Wine of the Week: Banshee Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

Somewhere between our Savor Healdsburg food tour and tasting at Cartograph, we had a few extra minutes to wander around Healdsburg and decided to pop into the Banshee tasting room. We’d heard great things about their wines, and the tasting room had a good energy to it, little seating areas filled with small groups tasting and chatting.

The Banshee tasting room has comfy couches, a cool vibe, with wines by the glass or bottle, along with tasting flights. It seemed like the perfect place to hang out, and overall we loved the concept of taking your time with a tasting and being comfortable while doing it. There were a couple of downsides worth noting though.  They had one spit bucket for about 30 people, so we felt forced to drink the pours we were given, something we tend to not want to do when tasting all day. And the person pouring for us actually badmouthed other wineries in an attempt to sell theirs. . .We would have felt a lot better about the experience if that hadn’t happened, but we tried to brush it off because we liked the space and the wines, which were really memorable and delicious and worth stopping for.

One of the wines we brought home is this week’s wine of the week. We love Sonoma Coast Chardonnays and have been inspired by visits to places like Flowers to drink more wine from the far reaches of Sonoma County.  The 2012 Banshee Sonoma Coast Chardonnay comes from a cool climate and thus ripens later in the season. Due to a blending of styles, which includes both oak and stainless, the wine is super balanced, with notes of vanilla bean, tart apple, and citrus. It’s far more delicate than some other California Chardonnays, and it is very easy to drink as well as to pair with food.

If you’re in Healdsburg, I would definitely recommend a stop into Banshee tasting room for a little relaxation. If it’s not too crowded and you can grab a dump bucket, you might just love it.