UNTI Winery
Dry Creek Valley, California
TL:DR Organically farmed and low-intervention wines. Small and intimate tasting room with beautiful views of the estate. Walk-ins welcome but you might have to wait if they’re busy without a reservation. You’ll stand at the bar while your host pours some fantastic wines and offers a lot of information about the varietals, winemaking and farming methods. Fun, rustic and relaxed experience.
UNTI winery is an expected gem that a friend recommended. A working vineyard with a small, rustic tasting room that is also somehow cozy and relaxed. This is the first tasting room I’ve been to that’s set-up like a bar that you stand at for the tasting. (The winery can provide seating if needed) I was there after a big rain so the picnic tables they have outside weren’t in service but in good weather that’s another option.
In my search for great wines that are farmed free of pesticides it was wonderful to find UNTI is organic on the vineyard farming side and low-intervention on the winemaking side of the wine equation. They do primarily Italian varietals and some French but strive to grow grapes that thrive in the Dry Creek Valley climate so that less intervention is needed to make great wines.
I tried a number of different wines including a Grand Cru Rose made with Grenache and Mourvedre, (a unique blend for Rose) Syrah, Aglianico, Zinfandel a white blend and red blends. The day I was there the tasting room was full to the brim with people asking questions and having a great time. One of the things I especially appreciated about the tasting room was the small notebook/binder they provide that gives an outstanding overview of each wine. It includes information like alcohol content, acidity, pH, aging PLUS varietal and vineyard, vintage/harvest, winemaking and a description. It was great to have this information to look over at my own pace.
I ended up taking home a bottle of the 2021 Segromigno and the 2019 Zinfandel.
2021 Segromigno*
70% Sangiovese, 30% Montepulciano
UNTI says that this wine is their, “homage to current high end Chianti Classico wines”.
On the nose: (when you smell the wine before tasting it) dark fruits like blackberry and huckleberry hint of earthiness and dark chocolate
Mouthfeel (what’s it like when you drink it) supple, dry grippy
2019 Zinfandel*
83% Zinfandel (Primitivo-clone), 17% Petite Sirah
On the nose: (when you smell the wine before tasting it) wet leaves and soil, mushroom dark berries, plum
Mouthfeel: (what’s it like when you drink it) smooth, aromatic, satin, juicy
*Just a reminder I’m not a wine expert. I’m learning all the time but I believe we learn by doing and trying and we can all have an experience of wine.