We stopped here for lunch and decided to do a tasting while we were here. The tasting room is very nice, I like the curved counter. The room was very well lit, open and inviting. We were the only ones there and tried most of the wines. The tasting was free since we were going to buy lunch, a nice little bonus.
Over the years, Papagni has become a very diversified company bent on producing the finest grapes possible for the winemaker, and the consumer. While they guarantee that excellent wine can be produced from their grapes, and fresh grape juice, because for eighty years, their customers, and our own family have been doing just that: making exceptionally complex, quality wines using our grapes.Some of the oldest continuous wineries in the state of California. The Papagni family tradition of growing grapes for winemaking reaches back to Bari, Italy. Family members have passed down the art of grape growing from generation to generation.
The Papagni family have extended the grape growing traditions that started in Italy, to central California in 1912 and now to Madera, California.
The Papagni family dreamed of fine wines made from the San Joaquin Valley so they planted premium grape varieties, combining carefully monitored vineyards with the most modern technical advances in cultivation and irrigation with the ancient traditions that yield the finest of premium wines. Red, white, port and dessert wines.
In 1945 retired Sheriff Deputy Amos Beauregard purchased 157 acres of which 13 acres have been planted with winegrapes. Cabernet Saugivgon, Chardonnay, Zinfandel and an old grape know as Charabono were originally planted in 1880. Over the years Jim Beuregard has planted hundreds of acres of vines throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains and still maintains his 68 acres of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon. Jim and his family live on the estate and Ryan Beauregard is the Winemaker.
I found this place several years ago and at the time, they only made two wines a rare Charbono and my favorite Sangiovese. Since those days they have now added a Cab to their line up. These wines are very small production and hard to find. The Charbono is a deep ruby red wine with intense complex flavors I think it needs to be decanted for a few hours to get the best of it.
The Sangiovese is just lovely, well balanced and goes great with a bowl of pasta or nice steak.
The whole operation is a great family story and they are most welcoming.
The Shypoke story starts back in 1904, with a fellow named Michael Heitz. Michael was an immigrant from the Alsace region of Germany (now part of France). Arriving in America with his wife, Louise, they started looking for a place to settle down and raise their growing family. In 1904 they found Calistoga and took an interest in a 50-acre parcel just south of town. They situated their home at the base of a wooded hill near a small spring-fed creek, and set about clearing some of the valley floor.
How many tasting rooms do you know of where the owner / vintner is there pouring? It's an added bonus that lets you know he's not only interested in his passion, but interested in your enjoyment of his wines as well. John Smith is not only very happy to pour for you, but is just as willing to tell his wine's story to a seasoned oenophile or neophyte alike.
Milano Family Winery specializes in some of the more unknown varietals such as Carignane, Charbono and Valdiguie as well as the more known Zinfandel, Cabernet, and Merlot. Housed in an former hop kiln this quaint tasting room is just off highway 101 just south of Hopland. I was quite impressed with the tasting room staff and the genuine feeling that you get when you first enter the room. The wine itself isn't earth shattering, but it's decent quality enough to keep most visitors interested.
The imposing redwood and stone barn structure nestles into the cliff side, protected from crashing waves by a flat rock bench eroded over eons. The cellar is filled with French, Hungarian and American oak barrels and specialty equipment suited to handcrafted wine production. The unique location lets magical forces come into play; waves crash into sea caves under the cellar, naturally filtering wine from its sediment. Salt from sea air deposits on barrels accelerating osmosis while creating viscous and dense wines. This is what Sally Ottoson has come to call Pacific Star Winery.
Pasos Vineyards specializes in Mediterranean and Bordeaux style wines that reflect the
taste, passion and vision of winemaker and owner Antonio Pasos. The wines are born of
the Lodi, Alta Mesa, Sierra Foothills and Umpqua Valley Appellations among selected
others. Only the best hand selected grapes and quality wine making processes are used in
Pasos wines.
Established by the family patriach, Emilio Guglielmo (gool-yell-mo) has been producing award-winning wines in Santa Clara Valley since 1925.
THIS WINERY HAS CLOSED
The grounds are beautiful and built to resemble a Tuscan villa and I must say that if you close your eyes while you're out on the patio sipping their Cabernet Sauvignon, you feel like you're miles away from civilization. Greg, the owner was extremely nice and told us that the winery is 100% solar powered and only about 2 yrs old, yet the '07 Cab was drinking deliciously and the '06 Port is worth a return trip by itself!
