Former Bargetto winemaker Michael Sones has been crafting interesting wines under his own label for around 10 years, initially focusing primarily on good value Zinfandel and Petite Sirah - two varieties that Bargetto isn't well known for.
Production is around the 1300 case mark.

2012 Cancion Del Mar
A lone white wine in a sea of reds, this is a blend of
Viognier, Pinot Gris, Torrontés and Sauvignon Blanc. The nose is floral, with mineral notes; it's a rich, smooth creamy wine; less crisp than I remember previous vintages being, but still a good wine to have with seafood.

2010 Zinfandel, Zayante Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
An intense, rich wine whose raspberry nose follows on through the palate into the finish. Good structure. Recommended.

2009 Syrah Zayante Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
This is a wine that calls out for a slow cooked pot roast or stew. From the gamey, meaty nose to the tart, raspberry finish it continues to evolve and change, revealing notes of eucalyptus, cocoa and pepper on the way. Recommended.

2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, Wiedeman Vineyard, Santa Clara Valley
Sporting a label by local artist Ben Davis Jr,  this archetypal valley floor Cabernet shows blackcurrant, brambles and coffee. Nice acidity and a good finish. Recommended.

2011 Fashionably Late Zinfandel 
I was a little surprised to see any kind of late harvest red wine from 2011; a cooler vintage where mildew, odium and botrytis were a constant issue and rains at harvest forced many to pick early - yet here we have a Zinfandel with 5% residual sugar.
As you'd expect it's intense with plenty of raspberry flavors, but little else; it cries out for something to give it more backbone (a hint of Petite Sirah maybe?)

2012 Sack

Caileen with the 2010 Wiedeman Vineyard
Cabernet Sauvignon

Sack was an old English term for fortified wines from Spain. It grew in popularity in the Elizabethan age despite - or because of - the ongoing war between Elizabeth and Philip II. In Henry IV part 2 the character Falstaff performs a monologue in praise of “sherris sack”, concluding “If I had a thousand sons, the first humane principle I would teach them should be, to forswear thin potations and to addict themselves to sack.”

This wine was produced in association with Shakespeare Santa Cruz, and some of the profits go to support that group. It began as a base white wine made from Torrontés  which was then fortified with brandy and sweetened with grape must. It comes in at 18% ABV.

Hard to know what to compare it to. It doesn’t have the same oxidation or maturity of a modern Sherry; neither does it have the freshness of a Pineau or Mistelle or the sweetness of a Tokaj. Instead the Torrontés gives it a very appealing floral nose, with notes of peach or apricot, but unfortunately on the palate it’s rather flat; there’s either too much heat from the brandy or not enough sweetness from the must. A curiosity that will appeal to some but doesn't really work for me.

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A fellow Brit, Michael Sones was born in Worthing in the south of England. After a career as a cruise photographer, during which he met his wife Lois, they settled in the Bay Area. Michael worked at Bonny Doon and David Bruce wineries before becoming the winemaker at Bargetto. Sones Cellars was launched in 2003; the figurehead emblem on the labels reflecting the couple's maritime history.

Sones Cellars concentrates on Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. They also make a white blend which has had several names.

2008 Cancion del Mar, California
The name means "Song of the Sea". It's a blend of Viognier and Torrontés from Lodi with some Pinot Gris from the Dettamanti vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains and
Sauvignon Blanc from Monterey.
A lovely floral nose. Light, crisp and floral with lots of white stone fruit. 90 $21

2007 Zinfandel, Central Coast
A blend, sourced mainly from the Wiedeman vineyard.
Light raspberry nose. Layers of rich, sweet raspberry/brambly fruit. 88

2007 Zinfandel, San Lucas
The San Lucas AVA lies at the southern end of the Salinas Valley in Monterey County
This has a lighter, smoky nose than the Central Coast, but on the palate it's concentrated, tannic and intense with lots of acidity. 90 $26

