Hartford Family Winery — Attraction in Forestville

Disappointing. It's a lovely venue with a patio that can provide views over the vines. If you are seated close to the building, as we were, the view is just of the patio.

The tasting cost $40 per person, and included 5 wines. The initial list didn't include a zinfandel as noted explicitly on the website, but fortunately our server substituted one in for a syrah. Our booking was at 3.30pm, and we were finished and leaving at 4pm; wines came quick and fast. Pours were quite meagre compared to some tastings, and yet with the server effectively standing over us waiting to pour the next, we felt quite pressured to either finish or dump what little we had.

In terms of the wines, the two chardonnays were served at room temperature; when questioned about this, we were told they should be served warm, though the surprised look on his face suggested this might not be correct. In any case, the two chardonnays were good, and contrasting—one smooth and oaked, one tart and fruity—and might have been elevated if chilled. The pinot noirs came next: neither from the Russian River region, so a bit disappointed by that (I understand there were fires that limited production, but a major selling point for the place is to try Russian River wines). IMO, the poured pinots had quite an alcoholic taste, which overpowered an initial (and lovely) fruit smell and flavour. Last the zinfandel: again, very strong on the flavour of alcohol, which overpowered the fruit. There are hints of spice, but a drying end note subdues this. The server kindly offered the syrah as well, and if the smell transferred to the palette, we'd have bought quite a few; sadly, and as with most syrahs, any fruit flavour quickly turns to tannin (I'm sure great for some; just not our preference).

So, quite an expensive 30 minutes, and the first time we haven't bought anything at a tasting. Most bottles are priced $70, but I don't feel this reflects the quality; rather the exclusivity because of smallish...

Esposa and I came here on our first of three days of wine tasting in Sonoma. I picked Hartford Family Winery solely based on Wine Spectator's recommendations. Good choice!

STAFF: 5 stars. We arrived a few minutes before out appointment and our hostess warmly greeted us, asking for a little time to finalize things. She sat us outside on the patio where workers were busily improving what is already a gorgeous facility. The hostess was very friendly and guided us without pomp or circumstance through a Library Zinfandel-only tasting. We sampled 5 Zinfandel reds and got a little extra Zinfandel Port at the end. She was low-key and shared some of her personal story with us, making us feel at home.

FACILITY: 5 stars. Gorgeous. Lush greenery outside and nice architectural touches throughout. The view on arrival is fantastic!

WINE: 5 stars. Excellent. Each Zinfandel was excellent in its own way. Some stood out more than others. All were luscious and fruity without being overly jammy. Tannins were just right. We purchased one rated 95 points by Robert Parker and joined their allocation list for future releases of the Hartford Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard Zinfandel.

NOTE: If you're new to or "afraid of" big bold reds such as Zinfandel, this is a "safe" place to start. Hartford makes them approachable...

I had a truly fantastic time at this winery. My girlfriend and I showed up and they went to Great lengths to accommodate us - even though we did not have an appointment and even though they were fully booked for the day (and I can see why). They were very gracious in giving us a place to sit and serving us their complete selection of red wines. The setting is absolutely gorgeous - this is exactly what you want when you are looking for a wine tasting experience. They are obviously very knowledgeable but surprisingly very approachable. I can't explain to you how much better my experience was here than it has been at most of the elitist Napa wineries. I was happy to support them with a purchase of some of their excellent wine, and I...