When we talk about Twomey, we need to be very precise. For one thing, it’s just Twomey, not Twomey Cellars or Twomey Vineyards. There used to be two Twomey wine tasting experiences to be enjoyed, one in Calistoga in Napa Valley and the other in Sonoma county, on Westside Road in Healdsburg. Today, only the Russian River site remains.
Then there’s the issue of heritage. Twomey is owned by Silver Oak, renowned for their Cabernet Sauvignons. Our first encounter with Twomey was when they focused on Merlot, but somewhere along the line they switched to producing Pinot Noirs, which does make more sense for a winery located in Russian River. So, they took over a tasting room from a boutique winery called Stonegate, and that’s where they offer tastings to this day.
A tasting at Twomey begins with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. It seems that every winery in the area that specializes in red wines offers a little bit of white, just to show that they can. (Maybe it’s a California law.) The rest of a tasting focuses on Pinot Noir. More than that, each of the wines offered is from a single vineyard, which is a hallmark of Twomey’s wines. That said, we found a distinct style to Twomey’s various offerings. It’s not that they all taste the same, but there is a similarity. Since they grow or source from Oregon to the Central Coast, we infer that the hand of the winemaker is more dominant in their wines than is the terroir.
Many Sonoma County wineries buy their grapes from commercial vineyards and vinify the grapes themselves. It was once said that in Sonoma County, the farmer is king. That is still true to an extent, but there are also many wines that are made from estate grapes. Twomey’s wines fall into both categories. Their Sauvignon Blanc and the Pinot Noirs from Prince Hill Vineyard in Oregon and Monument Tree Vineyard in Anderson Valley are made from their own grapes. That doesn’t necessarily make them better. We preferred the wine sourced from Gary’s Vineyard in Santa Lucia Highlands, but then we are generally very fond of SLH wines.
The tasting room is a modern building of steel, wood and glass. The panoramic windows give onto a wide terrace, where tastings may be had in good weather. And beyond that is an expansive view of the northern end of the Russian River region. It would be easy to say “Forget the wine; come for the view” but the wine is worth a visit as well.
Maybe it’s because of the look and feel of the tasting room, but we found a tasting at Twomey to be a little cold and distant. The servers were professional and prompt, but not overly talkative. Now, there are some tasting rooms where we have wished that the server would just be quiet and let us enjoy our wine. But maybe Twomey’s staff have over-corrected in the other direction.
And, wonder of wonders, they still give you the glass with your tasting, and handsome glass it is!