Featured wines at the tasting included Sutton Cellars' popular 2004 Rose, its 2003 Chardonnay, two 2003 Pinot Noirs, and a 2003 Syrah. Sutton also poured his 2003 Zinfandel and a 1997 Carignane for lucky enthusiasts tasting late on Saturday evening.



"The Chardonnay was the biggest surprise," stated Steve Coniglio of Truckee. "It was dessert in a bottle--not a dessert wine, but there's a crème brulee reference."

When differentiating between the two pinot noirs, Dean Schaecher, owner of the Pour House, commented: "The River Road (pinot noir) needs food; the Russian River (pinot noir) needs a hot tub."

Sutton Cellars, well known for making site-specific wines, creates its wine from single vineyards located primarily on the Sonoma Coast and in the Russian River Valley. No single wine this year had a production of more than 260 cases.

The winemaker focuses on "old school" wine making techniques, using natural yeasts and leaving the wine unfiltered. The use of indigenous yeasts creates "more mouth feel," more layers, and added complexity, according to Sutton.

Labels of Sutton Cellars wines display a hand-operated basket press dating back to the late 1800s. The press is still in use today at Sutton Cellars. The basket press, which was used in San Francisco during prohibition, allows for a very gentle extraction. This process reduces bitterness and tannins in the wine.

Ideally, Sutton hopes his wines "will educate and show people something they haven't had before."

Schaecher compared the tasting of Sutton's wines to preferring one great artist to another. "His thumbprint speaks to me. This is art, it is his art."

In addition to the Pour House, Sutton Cellars wines can be found locally at New Moon, Wild Goose, and Plumpjack.              --By Stephanie Rogerson