I was thrilled when John and I stopped at random liquor store on the way to a party and I found a bottle of 2013 Failla Pinot Noir. I couldn’t believe my eyes, so I had to buy it and save it for later. When we visited Napa and Sonoma in 2012, we were introduced to Failla Wines (pronounced FAY-LA) as one of our first stops.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures from that first stop as I was more interested in tasting the wine, but I will do my best to describe it to you. Failla is a small-family owned winery that’s been in operation since 1998. Ehren Jordan and his wife Anne-Marie Failla are the owners and winemakers.

Our wine tasting was outside at a picnic table and we also got to tour the wine cellars. It was so rustic and peaceful – I highly recommend it if you are visiting Sonoma. I found the above picture on their Facebook page and am guessing that it’s probably the same table we did our tasting at.

Our host told us that Failla was best known for its red wines and Pinot Noirs, which peaked my interested because those are my favorite. You normally can only get these wines by visiting Failla or through their mailing list. They recently launched a Wine Club. This is why I was so pumped to find it at that liquor store. Additionally, you can read more about the different varieties they have in this fact sheet.

This wine is BIG and BOLD. It has a lot of flavor and runs about $35. You’ll taste an earthy Pinot Noir with notes of cardamom, spices and fruit flavors. We enjoyed this over Chicken Parmesan and it was amazing paired with the sauce John made.

If you are in Sonoma, make sure to stop at Failla and if you see Failla around the metro Detroit area, let me know and I will head there to stock up!

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