Out back winery in the Apple Hill Area has a large following. The wines are unpretentious and you will likely enjoy their Zinfandels and Syrahs.You will find that the taste of the wine does very considerably year to year, however, they have all been good and at the price point.
Mr. Swan makes some very nice California pinot noirs and zinfandels. Sure, this is not OPUS ONE facility-wise, but Rod makes great wine at more than fair prices. I appreciated their willingness to educate people and enjoyed their 07 Tannat.
This is one of Napa's most memorable wineries - and the newest. It took more than half a decade to build and involved hand masonry by Italian artisans. Why? Because Castello is truly a castle. A Medieval, stone castle.... with a moat!
Stephen Storrs and Pamela Bianchini-Storrs begn Storrs winery with their first harvest n 1988. Both are trained winemakers at UC Davis, they have wrked at a number of wineries which include Domaine Chandon, Felton-Empire and Almaden before starting their own venture. Stephen and Pamela appreciate the cool Burgundian climate of the Santa Cruz Mountains. This winery grew to a comfortable 10,000 cases per year and in 2001 realized a dream with the purchase of land in Pleasant Valley district of Corralitos.
In 1970, San Francisco firefighter Cecil De Loach and his wife Christine staked their claim in the wine grape business by purchasing 24 acres of old-vine Zinfandel in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. In the early seventies, the De Loaches decided to acquire additional vineyard land. For several years they watched others make notable wine from their grapes before making the decision to produce wine under the De Loach label in 1975.
We arrived on a sunny May day and it was easily over 90 degrees. We stopped by Navarro and I have to say - the grounds were gorgeous! There was a bench with a picnic table for those who wanted to lunch and wine. It overlooked gorgeous green lushy grass on a hill. The tasting room was very cozy and small but definitely very welcoming. Our pourer was friendly and gave us a great restaurant recommendation.
The place is very relaxed, dog- and child-friendly, and the grounds are rustic with a nice view of Carneros. It's getting the wine country experience without venturing too far up the 121, and without the tour buses and connoisseurs.
Palmeri Wines is all about mountain fruit. Most of the vineyards designated for Palmeri are located above 1,000 feet, which provides a more balanced growing season. In hotter years, the grapes benefit from a more temperate climate at high elevations, while in colder years, the higher temperatures atop the mountains offer protection from the frost found on the valley floor. The well-draining, nutrient-poor soils of these mountain vineyards produce grapes that are generally more flavorful, show greater complexity, and yield more age-worthy wines.
The young lady serving us was informative and very pleasant. We received a good amount of information regarding the history of wineries in the Sebastopol and Russian River region. The tasting room is simple and no-fuss. Good wine. Nice outdoor patio where we ate our packed lunches. Very affordable wine.
Legend has it, each year at the beginning of the growing season, a band of coyotes from the nearby foothills, sneak into our vineyards, and for no apparent reason other than treachery, chew on our irrigation lines with wild abandon. Following these scandalous acts, they have been known on occasion to join paws and dance around, howling at the moon in celebration.
