Derek S.
Yelp
What a GREAT tasting we had here. We've been to Healdsburg many (many) times; can't believe we had missed GrapeSeed until now.
Our host Josh was fantastic - tons of wine knowledge, but no wine snobbery at all :). Relaxed and welcoming. Good decent pours of wine so you could really get the aroma and taste, give it a little time, try again, taste it changing.
(You may have visited Napa/Sonoma wineries that give you a tiny parsimonious splash that barely coats your tongue - not here! Also, Josh did *not* beat us over the head about joining the club, which is an extremely off-putting thing that a lot of places do.)
The Moss Lounge is a great setting, very calm, very pleasant. and the Mahder gallery is awesome.
Okay, about those wines...
One reason we picked GrapeSeed today was that we like things other than Cabernet (which of course can be amazing) and Chardonnay (which can be yucky, sorry you buttered & toasted weirdos out there...) Here, we got to try a Vermentino, two different Roses, two different vintages of the same Sangiovese, a Montepulciano which yes I just looked up the spelling, and a Super Tuscan-style red blend. Oh and a Pinot Noir. All grown in California, all interesting and unique in their own ways.
Different people in our group had different favorites but I gotta say, the Sangiovese was the most outrageously good wine. Wow! "There's a lot going on in there" is how two of us wound up describing it. Couldn't readily pin down all those aromas and flavors, but it was all delicious.
We'll be back! With more friends! Thanks Josh and winemaker Matt for a great afternoon!