From Bronco Wine Company. Winemaker John Allbaugh. · Faint perfume of dark fruits. Fairly rich and tasty core of plum and blackberry flavors with some oak in the background. Mildly firm tannins provide structure and restrained oak contributes interest. Not easily recognizable as Pinot Noir, but a casual and mellow drink that matches the jazz theme on the label. Visit site for retail locations.
Located in Suisun Valley, California, Bask Cellars is a family owned and operated winery producing outstanding, quality, value driven, deliciously yummy, fermented grape juice. Bask Cellars began in 2005 with a vision and a passion for wine.
In 1998, the Irish family left the Valley in pursuit of their dreams, hoping to find a quaint location where they could raise their children and build a winery. The small town of Vallecito had both, and the historic Batten house became the foundation on which this dream would grow. The Batten farmhouse, built in 1867, offered the family a perfect place to plant their winery. A very pleasurable and fun experience! The Irish family is very hospitable and the wine is among the best in the Murphy’s area.
This place is outstanding. The wine tasting area, the lobby, bathrooms, restaurant, gift shop, employees. Helps when you have a member with you. Food is tasteful & the wines are always perfect for pairing with whatever you decide to eat at the restaurant. It was very warm the afternoon we went, our first stop was wine tasting, second was the restaurant. Absolutely fantastic winery!!! And it's more than just a winery. There's a pool, bocce courts, shopping, and restaurants. Truly it's like a resort that happens to have wine. Lots of memorabilia too including the Oscars that FF Coppola won for The Godfather. Gorgeous place and excellent wines too! Highly recommended!
Napa Valley's Dolce Winery is the only winery in North America that is solely devoted to producing a single, late harvest wine. It is one of the few wineries in the world willing to make such a commitment, sharing a common philosophy with the great Sauternes producers of Bordeaux. Dolce cellar is located within the caves of its sister winery, Far Niente, in California's Napa Valley. Visitors to the winery are welcomed with a hosted tour, followed by a tasting of current and library vintages. By its nature, Dolce is a rare wine that cannot be produced every year. Dolce is made when a natural, beneficial mold called botrytis cinerea attacks the grapes on the vine, while evaporating the water content and concentrating the sugars, acids and flavors. The inaugural 1985 vintage yielded only six barrels, and production grew to nine barrels in 1986. The 1987 vintage was not fine enough to be bottled and 1988 was so warm that no botrytis formed and the grapes were never harvested. The 1989 vintage was the first commercial release of Dolce and it was introduced to the market in 1992. Visits are by appointment, only.
The Old Vine Carignane is a nice surprise; you don't see that often. Porter Creek is about as teeny tiny as you get for a tasting room but it is a nice winery. Located centrally off 116, its easy to miss this little dirt road--make sure you don't.
Beringer Vineyards is a large winery in St. Helena, California. Founded in 1875, Beringer Vineyards is "the oldest continuously operating winery in the Napa Valley", and is a California Historical Landmark. There reserve Cab is one of my favorites. The tour is informative and interesting so if its your first time I recommend it. But for regular visitors to Napa then the tastings and select wines are what you'd come here for.
This isn't your usual winery experience--Cline is surrounded by an impressive property, but this location is also rich with historical relevance. The mission on downtown Sonoma used to actually be located where Cline stands today. The vineyard was cute and cosy. IHas picnic tables in the front lawn laid out so you can have your own snacks to accompany your bottle of wine after your tasting.
It was a cold, overcast day and there was a delicious stew in the crockpot that made the whole place smell amazing! Ate stew, drank wine and just really enjoyed the visit to Latchem Vineyards. The atmosphere was laid back like you were visiting a friend. All the wines were good and affordable. Their brownies pair wonderfully with their port.
Another stop on the DePortola Wine Trail. I wish I had the opportunity to walk around the grounds here and check them out, but time was pressing and we had more wineries to get to. I'm not sure if there were actual employees pouring the wine because they weren't very knowledgeable. There were a couple of different options and my friend asked for a big red. The guy pouring then proceeded to poor her a very light red. She had to remind him she asked for something big and then he said, "Oh this is big". It wasn't. It could have been our timing as I have not had the opportunity to meet Steve and Valerie.
Outside there is a very large patio with a wonderful view. There was a pizza booth to purchase a snack and a live band playing. I hope to stop by again next trip to the area.
A really nice, friendly atmosphere to relax. Unfortunately, I didn't love any of the wines. Nothing really stood out and the cab franc was a little weak for my palate. Large seclection of wines produced I will have to try and stop again and try some of the other wines.
But, we did enjoy chillin' in the patio and listening to the band.
