New Wine Releases: Two From Gary Farrell

The Gary Farrell winery is located in a picture-pretty setting in Sonoma County's Russian River Valley and has long been noted for the quality of its founder's winemaking. Susan Reed is wine honcho now, and her style is to make restrained wines that nevertheless have good fruit. 

Her 2009 Gary Ferrell Russian River Valley chardonnay ($32) is lean and minerally with hints of firm green apple, but not an overly tart one, with lighter notes of vanilla bean and a touch of bitters around the edges. It would be ideal with roasted chicken or other small birds in a light cream sauce.

The 2009 Gary Farrell Russian River Valley pinot noir ($42) is similar in style to the chardonnay – ripe, rooty fruit with strong tones of cooked, sweetened rhubarb. It has good acidity with, again, hints of bitters at the edges, perhaps a little too much on opening. I would open it and pour of a glass an hour in advance or decant it at the table. It would go very well with a duck confit wide a side of stewed or baked fruit.