The Dry Creek wineries produce a wider variety of wines and styles of wines than the traditional PN and Zin crowd along the Russian River. The Amphor tasting room location is in the same parking lot as 10 other wineries tasting rooms - right off Dry Creek Road. Stop at this location and you will be able to taste wines from Amphora, Collier Falls, Dashe, Forth, Philip Staley, Peterson, Lago di Merlo, Kokomo, Mietz and Papapietro.
Gustavo Thrace is a must visit for any level of wine enthusiast. Long story short, Gustavo was raised in the vineyards and has wine in his blood. Thrace is the partner with a deep love of viticulture and has business talent. Together, we all have the benefit of Gustavo Thrace wines that can be found near the Oxbow market in Napa. Really, there's a lot that could be said. Bottom line, it's a great stop during your visit to Napa Valley or on your Bottleshock tour.
SummerWood Winery & Inn has joined together a dedicated team of industry professionals who share a passion for wine, food and hospitality along with their enthusiasm for living on the Central Coast and being a part of the exciting Paso Robles wine region.
Charles R Vineyard is one of Livermore Valley's big wine secrets - well maybe that's not true with the number of reviews I have found. Charles R is a great little find, here's why: Great wines at decent prices: The Sauvignon Blanc that they just made is light, crisp and delicious and their cabs which are good too. Service with a smile: It doesn't matter how many people are packed into this little tasting room, they always have the nicest people helping visitors and who simply love to chat about wine. The Charles R Experience: From the sitting on their patio nibbling on food you brought while savoring a glass of their wine to tasting in their tasting room, the overall experience is so "laid-back Livermore".
High on a hill, Rutherford Hill Winery commands a spectacular view of the Rutherford bench in Napa Valley. Drawing from a select handful of Napa's finest vineyards, Rutherford Hill continues its tradition of crafting legendary wines. In 1972, as the world was just beginning to recognize the potential of Napa Valley, Rutherford Hill's founders identified a unique opportunity. They saw that the valley's climate and soil, akin to those of Pomerol, were ideally suited to Merlot and became pioneers of what would become one of Napa's premier varietals.
In 1996, the Terlato family acquired the winery, bringing with them a legendary commitment to quality over quantity. Their pursuit of excellence started with a thorough review of the property, leading to significant enhancements that enriched the portfolio with wines of remarkable complexity and character.
Bill and John Terlato continue their father Anthony Terlato’s legacy by working closely with Rutherford Hill’s winemaker to tackle the challenges of consistently improving the wine, year after year. The exacting standards applied by the Terlato family to all their ventures were evident at Rutherford Hill from the moment of acquisition.
Building on Tradition To prioritize quality, Rutherford Hill created an environment where reserve wines could receive the time, care, and attention they deserved within the winery’s portfolio.
A new, state-of-the-art facility dedicated to the production of reserve wines—a "winery within a winery"—began construction in the spring of 2000 and was operational by that year’s harvest. This $7 million, 5,100-square-foot addition features 24 fermentation tanks ranging from 1,500 to 6,000 gallons. It is fully self-contained, equipped with its own press, refrigeration capabilities (with tanks jacketed for both warming and cooling glycol), and a dedicated harvest crew.
Creating the Ideal Wine-Storage Environment Rutherford Hill pioneered the use of caves and a pallet-stacking system within those caves in Napa Valley. Year-round, 8,000 wine-filled French and American oak barrels age in an optimal storage environment of 59ºF and 90 percent humidity. This setup significantly reduces wine evaporation, leading to wines with lower alcohol concentrations. The improvements made to the caves since 1999 exemplify the Terlato family's broad vision and steadfast commitment to quality.
Unconventional by Nature - Winemaker Robert Morse
Terroir is everything, but so as they say is location, and sometimes those aren’t the same place. We have chosen to stay at our vineyard, winery and estate tasting room to allow our customers to experience our unigue terroir. Opposed to what might seem apparent by the concentration of valley wineries, the best vineyard sites are not necessarily alongside the pre-existing major thoroughfares.
In the Foothills, we can grow any warm climate varietals but focus on those that perform at their best in granitic soils. Italian and Rhone varietals benefit from our consistently ideal climate. Our vineyard and winery’s location straddles ridgelines above an elevation of 2000 ft, benefitting from cooling afternoon breezes, abundant sunshine and low yielding rocky soils resulting in our unique terroir.
