Shenandoah Vineyards

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Steiner Road Wineries Open House Dec. 4 & 5
Free Live Jazz Music at Shenandoah Vineyards 12:30-3:30 Rober Eberhardt - Sat. Cecil Ramirez - Sun.
7 Wineries along Steiner Road host special events, music, food and more during this Holiday Open House! ____________________
Textile Art Display at Shenandoah Gallery:

Customers at Sobon Estate had great fun stomping grapes the old fashioned way during the recent Crush Festivities.

Paul Sobon punches down the 2010 grapes. During the Crush event, people were able to try their own hands at this process, and then taste the young wine from the bin.

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Shenandoah Vineyards and Sobon Estate are family-owned wineries with a 32-year reputation for producing the best possible wines using low-yield viticulture and minimum intervention wine making techniques.
Sobon Family Wines emphasize high fruit and low tannins, and are made with our own sustainably-grown grapes. They reflect the unique Shenandoah Valley terroir, resulting in a richness and intensity rarely seen elsewhere. Award-winning Sobon wines are distributed nationally. Both wineries are open daily for wine tasting in the picturesque Amador County near Plymouth, CA.

Leon and Shirley Sobon founded Shenandoah Vineyards in 1977. They were one of the first four wineries in Amador County's now well known Shenandoah Valley appellation.
From the first offering of 1,200 cases, the winery has continued to thrive, adjusting the portfolio of wines over the years. It is now producing about 25,000 cases per year. Demand continues to grow as a result of skilled winemaking, marketing, and strong family commitments to quality and service. Today, we continue to use estate grown grapes from our sustainably-farmed vineyards.

The Sobon Estate winery started in 1989 when Leon and Shirley Sobon bought each other a second winery for their 30th wedding anniversary present. They purchased the historic D'Agostini Winery, one of the oldest in the state. This winery has been designated as California State Historic Landmark #762.
This site was chosen not only for its historical winery, but also for its vineyards and vineyard land. The old vine Zinfandel was retained, and the other vineyards replanted with the best varieties and clones. The Sobon Estate label launched the estate line of wines for the Sobon Family -- the best wines from their own grapes. These include Rhone varietals, vineyard designated Zinfandels, and dessert wines.

Customers have a blast reinacting the famous "I love Lucy" stomping grapes episode during the 2010 Big Crush event.

Click the red highlighted links below to read the full reviews:
2008 Sobon Cougar Hill Zinfandel - 97 Points! - November 2010, www.justwinepoints.com
2008 Sobon ReZerve Primitivo - 97 Points! - November 2010, www.justwinepoints.com
2008 Sobon Viognier - 96 Points! - November 2010, www.justwinepoints.com
2009 Sobon Old Vines Zinfandel - 96 Points! - November 2010, www.justwinepoints.com
2008 Sobon Fiddletown Zinfandel - 96 Points! - November 2010, www.justwinepoints.com
2008 Sobon Syrah - 96 Points! - November 2010, www.justwinepoints.com
2008 Sobon Hillside Zinfandel - 89 points "Smooth on entry, round but not fat, with good purity to the sweet, ripe black berry fruit.... Solid, balanced style of Zin that may not wow people, but showcases the best of the grape well." - October 2010, Gregory Dal Piaz, Snooth.com
2007 Sobon Cabernet Sauvignon- 'I am pleased to report that the '07 delivered the same remarkable qualities the '02 provided.... For me the '02 Sobon Cabernet occupies a spot near the top of my all time favorite wines. And it sits up there with much more expensive offerings." - October 23, 2010, Dan Martini, Goodlifedestinations.com.
2008 Sobon Viognier - Make Way for Viognier "Look for a buttery chardonnay-like quality in this wine from Amador County. Pear Flavor plushed with a little peach. Serve with barbecue chicken, Ceasar salad, grilled swordfish." - September 25, 2010, Bill Dally, Chicago Tribune
2007 Sobon Rocky Top Zin - 86 "Jammy and juicys, with soft raspberry, vanilla and spicy sage notes. Drink now through 2015." - July 2010, Marc Hinton, Wine Spectator on-line.
88 points - Sobon Rocky Top - "There is a suggestion of white-grape perfume to the otherwise ripe-berry aromas of this slightly idiosyncratic look at Zin, and the wine picks up the same unusual, slightly floral edge in its moderately fruity flavors. Rounded in feel, medium-full-bodied and just a touch hot at the end." May 2010, Connoisseurs' Guide to CA Wine
2007 Sobon Rocky Top Zin - 92! "Top of the line zin from this veteran producer in Amador County expresses classically bold berryliciousness and spicy charater in aromas and flavors. The wine finishes luxuriously and there are not dishes too big for this wine to tackle. ...Real quality and real value in a wine that will hold its own when compared to any zinfandel from anywhere at any price." - May 22, 2010, Marc Hinton, Enobytes.org
Check out this video review: http://www.organicwinereview.com/sobon-estate-old-vines-zinfandel-2007/
87 points - Shenandoah 2008 Zin Special Reserve - "... a supple, easy-to-drink wine, and it comes at a price that will encourage purchase by the case." May 2010, Connoisseurs' Guide to CA Wine
Sobon Zin Gets "Exception Nod" from Wine Expert Darrell Corti in Wall Street Journal - Corti famously banned wines over 14.5% alcohol. But in the WSJ article he admits he makes an exception for Sobon Estate Zinfandel. "But it's all right," Corti adds. "It's my rule. I can break it." - April 18, 2010, Wall Street Journal, Food & Drink Section
2008 Vicious Petite Sirah - Wine of the Week- " Paul Sobon ... has cranked out a terrific little pup he calls "Vicious." A talented chap, Paul has sourced some luscious Petite Sirah from Lodi. It's a must try for this summer's grillin' and chillin'. Black fruits and sweet spices dominate the nose. The mouth carries sweet, rich, black-cherry cola, firm acids, and mild tannins. It finishes dry with black liquorice and pepper. A hugely satisfying summer quaffer! Read more: http://www.adn.com/2010/04/15/1228211/wine-of-the-week-paul-sobons-vicious.html

