Merlot

Merlot

Wente Vineyards

grapes - Pixabay

Founded more than 125 years ago, Wente Vineyards is the country’s oldest, continuously operated family-owned winery. Today, the winery maintains its leadership role in California winegrowing under ownership and management by the Fourth and Fifth Generations of the Wente family. Blending traditional and innovative winemaking practices, the winery draws from approximately 3,000 acres of sustainably farmed Estate vineyards to create an outstanding portfolio of fine wines. Located just east of San Francisco in the historic Livermore Valley, Wente Vineyards is recognized as one of California’s premier wine country destinations, featuring wine tasting, fine dining and championship golf.

Sutter Home Winery

corks and wine glass - Pixabay

Yes, we all know Sutter Home Wine is a basic table wine, great tasting, easy going, affordable, and all that... Ok here's the deal, my first stop was BV Winery, wine tasting for two, two bottles of wine, out the door $92, yes Nine-two bucks.... (not complaining as I really like BV, just comparing) down the street Sutter home, wine tasting for two unlimited, two bottles of wine, four two packs of wine, 2 wine glasses and a sign up for the wine club $32 out the door and to boot, you get free wine tasting at their premium brand Menage a Trois, so we went down there and we had unlimited tastings there as well and 20% off wine so out the door there $27 for two bottles of wine and wine tasting. Sutter Home has one of the most beautiful properties among all of the wineries with a slew of Victorian style buildings. These buildings have become inns perfect for anyone finding a place to stay in wine country!

Kenneth Volk Vineyards

Grape cluster - art - Pixabay

Ken Volk has been making Santa Barbara and Central Coast wines for more than a quarter century. Perhaps best known as the founder of Wild Horse Winery, Ken has earned a reputation for crafting world-class wines, particularly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Santa Maria Valley.

Robert Keenan Winery

wine corks and glass - Pixabay

Keenan is a nice, friendly, down-to-earth tasting. It was interesting to taste and informative about the vineyards and region, which was particularly useful to put their wines in perspective of the valley. 

Keenan's Summer Blend is a white wine crafted primarily from Chardonnay, with a portion of an aromatic white varietal added to enhance its fruity character. The aromatic varietal in the blend accentuates the wine's nose, while the Chardonnay provides structure and additional aromatic complexity. The lighter body of this blend inspired the name "Summer Blend," making it an ideal choice for warm summer evenings. The wine offers aromas of ripe peach, lemon zest, and pineapple, complemented by concentrated floral nuances. This medium-bodied wine features crisp acidity and mouth-filling flavors.

The 2018 vintage marked the 20th consecutive release of Keenan's "Mernet" (mare-nay), their proprietary blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The name "Mernet" reflects the blend's composition, part Merlot ("Mer") and part Cabernet Sauvignon ("net"). The resulting wine is a seamless fusion, highlighting rich, high-toned fruit with a subtle depth and structure. It can be enjoyed immediately or aged for decades to come.

Grey Fox Vineyards

glass of wine - Pixabay - Saman Teher

Before founding Grey Fox Vineyards in 1996, the Arrigoni and Cecchi families spent much of their free time pursuing their passion for flying small planes. It was on these getaways that conversations turned to dreams of planting a vineyard and building a winery. Bruce's family had a tradition of making wine at home and Gary had a good chemistry background. A seed was planted and it began to take hold.

Brutocao Cellars & Vineyard

Swirling wine in the glass - Pixabay - Saman Teher

Family Vineyard Heritage is a tale of two families who combined their passion and expertise to establish one of Mendocino County’s most notable wineries. In 1910, the Brutocao family brought with them a love for wine when they emigrated from Treviso, Italy (a small town near Venice). Len Brutocao met Martha Bliss while attending the University of California, Berkeley. Martha’s father, Irv, had been farming in Mendocino since 1943. After Len and Martha married, the families joined forces and continued to sell their grapes to well-known Sonoma and Napa wineries for many years before starting to make their own wine in 1980. They selected the Lion of St. Mark as their symbol of family tradition and quality. The heart of that quality is in their land: over 400 acres of vineyards in Hopland and 12.5 acres of Pinot Noir in  Anderson Valley.

Tasting: 10am – 5pm
Open: Wednesday-Sunday
Reservations appreciated but not necessary.

Sawyer Cellars

wine dancing in the glass - Pixabay

The property was replanted in 1984 and purchased by the Sawyer family in 1994. The vineyard extends back to the Napa River and is planted mostly with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, although they also grow some Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Sauvignon Blanc. Total production is only 6,400 cases, and all of their wines are estate grown and bottled. They sell off about 40% of the grapes they grow. A tasting is $10. The tour and tasting is $25. Reservations are required but easily made.

Truckee River Winery

cluster of grapes

Truckee River Winery was established 23 years ago with the vision of sourcing quality grapes, bringing the fruit to Truckee to take advantage of the high elevation and cold temperatures to naturally cool the fermentation and slow down the barrel aging process. Thus becoming the highest and coldest winery. Truckee River Winery's focus from the beginning has been to produce handcrafted wines with great structure and finesse. Their award-winning Pinot Noir is the winemaker's, Russ Jones, pride and joy.

Image courtesy of Randy Caparoso 

Beach House Winery

winery's label

Beach House Winery is an award-winning winery with all our wines produced at our winery. We are located on the ridgeline of the “Sleeping Indian” in Oceanside, California. BHW offers ocean and panoramic views of San Diego County, Beach House Winery is the first vineyard “Vigna al Mare” (Vineyard at the Sea) and winery established in this beautiful seaside community. Our passion is providing fine wines produced with time-honored processes to be enjoyed with family and friends. Open for tastng Saturday & Sunday or by Appointment during the week.

Blue Oak Vineyards

wine and cheese - Pixabay

Blue Oak Merlot, which is named for the regal blue oak tree in the backyard, is perhaps California's best merlot — Chicago Tribune. We look forward to visting with the folks at Blue Oak, then we can share a little more with our readers.

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