Shenandoah Vineyards and Sobon Estate

Amador County Winemaking Heritage

By Linda J. Bottjer

The Sobon Family Estate (Sobon Estate)The Sobon family is a busy bunch.

From their former family home in Plymouth they run two wineries with two generations of family. One is Shenandoah Vineyards and the other is Sobon Estate.  In addition they also pay homage to the more than a century and a half of Amador County winemaking heritage.

The patriarch is Leon Sobon. His previous scientific career rested upon an ability to conduct successful experiments. When he began testing grapes in the late 70s a new winery was born – one of just four in Amador where now the number has grown ten-fold.

The entrance to Shenandoah Valley’s tasting room. (Sobon Estate)Working with 23 varieties from Gilroy, Napa and other appellations, all were blended together to rave reviews. Also, back during the 1980s lust for white zinfandel, came the delicious discovery that Fiddletown was the place to grow lush and flavorful Zinfandel grapes. Now estate-grown grapes create a thorough menu of white and red wines.

A heartiness in spirit, without an overblown taste, is reflected repeatedly through the ruling Zins of the two wineries. Like a 50s movie siren they are all full bodied and possess a sweetness that is never allowed to be cloying; a certain spice without anything off color.

Their ’09 Zinfandel Special Reserve is kissed with a mere hint of Petit Sirah giving it strength to finish well against hardy meats or cheeses like Gorgonzola.  Equally compelling is the 2009 Vintners’ Selection where tannins, toast and roasted coffee give sincere depth without any peppery spiciness.

The 2008 ReZerve called Paul’s Vineyard Zinfandel packs a wallop, a discreet one to be sure as it is made from more than 80-year-old vines.  Its elegant past is delivered with fruited tones of blackberry and mulberry, and solidified with a lingering of fine chocolate.

If the former wine is reminiscent of an aunt with an invigorating past the 2008 Cougar Hill Zinfandel, offered at Sobon Estate, is like your grandmother if she is capable of wearing pearls along with a streak of magenta through her gray hair.  The tasting notes describe the hominess of oatmeal cookies, and such hominess receives a small bite of menthol along the sides of jamming blackberry fruit.

Appreciating complexity is a key to enjoying the winery’s ’08 Fiddletown Zinfandel.  Spicy hits such as nutmeg tango with cherried tones as mammoth fruits keep the mouth entertained until the final taste and beyond.

A blend of several old vines’ fruit can be found in the Zin appropriately named Old Vines.  This 2009 offering is far from being sedate at first sip.  Instead it grabs the palette with a push of great fruit flavorings and keeps one’s attention to the end of the bottle.

The museum barrels at Sobon Estate. (Sobon Estate)The Sobon Estate was formerly the DiAgostini Winery, which in turn was founded where Adam Uhlinger, a Swiss immigrant, planted vines in 1856. A small museum rich with wine related artifacts is found next door, including the original stone wine cellar.

Trial by taste to the testimony of time proves to be the hallmark of the Sobon family and their wines.

Shenandoah Vineyards is located at 12300 Steiner Road in Plymouth. The tasting room is open daily from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. For more information call (209) 245-4455.

Sobon Estate is located at 14430 Shenandoah Road in Plymouth. The tasting room is open daily from 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. for more information call (209) 245-6554.

Both wineries share a website, sobonwine.com.