Located on the corner of Highway 46 West and Vineyard Drive, the Donati Family Tasting Room is hard to miss! The three story building that looks like a European Chateau nestled in the hills of Templeton, CA.

Skylark Wine Company is a collaboration between Boulevard Restaurant Wine Directors John Lancaster and Robert Perkins. Both have years of experience in the Wine Industry. I wanted to taste this wine strictly because it was an interesting blend of 47% Carignane - 47% Syrah and 6% Grenache. Carignane has a long history in the state of California and add a texture layer to this wine. The wine has heavy heavy earth and spice notes. I couldn't quite put my finger on them all. The confusing part is a good thing because it made me keep coming back for a new sip to figure out the components. This wine would definitely benefit with food

Bill Frick and Judith Gannon started this winery in 1976 with the proceeds from the sale of their 1957 Chevrolet. In the small, cool winery, hidden away on a back road, Bill Frick hand crafts complex, rare wines that reflect the true character of the grape.

At Los Pilares it has to be local. For the folks at this winery that means 100% San Diego County grapes. It has to be the appropriate varieties. We want nature to choose the varieties, not marketing. Coleman, Jay, Michael and Pelin don’t look for Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay in San Diego’s provençal backcountry, rather for varieties like Grenache, Carignane, and Mourvedre. There’s not a lot of it growing here yet. Fortunately, the growers who have it tend to share Los Pilares Wine philosophy. The fruit has to be harvested at the right time — that means not overripe; we want to bring you fresh, bright, crisp flavors that show off the variety that San Diego can deliver (variety of the grapes, of the farms, of the vintage), not generic, thick, plummy, hot fruit.