we tasted four more wines. The Ferrari-Carano wines tasted included:
1. Fumé Blanc 2013
 |
| Ferrari-Carano, Fumé Blanc 2013 © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Ferrari-Carano, Fumé Blanc 2013 © Spaswinefood |
2. Russian River Valley, Tré Terre Chardonnay 2011
 |
| Russian River Valley, Tré Terre Chardonnay 2011 © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Russian River Valley, Tré Terre Chardonnay 2011 © Spaswinefood |
3. Dry Creek Valley, Zinfandel 2010
 |
| Dry Creek Valley, Zinfandel 2010 © Spaswinefood |
4. Alexander Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
 |
| Alexander Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 © Spaswinefood |
You will find reviews of Ferrari-Carano wines available at
Snooth and
Vinopedia. For reviews of the winery by visitors see
Tripadvisor and
Yelp.
Fodor's review notes that the Healdsburg winery has been regarded by some as a Disney like Italian Villa. The winery offers tours and private tastings. While we did not do a winery tour we did manage to catch a view of the barrel room.
 |
| Ferrari-Carano Estate Winery © Spaswinefood |
Ferrari-Carano Gardens
As we left the estate winery we explored more of the garden areas at the winery.
 |
| Gardens at Ferrari-Carano Winery © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Ferrari-Carano Winery © Spaswinefood |
Throughout the garden area you will find bridges, ponds and of course flowers.
 |
| Inviting gardens at Ferrari-Carano Winery © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Ferrari-Carano Estate Winery Garden Area © Spaswinefood |
We enjoyed discovering the cork oak trees on the property.
 |
| Cork Oak Tree at Ferrari-Carano Winery © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Description of Cork Oak Trees, Ferrari-Carano Winery © Spaswinefood |
Our visit to Ferrari-Carano did prompt me to reflect on an earlier experience at a winemaker's dinner. Here are a few highlights:
Winemaker's Dinner with Ferrari-Carano Wines
Earlier we attended a winemaker dinner at Il Fornaio Restaurant, San Jose on an evening when they featured
Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery. That evening we enjoyed the following dishes and wines:
|
|
Il Fornaio Winemaker's Dinner © Spaswinefood
|
The event started with a Prosecco and an appetizer.
|
|
Antipastini © Spaswinefood
|
The Insalata di Aspargi, Fave e Farro was paired with Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc 2010.
The first course was Raiolone D'Anata (squash pasta was the vegetarian alternative). The first course was paired with Ferrari-Carano Merlot 2008.
|
|
Raiolone D'Anata © Spaswinefood
|
|
|
Ferrari-Carano Merlot 2008 © Spaswinefood
|
|
|
Branzino con Caponata © Spaswinefood
|
I selected a polenta vegetable dish in lieu of the Branzino con Caponata.
|
|
Vegetable Plate, Il Fornaio © Spaswinefood
|
|
|
Ferrari-Carano Siena 2009 © Spaswinefood
|
A Ferrari-Carano Siena 2009, a Sangiovese blend was paired with the second course.
|
|
Dolci time at Il Fornaio © Spaswinefood
|
Whether it a winemaker's dinner or a visit to their estate winery it is always a special treat to taste Ferrari-Carano wines. While there are so many beautiful wineries in Northern Sonoma County's Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery is not-to-be missed. Spring time in Northern Sonoma County is one of those perfect times of the year to visit wineries along the Wine Road. I invite you to join me in my travels in California and elsewhere in search of the best in Spaswinefood. You may also visit my travel column at the Examiner.
Healdsburg, California
© Spaswinefood
 |
| Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery © Spaswinefood |
Follow me on Twitter and Facebook
No comments:
Post a Comment