“As we focus on evolving SIMI into a leading premium consumer lifestyle brand, we have made the decision to cease hospitality operations at SIMI Winery early next year,” wrote Alex Wagner, Constellation's vice president of communications in the wine division.
The wines here are great. If you like big reds you will enjoy their cabs and the famous Maximus. Bennett Lane is quiet and small compare to other more touristy wineries around. The tasting room is decent size but could be crowded if there are larger groups. Staff was helpful and friendly. There are a couple outdoor patio tables overlooking their beautiful vineyard
The beautiful terraces of Nuns Cliff Vineyard arise at 1400 feet, high above the cliffs overlooking Nuns Canyon. The west facing vineyard slopes are planted in red volcanic soils, considered by many winemakers to be the best Cabernet Sauvignon ground on the Mayacamas Mountain Range dividing Sonoma Valley and Napa Valley. Blue/black in the glass, this wine exhales a heady perfume of juicy black fruits, toffee, and spicy notes of peppercorn and sage.
Tony and Kimberly Kirk established Birdstone Winery with the goal of producing world-class wines from Madera-appellation grapes. A friends and family effort from the start, Birdstone’s winemaking team includes Tony, Kimberly and their sons Travis & Conner. It’s not uncommon to find Tony & Kim’s siblings, parents or friends behind the bar in the Tasting Room or helping to crush grapes during harvest.
Because we are a very small family vineyard, we farm for flavor. The flavor is also imparted from the subtle virtues of our terrior that is identifiable from our rocks and limestone. We also are now expanding to include exciting wine from local grapes which we do not grow in our own vineyard.
We are a family owned boutique winery, (Sblendorio Winery) and vineyard (De Luz Vineyard). For over 15 years we have enjoyed making homemade wines and sharing them with friends and family. Finally, in 2013, Phil and Laura Sblendorio decided to become a boutique winery, with the goal of making small-lot handcrafted wines of distinction that reflect the terroir of the land and individuality of their vineyard sources. Today, Sblendorio Winery produces only vineyard-designated wines from our own De Luz Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon. If your travels take you to our area, we would like to have you visit as our guests at the Sblendorio Winery.
Woof ’n Rose Winery, owned by Stephen and Marilyn Kahle, is a small family operated Boutique winery on a north-facing hillside overlooking the beautiful Ramona Valley. We make only red wines made exclusively from Ramona Valley grapes, mostly using our eight estate grown varietals – Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Grenache Noir, Montepulciano, and Alicante Bouschet (a very unique varietal). Relax on our outdoor dog and rose themed tasting veranda, view the vineyards and surrounding mountains and valley, and chat with the owners and operators; all while enjoying our current releases, many of which have been medalists at international wine competitions. For the enjoyment of the white wine only aficionado we normally offer a by the glass option from other sources.
Nickel & Nickel winery, located in Oakville, Napa Valley, is dedicated exclusively to producing 100 percent varietal, single-vineyard wines that best express the distinct personality of each vineyard. Established by the partners of Far Niente in 1997, Nickel & Nickel is focused on producing single-vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from the appellation's most significant growing regions. A collection of single-vineyard Chardonnay, Merlot, and Syrah wine complement the portfolio.
MANAGING DIRECTOR - CO-WINEMAKER
Angelo Pera took over the reigns of Mountain View Winery in 2010. Angelo has increased the amount of wine being produced by adding several small, micro-vineyards (less than 200 case annual production) to the wineries portfolio. The new, ultra-premium vineyards allow the wines to showcase not only varietal character but appellation character. In total, Mountain View now has 19 vineyards currently under management.
WINEMAKER
Winemaker Philip Zorn is a respected winemaker with broad international experience. Philip has been the winemaker at Mountain View since 1990. Born in the US and raised in Germany, Philip attended the nation's top school of enology and became winemaker at a number of top California wineries. Philip has a keen understanding of California's sub-regions and the intricacies of making wines from various California appellations.
Mount Eden Vineyards is a historic wine estate situated at an elevation of 2,000 feet, overlooking Silicon Valley in the Santa Cruz Mountain Appellation, about 50 miles south of San Francisco. Established in 1945, it stands as one of California's original "boutique" winery properties, dedicated to producing small lots of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The estate's lineage of estate-bottled Chardonnay and Pinot Noir is the longest in California.
The vineyards, planted in the austere, infertile Franciscan shale on a cool, exposed mountaintop, yield low but consistently high-quality crops that have produced world-class wines for over half a century. In 2007, Mount Eden expanded its holdings by acquiring a 55-acre wine estate in the Saratoga foothills, which was named Domaine Eden.
In addition to its estate wines, Mount Eden Vineyards also crafts non-estate Chardonnays from California's central coast, with a focus on the Edna Valley. They have achieved notable success with Chardonnay from the Wolff Vineyard, consistently earning recognition for producing exceptional wines from this region.
