Blush-Rose

Blush-Rose

Etude Wines

wine splashing in the glass - Pixabay

Wine Maker Jon Priest and General Manager, is dedicated to inspired winegrowing. His focus is on cultivating grapes in optimal locations with ideal conditions to produce wines of exceptional world-class character. Through his intentional winemaking approach, he aims to express the intrinsic qualities of each varietal while highlighting their unique characteristics and a distinct sense of place.

In 1982, Etude was established in the cool-climate Carneros region with the aim of producing world-class Pinot Noir. 

Pinot Noir is the most appropriate vehicle with which to study wine growing, precisely because of its demanding nature but also because of its delicacy and transparency. Make no mistake it is a humbling pursuit, but when it’s right, Pinot Noir is a glorious and moving thing. It is in the pursuit of that experience that we all work.

A. Nonini Winery

A. Nonini Winery logo

A. Nonini Winery (aka Fresno's best-kept secret) was founded in 1936 by Antonio and Angiolina Nonini, and the business carries on managed by the fourth generation. We were pleased to tour the winery, starting with the 1941 Garolla grape crusher from Italy and ending with the finished product resting in the redwood tanks, which can easily be arranged by calling James Jordan.  They also have facilities for hosting special events. Be sure to try the Nonini Winery's Ruby Cabernet. The winery opens its tasting room from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday.~

Hours:

Mon - Sat - 9:00AM to 4:00PM
Sunday                Closed

Picchetti Winery

wine and cheese - ai generated - Pixabay

From the lofty heights of Montebello Mountain the grapes make the journey down to the historic ranch where they are examined, pressed and crushed in the shadow of the original Picchetti homestead house. Under the gaze of the ever watchful and vigilant peacocks, sweet juice is magically turned to wine.

Cooper-Garrod Vineyards

cluster of grapes - Pixabay

We are honored to be the recipients of the 2024 California Green Medal Sustainable Winegrowing Community Award!   This award recognizes our commitment to Certified Sustainable and Organic Farming along with our family’s contributions back to our local community: “For its ongoing dedication to leaving the Garrod Farms land and local community better than they found it for the last 131 years, Cooper-Garrod is the winner of the 2024 California Green Medal Sustainable Winegrowing Community Award.”

Ehlers Estate

wine cellar

I had my first taste of Ehlers Merlot At Twisted Vine in Fullerton and fell in love. I drove down hwy 29 visiting various wineries and we saw Ehlers and had to make a stop. We stepped into their tasting room and was greeted by their friendly staff behind the counter. She asked if we had an appointment and we told her we no. They were closing up in half an hour by the time we stepped in but was they very accommodating, instead of turning us away, she squeezed us in for a tasting.

Lone Madrone Winery

wine grapes

The year was 1996. A young man named Neil Collins embarked on a journey at The Carver vineyard, producing the inaugural vintage of Lone Madrone, named after the solitary tree that stands watch over the vineyard. He was not alone in this venture; from the start, Neil's wife Marci and sister Jackie provided unwavering support and encouragement. Initially, there was no intention of this becoming more than a young winemaker’s hobby, something separate from his day job. However, things did not turn out that way.

Lone Madrone grew, slowly but surely. The philosophy remained consistent: each wine should be unique, with its distinctiveness derived from where the fruit was grown, how it was grown, and who grew it. Over time, they added more vineyards, focusing on the dramatic hills of West Paso Robles. The soil, the climate, the proximity to the great Pacific Ocean and its profound influence, and the people who chose to farm grapes in this beautiful but challenging land—all these factors played a role in their evolutionary choices. They chose to focus on dry-farmed vineyards, believing this method offers “the purest expression” of any given piece of land. This world-class terroir, once a hidden gem, has now gained broader recognition.

Chesebro Wines and Art

vineyard at sunset - Pixabay

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.

Winemaker Mark Chesebro

Mark took a crush job at Bernardus Winery under Don Blackburn in the fall of 1994, and ended up staying until the spring of 2005. First working in the cellar, then as Enologist, he eventually became Winemaker in January of 1999. He basically held every production job available at this 50,000 case winery. Mark notes that this was truly his real winemaking education. It taught him not only about winemaking, but also about the extreme importance and impact of farming. He candidly observes that wine is very easy to botch up in the winery, but it can never be better than the raw materials. Respect for this concept became the guiding force in his approach to the production of fine wine.

Since Spring of 2021 Mark has had the pleasure of working with his son Will as co-winemaker . Will grew up with winemaking at Bernardus and at Chesebro Wines. He has worked harvest jobs at Hobo Wines and Thomas Fogarty. He also ran the laboratory at  J Lohr Winery's white wine facility.

Together they are currently launching their Cedar Lane Vineyard label featuring wines from the estate vineyard of that name in the Arroyo Seco AVA. These wines were previously bottled under the Chesebro label but they wanted to highlight the source vineyard and have the Chesebro label focus on wines from the Carmel Valley AVA.

Eric Kent Wine Cellars

glass of wine - Pixabay

Kent is knowledgable, passionate, and an easy-going host. We showed up late, and he was very gracious - asked us to hang while the (on time) folks finished up, and then spent a couple hours with us. He climbs up the racks to steal tastes from varoius barrels, walking you through the parietals, methods, barrels,etc. Then to finish up, he brought out bottled versions so demonstrate the difference. Simply a great tasting experience. Bring a sweater. It's about 55 F.

Verdad & Lindquist Family Wine Tasting Room

Pouring wine into glass - Pixabay

Louisa Sawyer Lindquist has dedicated her entire adult life to the business of wine. Her journey began at the age of 21 with cellar work at Long Island wineries, including an internship she created at Hargrave Wine Cellars, the first winery on Long Island, in Cutchogue, NY. She continued her experience at Scuttlehole Vineyard, which later became Channing Daughters Winery. Louisa then transitioned to fine wine retail shops and restaurants, followed by roles in sales with wine distributors and importers, and eventually direct sales at wineries. This path has been a rewarding journey for her.

In 2000, Louisa founded Verdad Wine Cellars, with the goal of crafting pure, balanced wines from the exceptional vineyards of California’s Central Coast. Her focus lies in the cool, coastal vineyard sites of this region, inspired in part by the wines of Spain. The Spanish and Mexican heritage of California fueled her passion for using Spanish wine grapes. In 2014, after a client requested a Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine, she ventured into making Cabernet for Verdad, recognizing it as an incredible grape that produces some of the most age-worthy wines in the world.

Alongside her husband, Bob, Louisa also collaborates on creating a Demeter Certified Pinot Noir and a balanced coastal Chardonnay under the Sawyer Lindquist label.

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