A fun winery to visit during Hopland's Passport event (once in spring and once in fall each year) when it opens up and gives space to local craftspeople.
They also make olive oil and process it for others.
Fourth generation Mendocino wine family - these people know what they are doing.
The tasting was a blast, the guy behind the counter was knowledgeable and funny. Why can't all tasting rooms have this kind of service? He listened to what we said and altered our tasting to fit our palate. Excellent service.
The father-son duo of the Merlo family work together to produce varietals of Merlot, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Syrah, Moscato, and Cabernet Franc. Located on the Dry Creek Valley Appellation, the 200-acre (81-hectare) estate not only grows its own grapes, but also sells the fruit to other wineries. Wine barrel tastings are hosted for visitors to the place, while other events like Winemaker dinner, have its own fan base.
One of Bronco Wine Company's labels. Distributed through retail market. No visitation or winetasting facility available or know of at this time.
Maréchal Vineyards is a family owned and operated winery located a few minutes north of Sanger in Fresno County. Conveinently located on the way to Kings Canyon National Park. Maréchal Vineyards makes wines from both their estate vineyards as well as from partner growers in Fresno, Madera and Paso Robles. Maréchal was good enough to let us drop-in and do some video for a video project we were working onYour can watch that video HERE While the winemaker Josh was busy in the vineyard that day his wife Jenifer Marshall took the time to show us around and even poured a few of their wines on a day they were normally closed. Be sure to stop in for a visit. Haley Washburn is the Winery's Manager and in charge of the tasting room and she always greets with a smile. If you time it right Josh and Jenifer just might be doing the pouring that day. There is a nice variety of wines to enjoy but a hint, be sure to try the Primitivo and the Petite Sirah if it is offered.*
While the grapes for Chalone Vineyard Estate come from their high mountain estate, the grapes for the Monterey County wines come from distinct vineyards in the 75-mile long Salinas Valley, which begins in Monterey Bay and runs southeastward. Ancient volcanoes, active faults and tectonic plate movement created the Santa Lucia and Gavilan Mountain ranges, which flank the valley. The mountains form a wind tunnel, drawing cool ocean breezes off the Pacific Ocean into the valley. The cool air causes the vines to shut down and delays ripening of the grapes, leading to a longer growing season and hang time that results in intense fruit flavors.
Not open to the Public
The Napa Cellars tasting room is a uniquely refreshing experience in the Napa Valley. Down-to-earth, laid-back and fresh are the words that best describe the tasting room where you’ll often find guests rocking out to AC/DC. If you want to have an entertaining and fun experience in the Napa Valley, this is the tasting room to visit.
This winery is a must see/taste. The winemaker/winegrowers - Frank and Teena are truly special. Their passion translates into every bottle of wine. They have a very nice selection of both white and red wines that will appeal to just about every taste.Take a beautiful drive up to Narrow Gate and check them out!
Tulocay was one of the "new" wineries to start up in the early 1970's, and the owner, Bill Cadman, is still at it and still making great Napa wines, in the traditional style. This means that his wines are very well-balanced and play well with food - they don't dominate, they enhance and compliment, good meals. They also age very well.
Another plus is that the Tulocay wines are generally very well-priced compared with your average Napa wine - many if not most of his wines are in the 20 to 30 dollar range.
Kent is knowledgable, passionate, and an easy-going host. We showed up late, and he was very gracious - asked us to hang while the (on time) folks finished up, and then spent a couple hours with us. He climbs up the racks to steal tastes from varoius barrels, walking you through the parietals, methods, barrels,etc. Then to finish up, he brought out bottled versions so demonstrate the difference. Simply a great tasting experience.
Bring a sweater. It's about 55 F.
