Selby Winery Tasting Room is another great tasting room in downtown Healdsburg. The tasting room itself is small and well organized with enough space at the bar for 2-3 small groups. What struck me was the friendliness of the staff and of Susie Selby (the winemaker) herself, who was in the tasting room taking care of some business. The conversation was very comfortable and free flowing and Susie was wonderful. After such a positive initial experience, it was on to the wines, and they did no disappoint.

The vineyards were planted in 1978, replacing an old apple orchard. After farming for several years, Basil Scalabrini began making wine commercially. With no winery, the first wine was made in a redwood grove at the top of the hill, a 1986 Cabernet Sauvignon… It was a good one! The Scalabrini family built the winery in 1987, and began making wine from each vintage thereafter. A family owned and operated, and the family is involved in every phase of the wine growing process. At Annapolis Winery the focus is on quality, not quantity and the winery produce a very small amount of wine, taking personal care at each step of the process. The results are wines that are naturally lush and intense.

Fenton Herriott Vineyards is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills at the gateway to Apple Hill, and is situated on what was once the old Pony Express Route and resides just 1/2 mile from the Smith Flat house. This region has a vibrant prospecting history, and is just a short distance from the gold mining towns of Coloma and Sutter's Mill. The Sierra Nevada foothills has been used for farming for well over 100 years. The Mediterranean climate of this area combining warm summer nights and hot summer days with free-draining volcanic soils is especially ideal for grape growing and allows us to produce the quality fruit needed for our complex, delicately-balanced and full-bodied wines. As a small, family owned winery, Fenton Herriott is intimately involved in every part of the vintner process - vineyard and vine maintenance, grape crush, fermentation, barrel ageing, bottling, and packaging.

The wines are delicious, the employees are knowledgable and friendly.The view is magnificent perfect for enjoying a few glasses of wine during a sunset. The cellar carved into the mountain reminds me of something out of Lord of the Rings.