Ben and Jake, sons of Bobby and Sheila Fetzer, grew up on the Home Ranch, a property developed by grandparents Barney and Kathleen Fetzer with the help of their 11 children. Riding on dirt roads in pick-up trucks. Driving the tractor in dad’s lap. Hanging out at the winery’s crush pad to watch the grape trucks unload.
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.
We arrived on a sunny May day and it was easily over 90 degrees. We stopped by Navarro and I have to say - the grounds were gorgeous! There was a bench with a picnic table for those who wanted to lunch and wine. It overlooked gorgeous green lushy grass on a hill. The tasting room was very cozy and small but definitely very welcoming. Our pourer was friendly and gave us a great restaurant recommendation.
Gregory Graziano's grandfather, Vincenzo Graziano, and his wife Angela, first planted vineyards in Mendocino County in 1918 where they grew and sold grapes. In the late 1920's Vincenzo had to depend on selling grapes to home winemakers on the east coast and bootlegging wine to support his family. Gregory Graziano, Vincenzo's grandson, now carries on the family winemaking tradition that his grandfather set the foundation for and that his father Joseph later handed down to Gregory.
Husch Vineyards is a small, family owned and operated winery. It is the oldest winery in the Anderson Valley appellation, located in Mendocino County (Northern California) just 2 1/2 hours north of San Francisco. The tasting room is in a hobbit cottage straight out of the Shire. Worth stopping just to see it.
People were friendly. The wines were very earthy and herby, almost gamey. Definitely distinctive.
The tasting is free, which is rare even in Anderson Valley, so you have nothing to lose but a little bit of time and room in your stomach for something else.
As you take a walk through the vineyard with Charlie Barra, you’ll find yourself surrounded by 60 year old, craggily, grapevines that resemble the sunbaked hands of Charlie that has nurtured them. These hearty, twisted vines, located on the bench lands at the headwaters of the Russian River in Redwood Valley, CA, are the source of the superior organic fruit that goes into each bottle of wine.
This is the place if you like the wines of Bordeaux, individually and collectively. And when I mean Bordeaux, I mean the varietals of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. They actually had two of the white Bordeaux grapes, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillion. CARMENERE!!! With only 50 acres is California, Yorkville Cellars has 2 of them. Its pretty much gone in France and now Its all about Chile. Its an incredible wine with such vibrancy and juicy feel.
Producers of the 1st Green Portfolio of Wines from sustainably farmed, certified organic and Biodynamic vineyards. Labels include: Ukiah Cellars, Old River Vintners, Talmage Collection, & Mendocino Farms.
Since 1982, Duncan Peak Vineyards has specialized in growing Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah grapes and producing excellent Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah wines in this estate grown and produced wine property known as Duncan Ranch, at the base of Duncan Peak on the edge of the Sanel Valley near Hopland, California. The grapes are grown with as many sustainable and organic farming techniques as possible.
Established in 1932, Parducci Wine Cellars is the oldest winery in Mendocino County, California's northernmost premium winegrowing region. The winery produces approximately 150,000 cases of premium and super-premium wines and has recently been certified as an organic processor. Parducci's estate vineyard encompasses 30 acres of benchland surrounding the winery. The site boasts gentle slopes and shallow soils ideal for the robust red varieties - Syrah and old-vine Petite Sirah - that comprise the majority of its vines.
