Matt Buchanan and Roger Biringer teamed up as home winemakers in 1996. The following year Cordon Creek was launched. Though based in San Jose, the winery focuses on Bordeaux grapes grown in Amador and El Dorado counties, part of the Sierra Foothills AVA. Over 100 wineries were established in the Sierra Foothills during the Gold Rush, and many old vineyards still remain. With land prices much lower than in the better known AVAs the area has a reputation for big, ripe fruit and good values.

2003 Cabernet Franc, El Dorado
A fruity but fairly one-dimensional wine with tobacco and blackberry notes. 81

2003 Meritage, Sierra Foothills
Nose shows oak and brambles which follow on to the palate. There's a spicy, possibly jalapeño component and a nice finish. 87

2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, Sierra Foothills
Sweet blackberry, almost jammy nose. Lots of ripe berry fruit and chocolate. 85

2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, OBrien Vineyard, El Dorado
Blackcurrant nose with a slightly metallic tinge. Plenty of smooth, ripe blackcurrant fruit and a hint of liquorice. 85

2002 Meritage, Sierra Foothills
As with the 2003 the nose is oaky and brambly and there's lots of fruit, though the 2002 had more tannin. Surprising that this is 7 years old, it doesn't show. 87

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I'm a big fan of the Clos LaChance 'Hummingbird' series - they are great day-to-day value wines, and are readily available in many local supermarkets, often at very attractive prices.

Each year since 2004 the winery has paired with the Hummingbird Society and released a special release Meritage, with a portion of the profits going to help preserve endangered species. As with most of the wineries offerings the label carries the generic Central Coast AVA, though the fruit is all estate Santa Clara Valley.

2005 Clos LaChance "Honduran Emerald" Meritage, Centra Coast
Gamey/meaty/smoky nose with blackcurrant fruit. On the palate there's brambles and oak, with some grapefruit on the finish. Over time the oak and tannins became more pronounced. 87. Not a bad wine, but for $25 you could buy a bottle of the "Black Chinned" Syrah, send $5 to the Hummingbird Society and still have change left over.

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Solis dates back to before Prohibition. Back then it was owned by the Bertero family, who grew Zinfandel and Carignane. The property stayed in the family until the 1980s when it was purchased by the Vannis. Over the years they have planted several French and Italian vines both at the original site and a second nearby vineyard that is jointly owned and managed.

I last visited Solis around 5 years ago; their wines were clearly way ahead of many other Hecker Pass wineries at the time. All the wines carry the Santa Clara Valley appellation, and most are Estate. Tasting is free.

2007 Fiano Estate, Santa Clara Valley $18 Fiano is an ancient Italian varietal, grown mainly in the Campania region of southern Italy. If I hadn't been told that I'd have sworn that this was a Viognier. Floral nose; crisp, fruity palate and a nice finish. Good acidity too; the best non-Chardonnay white wine I've tried in a while. Value Recommended
2007 Vino Roseo, Santa Clara Valley $12 A sweet rose made from Sangiovese. While it has some complexity and nice flavours, it's too sweet for my tastes.
2005 Merlot Estate, Santa Clara Valley $24 A little on the oaky side, this had good black fruits with a subtle hint of black olive or bell pepper. Nice finish.
2007 Zinfandel, Santa Clara Valley $18 It's easy to let Zinfandel get too ripe and end up with a fruit bomb that's got 15.5%-17% alcohol. It's much harder to get Zinfandel that's properly ripe, having good acidity without unripe green flavours and still under 14% alcohol, so this was a pleasant surprise. Good raspberry flavour with white pepper notes.
2004 Syrah, Santa Clara Valley $20 Hints of earth and mushroom on the nose. On the palate it's fruity with soft, integrated tannins.
2005 Cara Mia (Meritage), Santa Clara Valley $30 90% Merlot, blended with a little Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Good fruit with a hint of espresso and vanilla. Give it a year in the cellar to integrate.

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