It’s easy to spend a day in Healdsburg without getting into the car once, especially if you are staying on the plaza. If you’re not, it’s also pretty much always easy to find parking and to spend your day just wandering in and out of tasting rooms and shops and restaurants.
We’re always excited to add a new tasting room to our Healdsburg mix, so when we saw that the space previously occupied by Boisset Taste of Terroir was now a C. Donatiello tasting room, it was our first stop. We have tasted and loved C. Donatiello wines in the past, including during the Wine and Food Affair.
Vacation is for celebration, so we started off with glasses of sparkling wine which we loved. It reminded me a little of Prosecco, with pear notes and the tiniest bit of sweetness. It ended up being perfect for a little Sunday brunch bubbly before our Savor Healdsburg Food Tour too! Perfect alone, this bubbly would also be nice in a mimosa on the beach. As it’s already unbearably cold in Boston, that is a thought I will hold onto.
We didn’t want to leave the C. Donatiello tasting room once we pulled up the couple of chairs in the window overlooking the Healdsburg Plaza. It’s a warm and cozy space with great people watching. Staff was friendly and helpful, happy to walk us through the various Pinot Noir and Chardonnay options available but also happy to give us space to sip and relax without feeling rushed or sold to.
So we decided to stay and share two more glasses, a Russian River Valley Chardonnay and a Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. The Chardonnay offered everything I love in this varietal, acidity and green apple notes with a delightful roundness, hints of vanilla and butterscotch on the lingering finish. The Chardonnay for me would be a perfect food wine.
As far as the Pinot goes, we love Sonoma Coast wines, and C. Donatiello is definitely doing these grapes, grown in a stunningly beautiful but sometimes difficult region, major justice.
How beautiful is the color of that Pinot Noir? It was light and tart with strawberry notes, a little spicy, and oh-so-easy to drink. Fall always puts me in the mood for Pinot Noir, and I am wishing we had filled a case with this one.
It’s no secret we loved this spot; it was one of two tasting rooms we visited twice on our trip and one that will always be part of our itinerary moving forward. Unpretentious, nicely appointed, with delicious wines, and welcoming people. . . what more could you ask for?