2007 Petite Sirah, French Camp Vineyard, Paso Robles
A barrel sample; the wine is ready to be bottled. Michael does a particularly good job with Petite Sirah. It often makes tough, tannic wines that can (or must) age for years, but if the tannins are controlled the grape can show rich dark fruits.
The nose is smoky, gamey and meaty. There's loads of rich, smooth black fruits and a nice finish. 89

2008 Zinfandel Wiedeman Vineyard, Santa Clara Valley
Another barrel sample, this has around 1% to 2% residual sugar.
Fruity raspberry nose and lots of sweet berry fruit. Despite the sugar there's good tannin and acidity. 88

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Sones Cellars is the private label for Michael and Lois Sones; Michael is the winemaker for Bargetto. I visited them a year ago during the vintners festival and caught up with them at a recent trade tasting in Los Gatos.

2008 Siren Song, California
A white blend previously known as La Sirena, until the Napa winery of the same name asked them to change it. A blend of Viognier, Torrentes, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc, mostly from the Lodi area. It's a lovely fragrant, floral wine; light and crisp yet spicy. Alison really liked this. $21 Recommended

2006 Zinfandel, Santa Clara Valley
Sones source their Zinfandel from the Wiedeman vineyard in Santa Clara; for the 2006 vintage they blended some Carignane. It has an earthy, raspberry nose. On the palate there's tart raspberry fruit with some chili pepper spicyness and a good finish. $25 Recommended

2006 Petite Sirah, Lodi
Sones is one of the few wineries I know (Storrs is another)that aim to make a Petite Sirah with soft, controlled tannins by pressing the fruit off the skins early. The grape makes good wines when it's not furring your mouth up. There's a light berry nose - raspberry and loganberry, which leads in to smooth, sweet fruit and a medium finish. $23 Value

2006 Petite Sirah, French Camp Vineyard, Paso Robles
Nice aromas of redcurrant. Similar in style to the Lodi, though slightly lighter in weight. $29

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As winemaker for Bargetto, Michael Sones is responsible for one of the area's largest producers. However he still finds time to produce a few cases for his own label. He mainly sources fruit from the Wiedeman Vineyard in Santa Clara Valley.

The 2005 Wiedeman Vineyard Zinfandel checks in at almost 16% alcohol. This was served warmer than the last time I tasted it; as a result the alcohol seemed a bit more evident. It was also significantly heavier than the previous wines of the evening (a Pinot Noir and a Bordeaux). On the palate there was lots of sweet raspberry fruit and a bit of white pepper, but it could have used a bit more acidity. The tannins are soft; it's a wine that's made to drink now. Reasonable value at $16 from The Wine Club, Santa Clara.

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Michael Sones is the winemaker for Bargetto. In his spare time he launched his own label, Sones Cellars. This has proven so successful that they have now moved into their own premises in downtown Santa Cruz.

Sones sources much of their fruit from the Wiedeman Vineyard in the Santa Clara Valley.

2007 La Sirena White Table Wine This is a blend of Viognier, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc from three different vineyards. Although the 2006 vintage carried the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, for 2007 some different sources were used and as a result it carries the California designation. A light, crisp, fruity wine that's ideal for summer.

2005 Wiedeman Vineyard Zinfandel, Santa Clara Valley. Despite the 15.9% alcohol content this isn't a fruit bomb; it's a softer, medium weight wine with good flavours and no real heat evident. The vines are over 25 years old.

2004 Petite Sirah, Monterey County. As I've noted in previous posts, I'm not a huge fan of Petite Sirah; they tend to be tannic monsters that are hard to pair with food. Sones has tamed the beast by pressing earlier; the wine still has plenty of fruit and colour, but it's much more approachable than most Petites.

2004 Wiedeman Vineyard Syrah, Santa Clara Valley. From the same vineyard as the Zinfandel this is a pleasant, easy drinking wine.

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