Red Table Wines

Red Table Wines

Helena View

Helena View Johnston Vineyards is located on Highway 128 just five minutes north of Calistoga in the eye of Mt. St. Helena in a fertile area noted for producing exceptional red wines. Helena View specializes in bordeaux style reds, namely Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. The winery is open for special events and tours by prior arrangement during the week and by appointment Saturday and Sunday, 10 am - 5 pm. Picnic facilities are available and include a covered redwood gazebo and a tree shaded deck overlooking vineyards.

McNab Ridge Winery

cNab Ridge Winery now combines the pioneering winemaking spirit of John Parducci with the new tradition and vitality of Rich Parducci. Rich makes wine in the style made famous by his grandfather, John: complex, approachable, and enjoyable to drink. Production in 2005 was 12,000 9-liter cases.

Dashe Cellars - Alameda

In 1996, the husband and wife winemaking team of Michael and Anne Dashe founded Dashe Cellars. Focused on crafting exceptional single-vineyard wines, Dashe Cellars blends the two winemaker’s combined 40-plus years of experience at such noted wineries as Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château La Dominique, Ridge Vineyards, Cloudy Bay, Far Niente, Chappellet, and Schramsberg Wine Cellars. Drawing on this wealth of experience, the Dashes create vineyard-focused wines that capture the complexity and character of top vineyards throughout Sonoma County and beyond. $5 tasting fee.

Foxen Vineyard

The Foxen Boys (aka Bill Wathen and Dick Doré) have been making wine together since 1985, when they founded Foxen Winery & Vineyard at the historic Rancho Tinaquaic on Foxen Canyon Road.

Harvest Moon Winery

The tasting room was cozy and had a warm ambiance to it, as do most of the wineries along Olivet Road. The pourers were friendly and conversational, not too pretentious about their wines but knew just enough to make good recommendations and tasting tips. The sparkling chardonnay and sparkling gewurztraminer were both refreshingly strange and delightful.

Hahn Estates

Grown on over 1000 acres in Monterey County, the diverse vineyards of Hahn Estate make up some of the best Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah plantings in the region. The unique qualities of the vineyards coupled with the sunny days and foggy nights helps to create wines of depth and complexity.

Angelo Wine Company

The focus at Angelo Wine Company are the unique varietals used to produce their wines. This winery works closely with small vineyards n Los Angels County in the remote areas of Agua Dulce and the Antelope Valley. From these vineyards come wine-grapes such as Tannat, Graciano, Godello, Loureiro, Treixadura and Alicante Bouchet. These are early harvested fruit to preserve the natural acidity in the grapes. The results are wines that are elegant and express the unique character of a unique growing regiion where desert meets the sea. *

Hours:

Sat       12:00am to 8:00pm
Sun      12:00am to 6:00pm

Another winery to check out is Antilope Valley Winery 

Jade Mountain Vineyard

Since 1988, Jade Mountain has been a pioneer in the production of Rhône-style California wines. The winery was founded with the belief that carefully chosen California vineyard sites planted to Rhône grape varieties can achieve quality on a par with the best from France and Australia.
Paras Vineyard, Jade Mountain's flagship vineyard, rests on the upper slopes of Mount Veeder, overlooking the Napa Valley. With rocky vine terraces and eastern exposures reminiscent of the finest Northern Rhône vineyards, Paras Vineyard grows Syrah and other Rhône grapes of truly exciting quality. From this and other select vineyards, Jade Mountain creates Syrah, Mourvèdre, Viognier and a proprietary southern Rhône-style blend called La Provençale

McKenzie-Mueller Vineyards And Winery

This is an appointment only winery, and it has a quiet, more laid back feel than other places in Napa. The tasting room is really cute, with artwork and photography lining the walls. The wine maker's son, Julius even sells some of his beautiful photos at the winery.

Our server was the wine maker's daughter, Sam, and she was great. We tried several different wines, including a Chardonnay, Malbec, and my personal favorite, the Cab-Franc. Everything was super well done. The Chardonnay was sweet, and not overly buttery, the cab-franc was smooth and the Malbec full of flavor. Sam was even kind enough to let us try one of their Napa Jazz wines. Very good, with a fancifully designed label.

The best part? The wines are moderately priced. Most bottles cost around $30-40.

The scenic rolling hills of grapevines, and large, earthy smelling wine cellars are great for photo opportunities. When we visited, the vineyard was in bloom with wild flowers. Super pretty.

If you're in the Valley looking for great wines and an affordable price and gorgeous vistas without all the crowd, definitely give this place a try.

Alfaro Family Vineyards

Alfaro Family Vineyards is everything a local Santa Cruz Mountains winery needs to be. The owner is incredibly passionate about his work and drove us over his lovingly cared for property in his pick-up truck. It was an adventure to remember! Fun fact: he is so passionate about the local environment that he re-fenced his property so that the deer can go through it, without being able to access his vineyards. I had a great time touring the vineyard and an even better time tasting the wine. There was a wide variety of wines available for the tasting, and all of them were both tasty and very reasonably priced. Everyone we met here was a great conversationalist and really made me feel comfortable and relaxed. I wish I lived closer so that I could come to taste wines every Saturday for their open tastings! Open Saturdays from noon to 5:00 pm year-round; Sundays June 16 - September 1. Enjoy a flight of 7 or more wines; tasting fee $10

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