While Napa Valley is lauded as America’s premier winegrowing region, the grapes grown by our Sonoma neighbors are nothing to sneeze at.

That fact was made more than clear last weekend as Copia hosted dozens of Sonoma County winemakers eager to pour their latest releases for wine lovers from near and far.

Copia’s “Taste of Sonoma County” brought together producers from a number of Sonoma’s appellations, ranging from Rockpile to Carneros, Dry Creek to Russian River, Alexander Valley to Knights Valley.

For more than three hours, consumers roamed the large lobbies of Copia tasting wines that ran the gamut of chardonnay to zinfandel.

Starting with three favorites from Roshambo, the playful, consumer-savvy producer from Healdsburg, here’s our impressions of a number of wines worthy of your attention:

Roshambo 2005 Imago Chardonnay ($18): A stainless steel-fermented, lees-stirred chardonnay with bready and tropical fruit aromas, this one has attractive ripe stone fruit and pear flavors with a bit of passion fruit that lingers in the mouth. It’s a medium-priced chardonnay without the slightest hint of oak (hooray!) that is an ideal aperitif or a fine accompaniment for salads, fruits and creamy cheeses.

Roshambo 2005 Zinfandel ‘The Reverend’ ($25): The winemaking team said it all in explaining why “The Reverend” was applied to this ripe, well-balanced zin — “Just like an old fire-and-brimstone sermon, it starts easy and lures you in with scents of Christmas spices. And then it kicks up the volume with an explosion of juicy red and blackberries, plums and chocolate. To finish you are called up to the altar to be healed by a smack to the forehead of spicy, smooth tannins. You’ll be back next Sunday for some more.” To that, I say, “Amen!”

Roshambo 2005 Syrah ‘Justice’ ($25): An outstanding Dry Creek syrah with floral and plum aromas and a big mouth full of blueberries and baking spice. This is ripe fruit in a bottle, from enticing entry to lingering blueberry finish. It invites a second, even third, sip, and proved to be one of the best syrahs tasted last weekend.

Novy 2005 Judge Family Vineyard Syrah ($29): This exceptional cool climate syrah from Bennett Valley is a sexy, velvety wine that coats the palate with juicy plums and finishes with the tang of freshly harvested ripe blueberries. As beautiful in hue (royal garnet) as it is in the nose (fragrant plums), this is a mouthful of ripe fruit and spice that drinks as well now as it should if you put a couple of these bottles aside for a year or more.

Enkidu 2005 Diener Ranch Syrah ($32): Taking its name from the Epic of Gilgamesh, which takes place in Sumeria, the birthplace of wine, Enkidu offers a noteworthy syrah made from grapes harvested in the Red Hills of Lake County. This medium-bodied syrah has inviting floral notes and tastes of ripe plums, with a hint of anise on the finish. Drink now or hold onto this one for a couple of years as it’s bound to evolve into an even richer wine.

Montemaggiore 2004 Paolo’s Vineyard Syrah ($32): The product of biodynamically farmed mountain fruit from the Ciolino family’s Dry Creek Valley spread, this big, lush syrah borders on being a chewy red. It has a vanilla-scented blueberry nose, mixing the flavors of blackberry and blueberry in the mouth, with a hint of black cherry bringing up the rear. It doesn’t advertise its 14.7 alcohol content, due in large part to the balance of supple tannins and mouth-filling fruit. This is another Sonoma County syrah that I’d lay down for a few years as it should drink even better than it is today.

Mounts Family Vineyard 2005 Dry Creek Petite Sirah ($28): A new release from a new brand coming from a longtime Dry Creek Valley grower, this is a big, inky red with obvious tannins that should marry with intense fruit in another year or so. If you’re a barbecue fan or someone who likes big reds with spicy spaghetti Bolognese, then pop the cork on this one now. Otherwise, lay a few bottles down so you can truly appreciate the blueberries and blackberries bottled up inside. If you’re a fan of petite sirah, buy this one.

Medlock Ames 2004 Red ($25): From cutting edge organic farmers Christopher Medlock James and Ames Morison, this is a delicious 50/50 blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot from Bell Mountain Ranch, the southernmost vineyard in Alexander Valley. It’s a bright, fruity, juicy blend, demonstrating the attractive qualities of both grape varieties. I loved the spice and Bing cherries present on both nose and palate, and, what’s more, the price is right.

Michel-Schlumberger 2003 Dry Creek Cabernet Sauvignon ($38): A fruit-forward, balanced cab (89 percent, with small amounts of all four other Bordeaux blending varieties in the mix) from the benchland/hillside vineyards of Dry Creek Valley. Offering tasty blackberries and baking spice in aroma and taste, this cab at first appears lightweight, just a quaffer; but a second sip clearly demonstrates this is a serious Bordeaux blend, one that speaks to its terroir.

Pelton House 2004 Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($35): An impressive initial release from the new kid on the block in nearby Knights Valley. This is Jess Jackson’s newest brand, where Chilean winemaker Marcia Monahan brings something a little different to the blend — like merlot and carmenere, 9 and 7 percent respectively — and a little malbec to the merlot. Ripe blackberries are evident throughout, from the inviting berry nose to the lingering juicy finish. An accessible cab at a nice price from the Jackson wine empire.

Rosenblum 2006 Preston Vineyard Marsanne ($25): While we normally talk about Rosenblum zinfandels, it was like a breath of fresh air to discover an absolutely incredible representation of this northern Rhone varietal from the Rosenblum folks. This was only the second white we tasted last weekend and it’s a stunner; that is if you appreciate a wine’s orange blossom nose, along with aromas and marvelous flavors of ripe peaches and apricots. The acid/fruit balance is textbook perfect, too. Drink this one now.

PreVail 2003 West Face ($65): Born out of Don and Rhonda Carano’s desire to make a top-flight cabernet sauvignon from Ferrari-Carano's two mountain vineyards, located on Lookout Mountain at the eastern edge of Alexander Valley, this is a cabernet sauvignon/syrah blend (87 and 10 percent, respectively) with a little cabernet franc adding appropriate spice. It’s a doozy — intensely concentrated blackberry and cherry flavors combine in a supple wine that has marvelous length. It’s a heady new entry from the Ferrari-Carano operation — a wine for Saturday night.