I was so happy to get an invite from my friend Samuel of Redoux to try one of his new wineries that he just added to his portfolio and meet the winemaker: Stephanie Cook of Wonderment Wines.

The event was at the Jaspers in Richardson in the CityLine center. What impressed me was that Jaspers is trying to offer small wineries on their wine list that you don’t find in a lot of restaurants. Wonderment definitely qualifies.

Stephanie is such a delight to talk to. Her passion is single vineyard wines. I think that is fantastic! You know exactly where the grapes come from and you know who takes care of the vineyard. A lot of these vineyards are family owned.

Winemaking is not new to Stephanie. Her Dad used to make wine from Muscadine in the family laundry room when they lived in South Carolina. Luckily she left the laundry room and had the opportunity to work at Spottswoode in Napa and Spy Valley in New Zealand. In 2011, Stephanie made her first Pinot Noir and Zinfandel.

I must say, that this is one of the few winery tastings that I had a hard time deciding which wine was my favorite.

Here was the line up:

2015 Las Trancas Vineyard, Sauvignon Blanc, Oak Noll District, Napa Valley.

Taste: Asian pear, light peach, nectarine and lemon curd. Finish is bright grapefruit and stones. This would be my “to go” on a hot Texas day.

2013 Dr. Stan’s Pinot Noir. Just a bit about Dr. Stan’s Vineyard…It is considered a “gentleman’s vineyard”. It’s less than 1 acre and is planted with 30 + year old Pinot Noir and located in the Carneros Sonoma County American Viticultural Area.

Taste: cherry, cranberry, almonds with a spicy, earthy finish. I want a case of this!

2013 Dutton-Campbell Vineyard Pinot Noir, Green Valley of Russian River Valley, Sonoma.

Taste: bramble, cranberry, dusty sour cherry with a finish of baking spices and strawberries. I love that this wine is from Green Valley. Green Valley is one of the smallest appellations in Sonoma.

2013 Bacigalupi Vineyard Old Vine Zinfandel, Russian River Valley, Sonoma.

Taste: blueberry, blackberry, under brush with a bold finish of licorice and dark spices. A good text-book old vine Zin.

2012 Rockpile Zinfandel from the Pritchett Peaks Vineyard, Sonoma.

Taste: lush ripe black and blue fruit. The finish had a bit of eucalyptus and dark spices. It made me crave BBQ.

2013 Burton Ranch Vineyard Old Vine Zinfandel, Lake County.

Taste: dark spices, rich dark fruits. Juicy mouth feel but very balanced and didn’t have that over the top alcohol burn that some Zinfandel wines get. Great!

2013 Bacigalupi Vineyard Petite Sirah, Russian River Valley, Sonoma.

Taste: stewed plums, tobacco, cocoa, blackberry. A bold wine with an elegant finish that was surprising. I don’t drink a lot of Petite Sirah because it fatigues my palate and I feel like I have bowl of overripe fruit weighing me down. This one was so delightful and kept its varietal integrity.

This was a fantastic evening and I’m so delighted that I made the acquaintance of a winemaker that has a focus on single vineyard wines.

Part of the mission statement of Wonderment Wines: “represent intelligent effort, value and balance which create a sense of “Wonder”….

Cheers to you, Stephanie!

Lori – Your Twisted Sommelier

P.S. all of the photos are courtesy of Asher Swan