Named for the traditional practice of toasting barrel heads and staves to impart a mellow, toasted flavor to barrel-aged wines, Toasted Head began making hand-crafted wines at our vineyards in the Dunnigan Hills of Yolo County, California in 1995. Toast Head is widely distributed in grocery, BevMo etc.
The vineyards at Cardella Ranch were first panted in the 1970's and have been sold to premier California wineries ever since. Nathan Cardella, 4th generation, after graduating from the Enology and viticulture program at Fresno State in 204, founded Cardella Winery with his father Rod. Nathan and Rod believed premium artisan wines were lacking n the San Joaquin Valley and felt that the Cardella family could help fill this niche. Today the winery producs numerous award-winning varieties and has earned a reputation for being a cut above.
Let the Soil Speak ! The one thing that makes for the creation of uniqueness amongst wines is the exact place the vines reside. The oneness of soil, water, sun and ai in each vineyard creates wines as individual as snowflakes.
We stopped here to meet friends while visiting SLO for the first time. We brought sandwiches from an outside sandwich shop and bought a bottle of white wine to share on the benches overlooking the Bocce ball area and vineyards. It really doesn't get any more spectacular in terms of view. Combined with wine and a picnic...it's a recipe for a perfect afternoon.
The gentleman in the tasting room, Scott, was friendly, knowledgeable and just nice to be around making our visit even better. He told us the tasting room have been open only three weeks which was hard to believe given the fabulous design, product displays and sense of organization. Oh dog friendly too!
2500 ft up the mountain from the "flatlands" of St. Helena. Very different feel from the wineries down on the valley floor. Small family owned and operated winery. We did not get a tour but had a very pleasant tasting.
It's a beautiful winery, and the tasting room is kind of tucked away from the main drag, so you have to know where you're going to visit. It's not as big as you'd think it would be, Ravenswood being an widely available label, so I think it's great. $10, and you pick five from the regular list, or $15 and you pick 5 off the reserve list.
The Room, not to be confused with their Estate a few minutes away, is super modern. This is where you want to go if you want a quick stop. If you want to tour/cave experience, take the extra time to go to the estate. If you're your timing is right, you may even get to pipette from the barrel!
The Estate:1978 West Zinfandel Lane No Appointment required
The Room: 677 St Helena Highway (Highway 29) By Appointment
Alapay owners Scott and Rebecca Remmenga are passionate about their wines and giving each customer personalized attention within an approachable, relaxing, non-intimidating setting. Alapay does not distribute to wholesalers, restaurants or wine shops, so you will only find these special wines in their seaside wine cellar. They pride themselves on being part of the total wine production process and being "hands-on winemakers".
This is a scenic winery with nice views and good wine. You can almost miss the road up the hill to the winery - as the winery is set on the hill.
Nice wine sampling - Go for a wine tasting; be sure to soak in the view.
