Tasting host Stephanie provided a fun and informative tour of DaVero’s current releases, including this 2013 Impossibile Riserva.

Our DaVero Farms and Winery tasting room adventure started as many good adventures do, a random walk-in at a small winery we had driven past several times before. Located about a mile west of downtown Healdsburg in the Dry Creek Valley AVA, DaVero is a small producer of certified Biodynamic^® wines sourced from vineyards across northern California. The central theme is Italian varietals grown in vineyards where Mediterranean grapes do well.

That DaVero is both farm and winery is easy to see when visiting the tasting room. Enter visitor parking from Westside Road and follow tasting room direction signs through the center of the small production building. Adjacent to the vineyards are garden patches with flowers and vegetables and a small private tasting cottage in the center of it all. Farther down the path are pigs, sheep and chickens. There are olive trees, too, which provide tasty oils available in the tasting room.

The tasting flight began with Vermentino, a white wine grape found most often in northwest Italy or in southern France, where they grow a close cousin called Rolle. This is a beautifully structured white wine sourced from the Lodi area and an excellent warm weather sip. Next came Altobasso Rosato, a blend of Sangiovese and Barbera in a very nice medium-bodied blush. Three reds followed: 2016 Dolcetto sourced from the Russian River area, 2016 Primitivo locally grown, and 2015 Barbera from the estate’s vineyards. As a treat, we were poured the 2013 Impossibile Riserva, a blend of three grapes never blended together in Italy or anywhere else: Sagrantino, Nebbiolo and Montepulciano. The result is a full bodied red suitable for pairing with big meals or sipping fireside.

Across the board, DaVero wines were smooth and tasty. Stop by next time you’re in Sonoma County. For location, see the map below.