2008 Vicious Zin - 5-Stars! - "As my dog, Roxy, (right) is demonstrating, this is one hell of a buy!" March 30, 2010, roxycape.blogspot.com
2008 Sobon Hillside Zinfandel -Bargain of the Week: "Racy aroma of jam and black fruit with a hint of earth and minerals. The entry is almost sweet, but the wine has good balance for serving with pizza. A kind of California Beaujolais!" - April 1, 2010, Dan Berger, www.VintageEperiences.com
2007 Sobon Fiddletown Zinfandel - 92 Points & Editor's Choice! - May 2010, Wine Enthusiast Mag.
2007 Sobon Fiddletown Zinfandel - 91 Points & Best Buy! - June 2010, Wine & Spirits Mag.
2008 Zinfandel Special Reserve- 88 Points! "A nice Amador County Zinfandel from an utterly reliable producer; a good match with a variety of foods; ripe flavors of blackberry and boysenberry with a hint of cherry and cranberry on the finish." - May 2010, Wine Enthusiast Mag.
2005 NOBOS Cabernet - Wine of the Day - "...It's a big, tightly wound, most impressive $24 Cabernet from a high-rent district. The nose is cedar off the oak barrels cassis, dark chocolate and vanilla. The palate has vibrant acidity, a big blast of coffe and licorice, wood tones... It's intense, concnetrated, viscous, the real deal." - Feb. 4, 2010, The Detroit News
2008 Vicious Zin - 90 Points! "Rich, ripe and lively, with intense spiced fruit aromas; plush and supple super-jammy dark berry flavors cost the palate and seem to instesify; layers of dark spiced cherry and compote fade into a velvety finish that turns silky, with well-integrated tannins on the finish." - March/April, 2010, Beverage Dynamics Magazine
2008 Hillside Zinfandel - 90 Points! "A nice Amador County Zinfandel from an utterly reliable producer; a good match with a variety of foods; ripe flavors of blackberry and boysenberry with a hint of cherry and cranberry on the finish." - March/April, 2010, Beverage Dynamics Magazine
2005 NOBOS Cabernet - 86 Points! Buying Guide: "...this is a dry, briary and rustic Cabernet. It has wild berry, currant and black pepper flavors, with edgy tannins. Needs rich beef and cheese dishes for balanced food pairing." - Feb. 2010, Steve Heimoff, Wine Enthusiast Magazine
2008 Sobon Viognier - 96 Points! - January 2010, www.justwinepoints.com
2007 Sobon Fiddletown Zinfandel - 94 Points! - January 2010, www.justwinepoints.com
2007 Sobon Rocky Top Zinfandel - 94 Points! - January 2010, www.justwinepoints.com
2008 Sobon Hillside Zinfandel - 93 Points! - January 2010, www.justwinepoints.com
2005 NOBOS Cabernet - "Full bodied, dense, dark fruit, brooding, cedar, spice, solid, balanced, cinnamon. Recommended!" - Jan. 2010, Doug Paulding, Sante Magazine
"Summer began with a 2007 Sobon Roussanne beachside. I vowed it would end with a 2008 Sobon Roussanne mountainside." The 2008 "is a velvety white layered with fresh gardenia, bartlett pear and guava. My wife and I enjoyed every last drop." - Oct. 7, 2009, Ed Williams, News & Record