Red Wines

Red Wines

Black Stallion Winery

Located on a picturesque stretch of the Silverado Trail, the Black Stallion estate recalls the rustic charm of early California. The estate property is framed by century-old olive trees and landscaped with natural grasses and Mediterranean plants. The winery grounds are surrounded by estate vineyards, planted with three different clones of cabernet sauvignon as well as malbec to support our signature red wines and flagship blend. A spectacular sculpture of a black stallion in motion is positioned at the entrance to the winery.

Stanton Vineyards

The Stanton family has been growing grapes in the Napa Valley since 1947. They began making their own wine in 1999. For this first vintage and the next three they used grapes exclusively from our Oakville vineyard. In addition to the Oakville property, the Stanton family owns two vineyards in St. Helena. They presently grow seven different red-wine varieties which include: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Petite Sirah and Mouvedre.

Teachworth Cabs

Walter Teachworth developed his taste for cabernet sauvignon by drinking aged Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Chateau Latour. Joan started sharing Walter's fondness for fine cabs when they met in 1976, and by the early 1990's they knew it was time to move to the Napa Valley. After living in St. Helena a few years, they found the perfect spot to build their own home on Diamond Mountain, south of Calistoga.

Birdstone Winery

Tony and Kimberly Kirk established Birdstone Winery with the goal of producing world-class wines from Madera-appellation grapes. A friends and family effort from the start, Birdstone’s winemaking team includes Tony, Kimberly and their sons Travis & Conner. It’s not uncommon to find Tony & Kim’s siblings, parents or friends behind the bar in the Tasting Room or helping to crush grapes during harvest.

Brown Estates

We had four distinct wines and it was so difficult to choose which ones to go home with! We bought 2 and will be joing their wine club for sure. The grounds were so beautiful ~ such rich history. This small family owned winery is a hidden treasure! The old barn, the cave and the tasting room were so beautiful. I strongly recommend this as your first stop..... it will be hard to find anything better.

Aaron Winery

Aaron Winery

Aaron Jackson’s path to winemaking began with a question. “How can we write a new story for Central Coast wine, and how do we unlock its potential?” To answer this, he found himself working in coastal Pinot Noir vineyards near his hometown of Cayucos, and working in cellars producing wines from Paso Robles’ westside, most uniquely Petite Sirah.

While studying wine at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, he pooled together the pennies from his weekend jobs and launched his eponymous label with the first vintage of Aaron Petite Sirah in 2002. His career continued to lead him to work with several acclaimed wineries in Paso Robles, along with earning his Master’s degree in Oenology from the University of Adelaide in South Australia.

In 2017, Winemaker Aaron Jackson took charge in leading the effort to create the San Luis Obispo Coast AVA (SLO Coast), which was approved in 2021.

Opolo Vineyards

Granted, this tasting was free, and they were pouring wine not on the list of tastings. But they were seriously understaffed. It was a bit frustrating that we had to wait and wait and wait… We will try again next visit.

The wines here, though, are excellent. Nice variety of reds, and tasty, smooth flavors.

Summers Ranch

When we entered, the tasting room was empty, but it quickly filled up. The wines here are excellent. I knew I wanted to buy a bottle or two, but it was very hard to choose. However, I just had to get a bottle of their charbono. Charbono - Dark inky color, blackberry profile, clean acidiity and bright fruit
Merlot - Sweet and soft fruit richness (cherry, currant and mocha), slight smoky oak with smooth tannins
Zinfandel - Nice flavor that finishes quick but hits with a raspberry, cherry flavor with notes of brown sugar and baking spices

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars

We made an unplanned stop here and were greeted by Aaron. We had a tasting of the estate wines and they were all excellent. We learned a lot about the grounds, the wine itself and the process. We also got to tag along for an impromptu tour of the grounds and the cave when someone stopped by to see the space for an event. We got to taste maybe 3 or 4 other wines that weren't even on the tasting menu. All in all, a very nice experience.

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