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.
Eagle Point's website seemed to be under construction at the time of this entry. We will update as soon as possible.
This small family owned winery is run by a husband and wife: Molly and Jason. It's so personal, in fact, when we arrived at their tasting room it was Molly herself that hosted us. She was very nice, but I wish she had voluntarily shared more information about the wine. It's always interesting to hear how people differentiate their wine; perhaps, she was shy. She was very attentive, however, and answered any questions we had including those involving the bizarre titles on their wine list. For example, their Pinot Noir was a " fog eater" while their Syrah came from a "Broken Leg Vineyard".
Back in the late '70s and early '80s, Eaglepoint included blocks of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, but the vineyard is now home exclusively to red-grape varieties. Continued grafting and more recent plantings have concentrated on the Rhone varieties, including Syrah and Grenache, as well as their Rhone cousin Petite Sirah. Other varieties planted on the ranch include Zinfandel, Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon.
A benchmark Anderson Valley vineyard, Breggo Cellars acquired the Savoy Vineyard in April 2011.
Planted by Richard Savoy in 1991, the vineyard is located very close to the
valley’s mid-point, just west of the town of Philo. Breggo continues to
sell fruit from Savoy to many of the highly esteemed wineries that helped build the vineyard’s
reputation, including Littorai and Radio Coteau, as well as to some newcomers like Kutch,
Auteur, and Peay.
MacFadden Vineyards sells and ship out of their tasting room affordable, delicious, easy to drink wines from grapes organically grown on their own nearby vineyard in Potter Valley. McFadden Vineyard Tasting Room also sells organic dried herbs and herb blends, and organic beef, from the Potter Valley farm. MaFadden's has a nice tasting room on Main Street in Hopland. Friendly server. We had a good time talking with him.
This tasting room is definitely a head turner, a beautifully crafted building designed by the owner/winemakers' father. The setting is so gorgeous, you'll wish they had lodging accommodations, Wow! and you haven't even stepped a foot inside. The tasting here is free though small. We tried about 5 wines (2 desserts) and ended up buying two bottles: a sauvignon blanc and merlot (double gold winner). Their bottles are beautifully designed with dragons as well as their wine glasses.
This is a wonderful spot to taste in Mendocino! It's located in a charming house with a pleasant yard, and plenty of room to picnic. The hostess was charming. Organic apple juice and friendly conversation were also offered to the four year old in our tasting party, so kudos to them for that! The sparkling wines were delicious.The tasting scene in Mendocino is less money obssessed than some other areas. Scharffenberger is no exception. A fee wasn't mentioned for our flights, though there may have been one. Feeling as though one is a valued guest, rather than a dollar sign, definitely makes a person more likely to buy at a winery. We left with wine and a comp for a tasting at their sister winery, Roederer Estates, a sucessful visit, in my book!
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.
Named for the meandering creek that runs through the 95-acre ranch, Lazy Creek Vineyards is located a few miles west of Philo in Anderson Valley. A pleasant detour off Highway 128, LCV's narrow, dirt road overgrown with rambling bushes and ferns, towering redwoods and oak trees, opens onto a countryside setting complete with rustic barn, cottages with its menagerie of animals, gardens, fruit trees and of course, vineyards. In keeping with LCV’s quaint surroundings, a new tasting room will preserve its charm and simplicity with stunning views of Lazy Creek's vineyards.
Construction will be on-going throughout the summer of 2012. Be sure to check back with us for updates.
Philo Ridge Vineyards, located in the beautiful hills of the Anderson Valley, produces small handcrafted lots of complex, palate-pleasing wines. Their vineyards are farmed using sustainable methods and the winery is 100% wind and solar-powered.
Philo Ridge VIneyards is a small family owned winery that specializes in small handcrafted lots of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Zin, Syrah and Cab. We are 5.33 miles up an all weather road and 100% solar and wind powered. We are open on weekends for tasting by appointment. Closed Tues., Weds. and Thurs.
Tastings may be appointment only [not sure if they even do that] and it may only be possible to taste during one of the Redwood Valley events so call them before trying to go by. If you are going to be in the area you might want to see if you can do a tasting and/or try their wines if you see them at a tasting
