Chardonnay

Chardonnay

Obrien Estate

grape clusters in the vineyard - Pixabay

Bart and Barb Obrian's property is a 33 acres of vineyards, a bonded winery, and their home. When you visit, you will be treated to an intimate experience in their backyard sitting at picnic tables under oak trees. Tour and Tasting – a 60 minute tour and tasting experience. Your tour starts outside at a picnic table overlooking hundreds of acres of vineyards. Then you will visit the main fermentation and barrel storage room of the winery and learn about how wine is fermented in our 500 to 3,000 gallon stainless steel tanks and then aged in French oak barrels. Your tour will conclude in our bottling line room, where you can see thecrusher/de-stemmer, must pump, and bottling line. $20 per person; fee waved with the purchase of 1 bottle of wine per person or wine club signup per couple.

Loxton Cellars

vineyard in fall colors

The property is small and nothing fancy but more likely than not, your wine tasting will be led by the vintner himself, who came to Sonoma with nothing and built this small winery with his own hands. He's a great host who truly understands and loves wine. It's a delightful experience and the wine is priced very reasonably compared to many other wineries in the area.

Great Bear Vineyards

Woman with dog enjoying trip to brach

Our passion at Great Bear Vineyards is to grow the highest quality grapes and to make superb wines. We are a family-run vineyard and winery.

Great Bear Vineyards is the culmination of the Meadows-Smith family’s dream to create world-class wines to share with friends, family and our community.

We proudly tend our vines by hand using sustainable farming practices, working in harmony with nature. Our winemakers, Jenny and Marcus, craft small lots of award-winning wines from our premium grape

Morlet Family Vineyards

red wine swirling in the glass - Pixabay

We tasted three pinot's a syrah and two cabs. The three pinot's were from the same vineyard in Sonoma but from three different blocks. Three distinctly different wines. All very Burgundian in crafting but with that amazing Sonoma Coast fruit. My favorite style...French winemaking but with CA fruit! The Syrah was amazing. Once again, very French. Northern Rhone in crafting but with Bennet Valley fruit. The Cabs...well, they were quite simply amazing. Two totally different wines from two different AVA's.

Milliaire Winery

Milliaire Winery, a small family-owned establishment, was founded by Liz and Steve Millier in 1983 in the cellar of their former home in Murphys, CA. By 1990, the winery had relocated to an old Flying A gas station on Main Street in Murphys. Every part of the building was put to use for daily operations: barrels stacked in the repair bays, wine tanks in the backyard, bottling done in the front yard, and a tasting room set up in the office. Locals joked about the contents of "those tanks," and a friend humorously named it the "Roadside Chateau." Driven by their passion for crafting premium wines from the Sierra Foothills, Milliaire Winery has since expanded to occupy an over 8,000-square-foot facility with a dedicated barrel room and modern crush pad. Despite this growth, the Milliaire tasting room remains in the beloved "Roadside Chateau" at 276 Main Street.

The Winemaker
Winemaker Steve Millier began his winemaking journey in 1975 at David Bruce Winery in Santa Cruz after earning his enology degree with an emphasis in viticulture from Fresno State. With over 40 harvests under his belt, Steve possesses a deep understanding of both the science and art of winemaking and grape growing. Part alchemist, part artist, and part farmer, Steve continues to explore, learn, and most importantly, have fun in the winery. His life's work results in great bottles of wine that everyone is fortunate enough to enjoy.

Milliaire Winery, a small family-owned establishment, was founded by Liz and Steve Millier in 1983 in the cellar of their former home in Murphys, CA. By 1990, the winery had relocated to an old Flying A gas station on Main Street in Murphys. Every part of the building was put to use for daily operations: barrels stacked in the repair bays, wine tanks in the backyard, bottling done in the front yard, and a tasting room set up in the office. Locals joked about the contents of "those tanks," and a friend humorously named it the "Roadside Chateau." Driven by their passion for crafting premium wines from the Sierra Foothills, Milliaire Winery has since expanded to occupy an over 8,000-square-foot facility with a dedicated barrel room and modern crush pad. Despite this growth, the Milliaire tasting room remains in the beloved "Roadside Chateau" at 276 Main Street.

The Winemaker
Steve Millier began his winemaking journey in 1975 at David Bruce Winery in Santa Cruz after earning his enology degree with an emphasis in viticulture from Fresno State. With over 40 harvests under his belt, Steve possesses a deep understanding of both the science and art of winemaking and grape growing. Part alchemist, part artist, and part farmer, Steve continues to explore, learn, and most importantly, have fun in the winery. His life's work results in great bottles of wine that everyone is fortunate enough to enjoy.

 

 

 

 

Mayacamas Vineyards

wine with four footed friends

Mayacamas Vineyards is a wine estate located in the Mayacamas Mountains that divide the Napa and Sonoma valleys. Near the top of Mount Veeder, the old stone winery was dug into the side of a dormant volcano crater in the late 19th century. Fifty-two acres of vineyards are planted on mountainsides ranging from 1,800 to 2,400 feet above sea level. Deer, eagles, cougars, foxes, bobcats, and an occasional bear and mountain lion still inhabit this rugged terrain. A hidden gem that conjurs up what old world winemaking is suposed to be like rather than a theme park. Only open by appt. on weekdays, but the wine and the location are stunning. And be prepared for quite a little drive (Greg Lemond trained on the road up there prepping for the Tour de France) with stunning views as a big payoff.  Art work by Wine Artist Gata Zaborowski - Agata Art Gallery 

Novy Family Wines

wine and cheese - Pixabay

Novy Cellars is owned by Adam & Dianna Lee (of Siduri Wines) and Dianna’s family (her parents, Adolph & Rose Marie Novy, and her brothers and sisters-in-law, David & Angela, Bryan & Kathy, and Steven & Marie Novy).

Battaglini Estate Winery

grapes

This place is tiny and quaint. The wine room has a sign to knock on the door of the house. No need, Joe has already spotted us and beaming, walks over to let us in.He is warm, amazing host. Asks about your background, shares about his family. After we try many wines, he gets a twinkle in his eye, and reaches into the fridge, retrieves a unmarked bottle, pours a taste. Its sweet, bright, and dissolves yummily on the tongue. He seems surprised I can't place it...its homemade limoncello. However its made from home made grappa, not vodka, for the infusion liquor. Wow.

Joel Gott Wines

wine and cheese - Pixabay

Joel Gott was born to make wine. His grandfather was winemaker and president of Inglenook in the 1960s and 1970s while his father, Cary Gott, is the founder of Montevina and continues to consult for wineries such as D.R. Stephens. In addition to Joel's uncanny blending ability, he has privileged access to many of the best and as yet undiscovered fruit sources in the Napa Valley. Joel Gott wines are therefore remarkable values, offering gobs of classic California fruit, good structure and excellent balance. Of course, Joel is also the proud proprietor of Gott's Roadside, Napa Valley's red hot retro-chic "hamburger joint" on Highway 29, and most recently, in San Francisco as well. Robert Parker once proclaimed a meal at Taylor's one of the finest meals of the year in the Wine Advocate! Not open to the public.

Flora Springs Winery & Vineyards

small bites and wine tasting - Pixabay

The Room, not to be confused with their Estate a few minutes away, is super modern. This is where you want to go if you want a quick stop. If you want to tour/cave experience, take the extra time to go to the estate. If you're your timing is right, you may even get to pipette from the barrel! The Estate:1978 West Zinfandel Lane No Appointment required The Room: 677 St Helena Highway (Highway 29) By Appointment

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