The Suisun Valley lies to the east of Napa Valley, and is within the southern end of two ranges of the Coastal Mountain Range, the Vaca Mountains to the east and the Mt. George Range to the west. The Suisun Valley is only 8 miles in length, and at its widest point is only 3 miles. The Pacific Ocean and San Pablo Bay offer cool winds to the valley for great growing conditions.

On my recent trip to Suisun Valley I stopped by the Vezér Family Vineyard tasting room and sampled several varietals. One exceptional wine that I sampled was the 2007 Verdelho. The Verdelho grape variety is indigenous to Portugal, and only a handful of wineries in the United States grow this variety. The color of this wine in the glass is straw, and the aromas on the nose were of fresh, ripe fruit. Pear, nectarine, apple, white peaches, and a hint of citrus were present on the nose. The fresh fruit continued on the palate with pear and apple on the front, followed by the citrus mid-palate. There was a certain creaminess with this wine, the acidity was medium, and it had a very nice finish that stayed with me for awhile. I paired this wine with spicy Thai chicken and sticky rice, which complimented one another beautifully. This exceptional wine is worth searching out on your next visit to Northern California’s wine country.

Jon