Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon

Vineyard 7 and 8

barrel room - PIxabay

After an extensive and deliberate search for a vineyard property in Napa Valley, the Steffens family concluded their quest by acquiring a forty-acre estate atop Spring Mountain. Planted in the early 1980s with eight acres each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, the property met the family’s rigorous standards for sustainably cultivating premium grapes, allowing them to craft wines that truly reflect their terroir.

Founded in 1999, Vineyard 7 & 8 was named to reflect proprietor Launny Steffens’s background in finance and his interest in numerology. The number seven symbolizes luck in Western culture, while eight represents prosperity and happiness in Eastern culture. Vineyard 7 & 8 captures the family’s dedication to producing fine wines, including Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, that showcase the unique character of their estate.

Derby Wine Estates

Pouring wine - Pixabay

They are a boutique, family-owned winery with three estate vineyards across the central coast and a tasting room and production facility on the outskirts of downtown Paso Robles. With a passion for good wine and good company, they strive to share both with everyone who walks through their door. Still want to know more? Take a look!

Mount Palomar Winery

people sharing wine

Mount Palomar Winery, located in the Temecula Valley wine appellation, is a fine wine estate dedicated to making wines of distinctive taste and high quality. Located among rolling hills and mesa lands at 1400 feet elevation, Mount Palomar is a working wine estate with 45 acres of producing vineyards overlooked by the Palomar Mountain range. John H. Poole established the original Mount Palomar vineyards, and was Mount Palomar Winery's first winemaker in 1975. He created a place where people could immerse themselves in the world of fine wine in a pleasant and relaxed Wine Country atmosphere. Today, Mount Palomar’s winemaker James Rutherford is a Northern California transplant who received his degree from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo. He gained most of his experience on the Central Coast in both the Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo wine regions.

I sat on the Patio listening to some awesome music. Three very nice ladies were sketching while the music played! I had the best lunch, Chicken, Artichoke- sun dried tomatoes-feta cheese and roasted garlic flatbread! Glass of Dry Riesling! Delicious! The perfect outdoor day! If you have never been there, I suggest you go and relax on the patio for some great food and delicious wine tasting!

Dante Robere Vineyards

picture or winery's label

In 2012, two families decided to officially start a winery. Wanting to own a vineyard and build a winery facility from the ground up, they purchased a 6-acre Syrah vineyard and adjoining lot on Wetmore Road in South Livermore. Their winery, Dante Robere Vineyards is named after Dan and Bob. They currently make and pour their wine on Tesla Road in east Livermore while they await completion of construction of their new facility on Wetmore Road scheduled to open in 2015. Their goal is to make wine from Livermore Valley grapes when possible but also to procure quality grapes from other wine growing regions that are well suited to certain unique varietals. Their estate-grown Syrah, blended wines featuring the estate Syrah, and other Rhone varietals such as Grenache and Mourvedre are their signature wines. But they also produce the stalwart varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Chardonnay, as well as more unique wines such as Tempranillo, Touriga and Barbera.

Line 39 Wines

glass of wine - Pixabay

Line 39 offers consumers a selection of varietals from Lake County AVA, as well as the North Coast and other areas in California. Check website for distributors of Line 39 wines.

Levy & Mcclellan

wine corks and a glass - Pixabay

Bob Levy is the winemaker for Harlan Estate, and his wife is the winemaker for the Sloan Estate. Both of them have made wines that have scored perfect 100 point ratings. They bought a 6 acre lot in the Diamond Mountain area, and the case production for their 1st and 2nd vintages is 400 cases or less. Robert Parker gave their 1st vintage, the 2004 vintage a rating of 96-98 points, and their 2005 vintage a rating of 95-97 points. What a great way to start off. Their wines look to have excellent cellaring life. Their maximum estimated case production, given their current vineyard of 6 acres is around 500-600 cases at best. This is less then half the production of Harlan and about the same as Screaming Eagle. On average, Levy & McClellans case production will be less then that of Screaming Eagle. As of right now, there is no waiting list to get into Levy & McClellan. But, I will say this right now, given the great history of these 2 great winemakers, it will not take long for their list to fill up and a very long waiting list to form. The Wine Levy & McClellan produces the following wine varietals: Bordeaux Blend and Cabernet Franc.

Morse Wines

clusters of wine grapes

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

Bodegas Aguirre Winery & Vineyards

grape cluster - Pixabay

For those passionate about California wines and exploring its renowned wineries, the journey of Dr. Ricardo Aguirre is a captivating tale. Enchanted by the serene beauty of the Livermore Valley vineyards, Dr. Aguirre envisioned a future steeped in viticulture. In 1986, he acquired 32 acres of land nestled among the picturesque rolling hills of East Tesla Road, right in the heart of this flourishing wine region.

By 1996, Dr. Aguirre took a significant step forward by commissioning Wente Vineyards to plant and cultivate 12 acres of grapes, with an equal split between Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Although already a seasoned connoisseur of fine wines, his initial aim was to produce and sell premium wine grapes. However, as he witnessed the exceptional quality of the grapes flourishing in his vineyards, he felt a calling to become a winemaker himself.

In 2000, he embarked on this new path by crafting his first single barrel of wine, a delightful blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Zinfandel. Dr. Aguirre's journey embodies the spirit of innovation and passion that defines the California wine experience, inviting enthusiasts to discover the fruits of his labor in the stunning Livermore Valley.

Lancaster Estate Winery

wine barrels - Pixabay

One of the best wine tastings/tours I've ever been on! You must make an appointment in advance, but its well worth the effort. For $20, you taste four of their amazing wines while getting a guided tour of the gorgeous estate and wine cave. Lancaster Estate is a producer of small-batch, stellar reds.

Dashe Cellars

wine corks and glass

n 1996, the husband and wife winemaking team of Michael and Anne Dashe founded Dashe Cellars. Focused on crafting exceptional single-vineyard wines, Dashe Cellars blends the two winemaker’s combined 40-plus years of experience at such noted wineries as Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château La Dominique, Ridge Vineyards, Cloudy Bay, Far Niente, Chappellet, and Schramsberg Wine Cellars. Drawing on this wealth of experience, the Dashes create vineyard-focused wines that capture the complexity and character of top vineyards throughout Sonoma County and beyond. Winery & Tasting Room: 55 4th Street, Oakland, CA 94607

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