After 20 years of producing Plam Vineyards wines in Napa Valley and 4 years of producing Mission Meadow Winery wines in Solvang, Santa Barbara County, Ken & Shirley Plam decided to retire. Well ... that lasted only about 3 years ... they couldn't stay away !!
he elegant and supple characteristics of Pillar Rock result from the fully ripe hand picked grapes. We then select the best vineyard grapes to fully reveal the combination of site, soil, and weather. Cary Gott, the winemaker, then adds his magical touch. The grapes are custom crushed and aged in the New French oak barrels from the Never and Allier forests. Our highly acclaimed 1999 vintage barrel lot achieved #2 at the 2001 Napa Valley Wine Auction. The 2000 vintage won the ultimate prize of being #1 at the barrel auction. The 2001 and 2002 were rated outstanding by James Laube, the Wine Spectator. Note, not open to the public for tasting.
Behrens Family Winery is an enchanting winery that makes some of the best red wine in Napa Valley. Known previously as Behrens & Hitchcock and Erna Schein, this winery is now called Behrens Family Winery, although some of their wines are labeled with the previous winery names and all of their wines have whimsical names that might confuse you. All of the bottles have labels with unusual artwork and phrases. It is all very creative and playful, with word plays mixed with a diversity of art and cartoons. In direct contrast to all of this is the seriousness of the wines.
For those who yearn for the intensity and depth Rhone varietals have to offer – Consilience produces a vast array of just that and a bit more.
Keenan is a nice, friendly, down to earth tasting. Interesting to taste and informative about the vineyards and region, which was particularly useful to put their wines in perspective of the valley. Also a friendly wine dog came to greet us. Apparently he was more than happy to get some scratches and laid at our feet for whole tasting. A solid tasting all around.
Not only is Adelaida Vineyards' wine consistently wonderful, but EVERYONE who walks into their inviting tasting room is treated with superior customer service. The staff is extremely knowledgeable about varietals, flavors (and pairings), and the behind-the-scenes skill that goes into making their wines is outstanding!
One of the pricier vineyards, but hands down the most beautiful. It's a little bit off the beaten path, and be sure to prepare your self for the incredibly scary drive up a single lane road with steep drop offs to the top of a mountain (large hill?).
The estate is BEAUTIFUL. Loved the tasting building and patio over looking the valley. Thought it was so cool that is a self sustaining property complete with sheep, turkeys, chicken, rabbits, horses, and the coolest vineyard dog I have ever met, Pilot!
Our guide/pourer, Drew, was really cool and informative. I was shocked by how much I liked the wines we tasted. I am typically not a huge fan of sweet wines, but their rose and muscato were super dry and fragrant.
Alexander & Wayne is very nice winery in the Santa Ynez Valley. They have a wonderful portfolio of Central Coast wines, while their sister winery, Arthur Earl, focuses on Old World varietals. Nancy, who oversees both tasting rooms and writes the Wine Club newsletters, is always a conversational delight.
The Irving family immigrated to the United States from Nova Scotia. Grandfather John Irving worked in the Comstock Lode silver mines near Virginia City, Nevada before moving to Jackson, California to mine gold. In 1890, they acquired an 84 acre ranch east of Placerville. It was known as the four mile ranch because it straddled the main road east, formerly the route of the Pony Express. An existing house on the property was present at the time of their acquisition and is listed on the county tax rolls from 1885.After years of clean up and restoration, the ranch has become one of the show places in the Apple Hill area. The property has approximately 16 acres of wine grapes, as well as, peaches and eight varieties of apples farmed by a local retail fruit operation.
You really do feel like family at Frias Family Vineyard. Had the opportunity to taste here with a car service we hired and were greeted by Manny. It was a rainy December day so we tasted indoors, but Manny pointed out to the vineyard where there are chairs on the hillside to taste when it's sunny. Definitely need to come back to taste with that view. Manny is also a bit of a comedian which pairs well with the wine!
The Frias wines we tasted across the board were darn good. From the Chardonnay to the Rose to the many Cabs, it's all well done
