Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon

Opus One Winery

glass of red wine - Pixabay

Beautiful property with elegant tasting rooms and a lovely upper balcony for you to enjoy your "tasting" on. They don't do the typical 1oz tasting that most wineries offer. Opus One's tastings are full glasses of their two wines being offered that season. Opus One, unlike many other wineries, offers intimiate tours just to your group. There's no feeling of being herded along with 15 other strangers, straining to hear what the winemaker or guide is trying to say. Caleb, our guide, was perfect. He spent just the right amount of time on relevant topics and in each area of the winery. We saw the barrel room, the vines, all the sorting processes, the vats, the winemaking room, even some executive offices! This was service at its best. We were given the Overture (2009, I think), Opus One 2009, and Opus One 2006 to taste throughout our two-hour tour. I wouldn't recommend this winery if you are with 15 friends on a party bus, looking to get drunk. Or if you're just looking to "check out" Napa for the first time. Or if you couldn't tell the difference between red wine or white wine with red food coloring . The money and the prestige are not worth it. It's a special treat to learn and experience Opus On

Cuvée Wine Cellars

Friendly faces at Cuvée Wine Cellars

Cuvée Wine Cellars - A great little urban winery that began with a passionate home winemaker intent on producing quality wines. After a run of successes in amateur- winemaking contests Paul Rogerville decided to tackle the daunting task of becoming a bonded winery.  Yes, Paul took a great hobby and turned it into a job. The good news is you can tell is that Paul loves what he is doing and when you visit you can tell. The staff is so friendly and we have enjoyed a number of visits with Paul. Often there are delicious appetizers or food and plenty of wine and we haven't had a bad bottle yet. This place is definitely worth a visit. Cuvée Wine Cellars is located on the Central Peninsula, which does not permit them to grow their own grapes. However, this has not proved too much of an obstacle by any means as Paul has partnered with some of the most outstanding vineyards in Northern California. Paul can be seen in a short video presentation made during our visit to the 3rd Annual Mid-Peninsula Summer Wine Walk. ~

Hours:

Fri - 6:00PM-9:00PM
Sat - 1:00PM-5:00PM

 

Frias Family Vineyards

wine splashing in the glass

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

Europa Village

people sharing wine

Europa Village winery is very charming and beautifully landscaped with indoor tasting bar, outdoor seating. Touring the winery is as much fun as tasting their exceptional wines. Enter the wrought iron gates into a center courtyard with an Olive tree, surrounded by outdoor seating and statues. Our tour-guide greeted us and gave us a brief overview of the winery. We were encouraged to taste the grapes right off the vine as we went and stopped every so often for a brief informational talk and to fill our glass with a different sample of wine. After the winery tour, we sat in the shaded outdoor seating area for a class about the '5 Essences' of wine tasting and enjoyed more wine tastings and covered basic stuff about wine, bread sticks and a *small* cheese, chocolate, crackers and grape plate that was offered part of the package we purchased. They also have an inn on the property where you can stay if you want. This Temecula winery could make for a nice base if you plan to visit Temecula Wine Country over a weekend. 

Stuhlmuller Vineyards & Winery

small bites and wine tasting too - Pixabay

Since 1982, Stuhlmuller Vineyards has built a reputation as growers of world-class grapes, selling their coveted fruit to a number of top area wineries. By the mid-‘90s, Fritz Stuhlmuller was so inspired by the complex wines being made from his family’s vineyard that he established a small, artisan winery bearing the Stuhlmuller name.

Rutherford Grove Winery - now (Pestoni Family Estate Winery)

glass of wine - Pixabay

Bob and Sylvia Pestoni
In the mid-1990s, Bob and his wife Sylvia were presented with a rare opportunity. A small winery adjacent to their family´s Rutherford property had become available for purchase. Over the years, Bob and Sylvia had always grown grapes on their land, but they had always sold their fruit to other wine producers. They hadn´t been interested in becoming vintners before, but the acquisition of this new property renewed Bob´s admiration for his family´s business – and for his heritage. In 1994, they opened the doors to Rutherford Grove Winery and resumed making the single vineyard, hand-crafted artisanal wines Bob´s father and grandfather had created there for more than a century before him.  In 2017, in celebration of their 125th anniversary of Napa Valley winemaking, the winery was renamed Pestoni Family Estate Winery.

Silt Wine Company

grape cluster

Silt Wine Company

The Team at Silt Wine Company Shannon Ogilvie, Phil Ogilivr and Tom Merwin are proud to represent what Clarksburg AVA has to offer to winelovers. This boutigue winery has taken on the name for the rich "silt" soil that is found in the Clarksburg AVA. Silt Wine Company you can experience in you glass a little of what has kept the families at Silt to have roots reaching back generations. Clarksburg AVA offers some of the finest winegrapes produced in California and the folks at Silt are proud to share with you the fruits of their labor. Just outside of Sacramento you can enjoy in every bottle a combination of passion of the Clarksburg farmer and the gift that the rich Delta Soils bring to your glass. *

Hours:

Thur     11:00am to 5:00pm
Fri        11:00am to 5:00pm
Sat       11:00am to 5:00pm
Sun      11:00am to 5:00pm

By Reservation

Silver Stag Winery

wine dancing in the glass - Pixabay

Silver Stag Winery sits on a prime piece of Tulocay acreage in the heart of Napa Valley, just east of the town of Napa and about three miles from the Bay. Planted in plums back at the end of the nineteenth century, the soil is rich enough—and distinct enough—to have earned it consideration as an official viticultural appellation. The vineyard is defined by a gentle swale that sits at the foot of Mount George. Its microclimate, comparable to "cool Bordeaux", is a bit warmer than Carneros, but it still feels the marine intrusions flowing up the path of the Napa River. The effect is to extend the time on the vine, yielding smaller berries with less tannin and far more concentration than the Napa average. Silver Stag has planted the majority of its land in Cabernet Sauvignon, with some Cab Franc and Petit Verdot. Visits by appointment.

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

Glenlyon Vineyards & Winery

grape cluster - Pixabay

In 1986, Squire and Suzy Fridell packed up their three-year old daughter and all their worldly goods to trade the freeways and the sand of Southern California for the back roads and fertile soil of Sonoma Valley. They purchased twenty-six acres of raw land, just north of the Village of Glen Ellen. The gentle rolling hills were covered with poison oak, oak trees, manzanita trees, madrone trees, bay trees, and a few redwoods. Glenlyon Vineyards & Winery does not have tours or tasting at GlenLyon.

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