The vision for Toulouse Vineyards is to grow the highest quality grapes using sustainable farming practices and to produce the finest Pinot Noir infused with the fun and passion of winemaking. For Vern and Maxine Boltz, it has been an exciting journey beginning as fruit growers and evolving into producers of award-winning wines. Wines! Nice, varied selection of wines with some simple to more complex flavors.
For nearly fifty years, four generations of our family have enjoyed the natural beauty and diverse flora and fauna of Kimmel Ranch. It is a welcome place to gather and and even more stunning place to explore, no matter the season. THEIR PASSIONS: Great Wine, Family, Friends, & the Land.
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.
This is the place if you like the wines of Bordeaux, individually and collectively. And when I mean Bordeaux, I mean the varietals of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. They actually had two of the white Bordeaux grapes, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillion. CARMENERE!!! With only 50 acres is California, Yorkville Cellars has 2 of them. Its pretty much gone in France and now Its all about Chile. Its an incredible wine with such vibrancy and juicy feel.
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.
Handley Cellars is a small, 14,000 cases per year, family-owned winery in California's Mendocino County, bonded in 1982. Handley Cellars is located at the northwest end of the Anderson Valley on 59 acres of the original Holmes Ranch. Still standing on the property are the now-refurbished ranch house, barn, and the original water tower. Handley Cellars offers a wide variety of wines that complement today's diverse cuisine with its worldwide influences. Winemaker Milla Handley seeks to make balanced wines that possess distinctive varietal characteristics, wines that reflect the soil and climate in which they were grown.
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!
Matt Meyer From an early age, Matt's goal was to be a winegrower like his father. As he grew up, he spent much of his time in the vineyard and cellar at Silver Oak. The passion he developed for wine led him to the University of California, Davis, where he was awarded a Masters in Viticulture in 2002. Karen Meyer Karen was born and raised in Perth, Western Australia. After a harvest in Margaret River, she was hooked on wine. She completed a degree in enology at Charles Stuart University, then spent the next few years working harvests around the world. In 1999 Matt and Karen met in Oregon while working the crush at Argyle Winery in the Willamette Valley. The wines produced at Meyer Family Cellars are as diverse as the vineyards in which they are grown.
Drew remains committed to small lot Pinot Noir and Syrah on California's northern far coastal edge. Including Mendocino Ridge, Anderson Valley and the Yorkville Highlands. OPEN Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat , Sun and Monday from 11 to 5pm.
Fort Ross Vineyard & Winery is one of the closest, if not the closest winery to the ocean in all of California. From the vineyard you can see the breaking surf and the misty silhouettes of Bodega Head and Pt. Reyes far below. The vineyard’s high elevation above the coastal fog and its proximity to the ocean provide a gentle, sunny and temperate climate that has proved to be very favorable for the slow and even ripening of Burgundian varietals.
