Since I was sick most of the week of my bday, I treated myself to a trip up to wine country on Monday. Went up to the Russian River Valley and came back with the following:

1st stop, Porter Creek Vineyards:
'05 Fiona Hill Pinot Noir - very fruity and floral, a bit on the simple side but well balanced
'05 Reserve Pinot Noir - Very 'earthy' and green (I'm trying to incorporate words that Gary Vainerchuk uses on his wine show), with a kind of mineraly finish that is quite different to most Pinots I've tasted
'06 Old Vine Zin - I don't actually remember any particulars on this one other than that it was good enough to buy. \:D

2nd stop: Balletto & Dutton Goldfield (2 different wineries sharing tasting rooms):
06 Balletto Chardonnay - very nice, nothing spectacular but the price was right ($15)
06 Dutton Goldfield Pinot Noir (Dutton Ranch) - really nice. More full bodied than either Porter Creek Pinot, almost Zin-like but more floral

3rd stop: Iron Horse Vineyards
04 BDX-3 - Blend of Cab Sauv, Cab Franc and Petit Verdot. Very tasty! Nice depth and quite smooth

4th stop - Hartford Family Winery (jackpot!):
05 Land's Edge Pinot Noir - wow. Incredible depth and complexity, all wrapped up in a silky mouthfeel and great overall balance. Makes me wish I hadn't bought a couple of the other pinots so I could've gotten some of the other Hartfords
06 Highwire Zin - Another knockout. Huge fruit but well balanced at the same time, strong structure with good tannins.

Out of the wineries I visited, Hartford was by far my favorite. All of their wines were oustanding, I tried 2 other Zins that were both of the same caliber as the highwire, and 2 other Pinots that were also both incredible. Looking back, I probably should've skipped Porter Creek (even though it's a sentimental favorite) and come back with a few more from Hartford.

I also stopped by Martinellli but they were already sold out of their fantastic Guissepe and Luisa Zin, and none of their other offerings really moved me.