Wineries

Wineries

Alhona Vineyards

In keeping with old world tradition, our wines are similarly handcrafted in small batches. Grapes are carefully sorted to ensure only the finest of fruit and then placed in small 450 gallon, stainless steel fermenting tanks. Once fermented the wine is transferred to small oak barrels where it will age from 18 to 24 months. After bottling, the wine will remain in our cellar for a minimum of 12 months before it’s release. Our objective is to produce the finest artisan wine possible. No public tasting room

Bernardus Winery

The dynamics of Bernardus Winery's tasting room showed their unique personalities with ALL that work behind the bar! I was belly laughing over Greg's one liners while he poured, and as Philip explained the informative part of the wines we were tasting. Great combo!!!! All of us tasters on the other side of the counter had sooooo much fun!!
They have a couple of Sauvignon Blancs, several Chardonnays, a few Pinot Noirs, and a couple of blends. They're all well-made wines, but none impressed me until the 2006 Signature Marinus. It's full of tannins and spice and ages well. If you're in Carmel Valley, Bernardus is a must-stop.

Boete Winery

Boëte Winery pronounced bwah-TAY is nestled on the easter edge of Carmel Valley. Saunders Vineyard is a unique boutique winery producing Estate wines under the label Boëte. The vineyard produces Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

Calera Wine Company

Calera Winen Company is a winery with vision and that vision is expressed so well in the wines that are produced there. Rather than follow the recommended path, Josh Jensen became a pioneer in American Pinot Noir. Taking his cue from the great domaines of Burgundy, which have grown grapes in limestone soil for centuries, he set out in search of the perfect spot in California to create wines that are truly unique, yet in the style of the greatest wines of France. In his search he ventured off the grid to plant on the site of an old limekiln in the Gavilan Mountains of California's Central Coast. Today Calera Wine Company still express that pioneer spirit and are revered the world over. We are happy to say that not just California Corks has taken note of this winery but that even Robert Parker is convinced: "Calera is one of the most compelling Pinot Noir specialists of not only the New World, but of Planet Earth." Why not stop in and enjoy some a really wonderful Pinot Noir experience with the wines produced by Winemaker Mike Walker. You will be glad you did.*

Hours:

Open Daily: 11:00am - 4:00pm
Tasting Appointments: 11am - 3:30pm
Reservations are not required, but always appreciated.

Chalone Vineyard

While the grapes for Chalone Vineyard Estate come from their high mountain estate, the grapes for the Monterey County wines come from distinct vineyards in the 75-mile long Salinas Valley, which begins in Monterey Bay and runs southeastward. Ancient volcanoes, active faults and tectonic plate movement created the Santa Lucia and Gavilan Mountain ranges, which flank the valley. The mountains form a wind tunnel, drawing cool ocean breezes off the Pacific Ocean into the valley. The cool air causes the vines to shut down and delays ripening of the grapes, leading to a longer growing season and hang time that results in intense fruit flavors.

Not open to the Public

Chateau Julien Wine Estate

What an awesome winery!

We came here yesterday to do some wine tasting. It was pretty late in the day so I think we were the last ones there? We were the only ones there while we were tasting...

Anyway, the guys who did the tasting for us were pretty awesome. I loved that they gave us a little background on each of the wines before we sampled. I LOVED the port that they gave us. It was just a very laid back tasting, but with some really good quality wines.

Chateau Sinnet

If you want to let your hair down, have a fun, memorable experience, try some unique wines, sample hot sauces, enjoy yummy cheese and crackers and cut loose - Chateau Sinnet is for you!

Spending an hour with Sonny will be an experience you will not soon forget - the man is a born entertainer and pours with a heavy hand. I strongly recommend making Chateau Sinnet the final destination on your Valley wine tasting itinerary so you're not pressed for time and are properly lubricated for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Chesebro Wines

I love this tasting room. There is lots of space in the place and art to amuse you in between the tasting. The wines are fantastic and even though they are not widely advertised, they are a good buy.

The service is great and they enjoy spending time talking to you about the wine. Definitely check this place out if you are in Carmel Valley. I really enjoyed the red blend from Arroyo Seco.

Cima Collina

Nothing was extremely stand out here, and the room is very small. However, I was intrigued by the Howlin' Good Red and the donation they give to Monterrey County SPCA, so we stopped by and gave it a whirl. Caught them right before closing and had a nice tasting session. It is a pick and choose list if I remember correctly, and the ones I picked were very good but maybe priced a little too high. The Howlin' Good Red was a very good, upper middle of the road red blend, that I enjoyed enough to get a bottle.

Crist Family Vineyard

Perched on a south facing rocky slope in Carmel Valley, California, 1,100 Bordeaux varietal grapevines are hand manicured and pampered to produce a sumptuous Cabernet blend.

These vines relish warm summer days and cool evening ocean breezes. Hand picked and crushed by the Crist family, this estate grown wine is lovingly hand crafted.

This tiny Hillside vineyard has produced a fantastic rich Cabernet that is both intense and classic with the feel of a top Bordeaux and the ripeness of a Napa wine. This Cab does have little amounts of the other Bordeaux varietals Blended in that give complexity and style to this wine, and have done so perfectly. The fruit is dark and robust and has super depth and balance. It starts off with a wonderful nose of black fruit, wild flowers, violets and a woody sage note. The mouth is thick and full with vibrant life and brightness with Currants, red and black Berries, cherry and fresh plum flavors that are tucked in seamless layers with mineral, smoke, cedar, cigar box and Vanilla. The color is very pure garnet and shines in the glass with purple edges. The wine is robust and shows a nice acidity and firm tannins that give it structure and focus that will age very well and should continue to develop for the next 3-5 years. With only 96 cases made, Spencer’s Cabernet Sauvignon can only be found in a few local restaurants and bottle shops in Carmel and Carmel Valley, This wine won’t last long.

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