Soda Rock Winery

The old Soda Rock Winery site in Alexander Valley has a history going back over a hundred years.  The original old stone building and the wood structures had fallen into disrepair.   A few years ago the Wilsons (Wilson, Matrix, and Mazzocco, and other wineries) bought the property then restored and extended the size of the original buildings.   It's a beautiful restoration.

Part of the old stone building
Now housing the tasting room

They recently opened for tasting so I stopped by to try the wines.  It appears the wines are made by the Wilson Winery from some of their existing vineyard holdings.  I didn't get the appellation for all of the wines I was tasting.  They are so new even their website isn't up and running so I can't get the missing info there. Retail prices ran from $19 to $65.

2009 Mendocino Sauvignon Blanc
Definite tangerine.  A bit thin.

2009 Alexander Valley Sauvignon Blanc
Grassy nose, grapefruit flavors.  My favorite of the two.

2009 Alexander Valley Chardonnay
Tropical nose, apples, weak finish.

2010 Rosé (from Merlot)
Too dry and astringent

2008 Zinfandel
Red and black fruit, bit of pepper, soft and fruit-forward.

2005 Merlot
Green nose, no fruit.

2006 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon
Soft tannins, no finish.  A chocolate Cab rather than a steak Cab.

2004 Sonoma County Mercantile Cabernet
A bit earthy, mostly ripe.

2006 Alexander Valley The General Cabernet
Plush, tight, ripe, tannin finish.

2006 Alexander Valley 5-star General Cabernet
Grainy tannins

The tasting room

Summary on the Wines
The Alexander Vly Sauv Blanc and the Zin weren't bad.  The Cabs don't have the structure, balance, varietal character, and integration I look for in a wine.   They are fruit-forward and soft, but with lots of tannins.   I'm a bit underwhelmed.