Philo Ridge Vineyards/ Fred R. Buonanno and Heather A. McKelvey /

We have a great new feature with Fred R. Buonanno and Heather A. McKelvey .Fred has decided to relax today and let Heather and I discuss these amazing wines.We have three of them,and it's time to open these wines and enjoy the summer sunshine! first let's check out the website and get up to speed on the history and background of this special winery. I must say Heather was amazing telling us about these beautiful wines. They decided to become a bonded winery in 2001 and we released our first vintage in January of 2004: 167 cases of 2001 Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. We were very pleased when our first submission – our 2001 Syrah – won a Silver medal in the San Francisco Chronicle competition. Since that time, we have entered a number of competitions with our wines and have done very well, including 90 points and Editor's Choice for the 2006 Pinot Noir in the July 2010 Wine Enthusiast. We also received Editor's Choice for the Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris in the same edition. Our production is now up to 2200 cases and we continue to ratchet up our production. But we still make each wine by hand in small batches of between 90 to 450 cases each. Our goal is to make great wines that have complexity and exemplify the best their varietals have to offer your palate. Pinot Noir is our primary wine, but we have added Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Viognier to the mix for white wines with Zinfandel and Vino di Mendocino (our red blend). Our first wines is the Zinfandel. Full flavored and full bodied, this big, expansive wine oozes ripe and dried fruit character from the aroma to the flavors and finish. It suggests blackberry and strawberry flavors, feels tannic on the palate rather than soft, and carries a bit of warmth. I'm a huge fan of this wine and need to get a case of this special wine. Next we will open the Primitivo, Vittorio's Vineyard . Beautifully balanced and quietly powerful,