Shenandoah Valley’s Sierra Style Wines Thrive at Sobon Estate: A Hidden Gem in California Wine Country
Some California wineries are edifices. Some are glass cathedrals and some are humble farm buildings. Sobon Estate is your humble farmer’s sancutary.
Their small museum of 19th-century weaving and sewing machines greets you in the foyer. The interior walls of their tasting room bar are stained red wood from wine storage barrels.
Located in the Shenadoah Valley area near Fiddletown, there is not a lot of ego here. But there is a lot of pride.
The farm dates back to 1856 when the D’Augostini family grew grape and made wine. Consequently some of the Fiddletown Zinfandel is 113 years old. This is typical for Zinfandel. The Sobon’s own two other Zinfandel grape fields dating back 95 years and 100-years-old.
During America’s temperance movement, the years 1919 to 1920 when alcohol was forbidden in the US. The D’Augostini family stayed alive creating wine for the Catholic Church. Thankfully that experiment in social engineering ended quickly.
Eventually the Sobon family purchased the property in the Shenandoah Valley area of Amador County. They continue to make wine today.
They also create wine at Story Winery, their other Shenandoah Valley winery.
Here’s what we tasted:
2021 Chardonnay $20✰+
2022 Rose $20 ✰+
2020 Cougar Hill Zinfandel (95-year-old vine) $20 ✰+
2021 Rocky Top Zinfandel (100-year-old vine) $20 ✰+
2020 Fiddletown Zinfandel (113-year-old vine) $23 ✰+
2020 ReZerve Zinfandel $26 star++ (90 pts)
2020 ReZerve Petite Sirah $28 ✰+ /✰+
Zinfandel and Barbera are staples of the Gold Country Wineries. They’re the bedrock of Sabon family wines and a must see and taste while exploring California wine.
Take time to visit here, you’ll be pleased you savored their wine.
Some notes on our wine ranking system.
Bill & Erin Hodge write about California Wine, the estates & winemakers producing them and educational information about Vino. Living in California Wine Country provides a front row seat to the places you want to visit the most here in the Golden State.
– -✰ means -What’s next on your list of wines
-✰ means -Not liking it too much
✰ means -We’ll drink this wine, especially if it’s hosted!
✰+ means -You’ve got our attention and we might buy this wine.
✰+ + means -We’re hooked and we’re going to buy this wine.
When you see -✰/✰+ with a slash, it means we disagree.