The Il Gioiello, “the jewel,” name comes from the final home of famed astronomer and scientist Galileo Galilei. Our 2 Roads brand name was inspired by my favorite Robert Frost poem and Morse is my name and most importantly the name of my parents. All three have inspired a slightly different approach to my choices and my respect for integrity, honesty and hard work.
Our wines and winery reflect these values; unpretentious, no concentrates or additives, just wine grapes and great value wines. In my life, the right wine has always been the wingman of a good meal, not the star of the meal. I recall great meals far better than other pleasures and that is why we make “food wines”.
As the French proverb says, “to have a great meal, one requires great hunger”. Having 17 unique estate varietals and clones allow us to create complexity and balance in our wines difficult to achieve with single varietals.
When asked about my favorite wine, the answer is always the same, “what are we eating”. If I’m having a glass of wine without the benefit of food, our 2 Roads blends Crossroad and La Strada are soft, fruity and complex.
photo - courtesy photographer Randy Caparoso
High on the west ridge of the Estrella River valley, the hilltop estate offers a breathtaking view and a unique terroir. Specializing in estate-grown red Bordeaux varietals and Pinot Noir sourced from the renowned vineyards of Santa Rita Hills, the estate is dedicated to crafting wines that embody balance, finesse, and elegance.
Roger Nicolas, a native of Brittany, France, and a former restaurateur, has channeled his passion and energy into grape growing. In 2003, he crafted his first vintage, and since then, he has been producing these sought-after wines with unwavering commitment and artistry.
We ate at the kitchen first which was absolutely delicious. I never ever thought I would eat some tomato bisque. Yummy. Then walked next door to the tasting room and used our 2 for 1 coupons and started tasting. Donna was a very good host and was able to be attentive to everyone. She was Explaining what all wines were that we drank. And also offered some suggestions. Nice. The winery is very nice which have a kitchen next door.
Ultimate Vineyards, situated in the heart of Temecula Valley wine country, produces wines primarily from its 75-acre estate vineyard. This vineyard benefits from a unique combination of geological and topographical features that result in fruit with exceptional intensity, weight, and richness. Positioned in the bed of the ancient Santa Margarita River, the vineyard has accumulated millennia of sediment deposits. It also rests in a natural geological bowl, where cooler nighttime air drifts in and settles, preserving higher levels of acidity and tannins in the grapes. The ample sunshine, combined with gentle ocean breezes, helps the grapes develop deep color and sugars.
The vineyard’s soil, mostly sandy loam, offers excellent drainage but has low organic matter due to limited rainfall. To foster "Living Soils," Ultimate Vineyards enhances soil health through annual applications of organic compost, inoculation with beneficial microbes, and the planting of nitrogen-fixing cover crops. Their philosophy centers on creating a thriving, healthy ecosystem in the soil to promote better vine growth, more consistent ripening, and higher quality grapes. To achieve this, Ultimate Vineyards avoids the use of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides on their soils.
In 1990, it was a road trip that led Jennifer Soni and her family to the Central Coast. At that time the Central Coast was, “horse country to the finest thoroughbreds and vineyards were just coming on board.” Having grown up in the farmlands and horse country of West Texas, country life was not new to Jennifer Soni. The Soni Family kept returning to the Central Coast for the overall lifestyle experience. It was on one of those trips that a vineyard property in the Northern border of the Paso Robles AVA was discovered. As result it was that the 128-acre farm with 40 acres of own rooted Cabernet Sauvignon became the Soni Family Vineyard Home in 1992.
After 30 years Lions Peak has had the legacy of producing award-wining reds and white wines. The Estate produces Cabernet Sauvignon and numerous other Bordeaux and Rhone red and white varietals. Today Jennifer continues wine making and producing award winning wines from her Estate and from grapes that she sources from the Paso Robles, Santa Barbara, and Monterrey AVA’s.
Drive out on Highway 46 for a bit and you will find tucked away Rocky Creek Cellars. Rocky Creek is a homey little tasting room with the charm of a rustic cabin. The folks that run this place, like most of the wineries and tasting rooms in the area, are a family, so you can tell a certain amount of personal flair and attention has been put into everything right down to the tasty crackers they serve with their flights.
