Once upon a time, not so long ago, in a valley known more for cattle ranching than vineyards that the story begins.
It was the Winter of 1999 when Frog's Tooth Vineyards began its life as a tadpole with the purchase of 67 acres of land in the Salt Springs Valley of Calaveras County.
It slowly grew through infancy until the Spring of 2003 when it began its transition to adolescence with the planting of approximately 10 acres of premium wine grapes.
AURIGA WINE CELLARS is located in El Dorado County in Northern California. "Auriga" is the ancient Greek and Roman name of a constellation in the Northern hemisphere and is commonly referred to as the "charioteer." Auriga wines are made from Sierra Foothill vineyards. This is the historic location of California vineyards, which supplied the gold miners (49ers) with wine in the last century. The soils in the foothills are thin and vines have to struggle to survive, resulting in intense concentrated wines.
A foodie at heart, Eric likens the wines to a beautiful meal: "If you start out with really good fresh ingredients, I mean really good, you have the fundamental components for something extraordinary." Taking advantage of this premium growing region, and by hand-crafting each vintage, Eric Ross Winery takes that same approach when producing our wines. " Taste The Vineyard" that's what the wine should reflect.
First stop on our wine tasting fun! Beautiful winery as soon as you pull up onto the gravel parking lot.... So many trees, flower bushes, and on the walkway, vintage wine making machines, so cool! We walked right up to the counter, tasting for two! $15 each and you get to keep the glass!
The staff was really sweet, enjoyed a good conversation, and she gave us a 2 for 1 card for the next winery on our list!
What a nice tasting room! I thought their wines were nice and balanced. The $5 tasting fee was certainly worth it.
I am a big proponent of urban wineries and am thrilled that JC Cellars has set up shop in Oakland.
If you visit in be sure to try Dasche's wines also!
Producers of the 1st Green Portfolio of Wines from sustainably farmed, certified organic and Biodynamic vineyards. Labels include: Ukiah Cellars, Old River Vintners, Talmage Collection, & Mendocino Farms.
Napa Valley's Cult Vines, as its name not-at-all-subtly implies, has focused its efforts directly on this sub-sector of the wine market; and there is nothing modest about their strategy. They are choosing the best grapes from the most respected vineyards and endeavoring to make the finest Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Roussane/Marsanne possible to sell to cult wine fans with deep pockets. And to their credit, their strategy appears to be working as planned. IntoWine caught up with Cult Vines co-founder Michael Cochran to learn more about his foray into cult winemaking.
Buttonwood Farm is a small gem set amidst the splendor of Santa Barbara County's Santa Ynez Valley. 39-acre vineyard stretches across a sun-drenched mesa on the eastern portion of our 106-acre property. Buttonwood Winery started planting in 1983 and now have 33,000 vines. Buttonwood now produces 8,000 cases of wine a year.
The Miller Family planted Bien Nacido Vineyards in 1970's. Togther with Winemaker Trey Fletcher this winery produces approx. 2,000 cases of wine a year. Wines produced are Chardonnay, Grenache, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Marsanne, Roussanne, Vioner, Nebbiolo.
There is a style consistent here at Naggiar Vineyards & Winery from wine to wine. This tells me that they have a winemaker who knows what he is doing. There is no luck here these people have an approach to winemaking that is sustainable. The tasting room is extremely inviting and very well done. The views are more Napa like than Foothill. The odd thing is that the winery is in the middle of no where. In Grass Valley but the drive is lovely and only 20 min from Auburn.
