We were taking to a back table in the warehouse and went through the tasting. Ask for the Passionaie (off menu) as it's quite delightful. They also have a bottle called BDX that is on the wine list at The French Laundry, but I far preferred the Passionaie. Pricey wines and a pricey tasting but totally worth the experience.
We found the Barterra winery, located in Half Moon Bay, to be a delightful place. A husband and wife team run this winery. The staff is friendly and they know their stuff when it comes to wine.
Barterra offers premium wines from the finest vineyards in Napa Valley, Sonoma, Carneros, Lodi, Amador, Alexander Valley, Mendocino, Lodi, Paso Robles, Russian River Valley and Madera. All of Barterra Wines is sold directly to the public.
Their quaint tasting room is located on the main street and the pours are generous. Their standard wine tasting allows you to sample three wines, but the owner let me try an additional port (and it was excellent!). We enjoyed tasty white wines and their Ruby Cabernet and chocolatey dessert wine were very good. ~
Hours:
Tues-Weds Closed
Thur 12:00pm to 6:00pm
Fri 12:00pm to 6:00pm
Sat 12:00pm to 6:00pm
Sun 12:00pm to 6:00pm
Mon 12:00pm to 6:00pm
Wonderful view . You actually look down on Sterling, which people often rave about for its view. The wine is amazing too. I don't think Napa gets much better than this.
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.
Fantastic wines, a great and knowledgable tasting team and one of my most favorite settings make Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards a wonderful and special place. We toured the vineyard in it's total seclusion, silence and peace; tasted in the caves (a must see); and lounged in their upper terrace while finishing off our tasting.
Varozza Vineyards is owned by Jack and Dianna Varozza. A couple that took over Jack's father's winery. The couple is absolutely amazing and nice. Great down home feel to this tour. Dianne can answer any question, comfortable atmosphere. Free tour you will feel like you need a bottle of wine to take with you.
The tasting was a blast, the guy behind the counter was knowledgeable and funny. Why can't all tasting rooms have this kind of service? He listened to what we said and altered our tasting to fit our palate. Excellent service.
Betty O’Shaughnessy Woolls & Paul Woolls: Proprietors
Betty O’Shaughnessy Woolls grew up in rural Minnesota, where she developed a strong connection to the land. After completing college, she balanced raising a family with a successful career in real estate investment and development in Minneapolis. Her entrepreneurial spirit and passion for food and wine eventually led her from owning and teaching at a cooking school in Minneapolis to establishing a winery in Napa Valley.
Upon arriving in Napa, Betty was captivated by the region's natural beauty, vineyards, and favorable climate. In 1990, she purchased a parcel of land in Oakville, which included vineyards and a home site. This land allowed her to reconnect with her love for the soil and the fruits it yields. Over the next few years, she expanded her holdings by acquiring additional vineyards on Howell Mountain and Mount Veeder, providing a diverse source of grapes. By the early 2000s, Betty had constructed a cave, crushed grapes into wine, and designed a winery structure, with the project completed just in time for the 2003 harvest.
Beyond her winery endeavors, Betty remains deeply involved in her community as a volunteer and philanthropist. In 2009, she took on a new role as a Trustee for Napa's Queen of the Valley Medical Center, furthering her commitment to the area.
Paul Woolls, like Betty, has Midwestern roots. He was born near Indiana University and later moved to New Mexico. It was there that he first developed an interest in wine, though he now humorously admits that the brands he initially enjoyed would not be embraced by serious vintners today. His passion for wine grew during college, where he would forgo basic necessities for a month to afford a meal at the only French restaurant nearby. His time in law school and subsequent legal practice further fueled his interest in wine, culminating in a fateful wine tasting event where he met Betty.
Together, Betty and Paul share the ambitious goal of crafting the best possible wines from the exceptional vineyards they manage. They are also blessed with a large family, including numerous daughters and a growing number of grandchildren, predominantly boys. As partners in life and winemaking, Betty and Paul continue their joyful journey at O’Shaughnessy Estate Winery.
This place is adorable!! Extremely down to earth, wonderful wines and amazingly knowledgable service! The owner of Foot Path Winery is super nice and friendly. Four horses welcome you as you pull up in front of the tasting barn. Yes, I said barn. The owner's daughter was the only person serving while we were there as it was fairly early in the day still. She was absolutely a joy to talk to and was very open and honest about all of the wines. I would recommend this place to any Red wine lovers that visit Temecula Wine County for their wine tasting.
The tasting room is at the end of the main road in Calistoga, you cant miss it. Its a smaller place with three bars for tasting, all in the same room. Their dog would greet you when you walked in which was kind of nice. I really liked this place because it was smaller, they took their time with your and would answer any questions you had. The other wines were very good too but it was our first winery on the trip so we just picked up the one bottle. We spent about 45 minutes there and will definitely stop back in next time in Calistoga.
