Merlot

Merlot

Mt. Vernon Winery

clusters of grapes

Mt. Vernon Vineyard and Winery is a small, family-owned and operated winery nestled in the grassy foothills of Auburn, California. The Taylor family transforms Sierra Foothills grapes into outstanding, lush aromatic wines, featuring riveting fruit flavors that are fit for a president.

The winery provides a majestic view and a relaxing atmosphere. Regarded as the largest winery in Placer County since Prohibition, Mt. Vernon offers an exceptional selection of wines and unique blends that are sure to captivate the taste buds.

Established in 1996, Mt. Vernon is pioneering the production of various foothill grapes, including Old Vine Zinfandel, Syrah Port, Barbera, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gold Country Nectar, and a Sur-lie aged barrel-fermented Chardonnay that is joining the Mt. Vernon collection.

Photo courtesy of photographer Randy Caparoso 

Crane Family Vineyards

beautiful clusters of grapes - Pixabay

Crane offers some excellent reds in a beautiful, unassuming, and unpretentious format. Your proprietor, Tom Crane, a second generation owner/grower, will sit out on the lovely porch and describe each one of his wonderful wines. No pressure to buy here; the wines sell themselves. Tom offers a Cab, Merlot, a Bordeaux blend called Allison's cuvee (named after the winemaker), and a Port all at good prices. While the estate is small and lacks the flash and polish of larger operations, the hospitality and great wines more than made up for it. If you are the adventurous type and want to go off the beaten path for a warm Napa afternoon at a boutique winery, by all means give Tom a call.

Hawley Wine

wine corks and glass - Pixabay

The staff here was not your typical in-your-face, super-upseller, super high energy and friendly type of pourer-- but she was very helpful, sweet and laid back which was kind of nice for a change. The room itself is worth the stop! All the hand carved wood--surrounding the barrel-made bar in the middle of the room, the tasting bar, and the walls is beautiful. The wood gives this place a super relaxing, comfortable cozy wine tasting environment.

Wild Diamond Vineyards

family at table - wine

We bottle our Bordeaux varietal wines under our Wild Diamond® label. This includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. Be sue to put WIld Diamond Vineyards on your to do list when visiting Lake County's wines and wineries. 

Robert Mondavi Winery

glasses of wine grapes -:Pixabay

As one of the oldest wineries in Napa Valley, Robert Mondavi Winery innovated many winery technologies that were later adopted by other wineries in the area. Our tour guide went in depth about the history of the winery and showed us different ways of twirling our classes and trying various wines. For me, I felt as if I attended a informative wine class and tasted several great wines.

Caparone Winery

wine corks and glass - Pixabay

Celebrating forty years as a small artisan winery, they specialize in high-quality red wines. Their approach involves crafting wines that reflect their own preferences, emphasizing complexity, balance, and the right amount of acidity and tannins to ensure aging potential and meal compatibility. By carefully aligning their vines with their microclimate, they produce wines with vibrant fruit and varietal character at a moderate alcohol level. Their passion lies in classic-style wines—those that can age and enhance over decades, offering multi-dimensional profiles without excessive oak influence. This is the essence of what they strive to create.

Helena View

red wine pouring into a glass

Helena View Johnston Vineyards is located on Highway 128 just five minutes north of Calistoga in the eye of Mt. St. Helena in a fertile area noted for producing exceptional red wines. Helena View specializes in bordeaux style reds, namely Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. The winery is open for special events and tours by prior arrangement during the week and by appointment Saturday and Sunday, 10 am - 5 pm. Picnic facilities are available and include a covered redwood gazebo and a tree shaded deck overlooking vineyards.

Frey Vineyards

Painting by Agata Zaborowski women enjoying wine

Beautiful vineyard and land. Frey produces organic and biodynamic wines- and is the oldest organic winery in the country. The Frey family, 10 out of 12 children run the vineyard and live on the 90 acres. The wine was tasty. I haven't had a lot of organic wines but I liked the organic Zin and biodynamic Petite Syrah.

Painting by Agata Zaborowski women enjoying wine

Kent Rasmussen Winery

red wine swirling in the glass - Pixabay

Kent Rasmussen Winery produces three different lines of wines, all beautifully made by winemaker, Kent Rasmussen. Should you desire detailed production notes, you can either email us for them, or go to our national sales manager, Ron Berger's website. KENT RASMUSSEN * RAMSAY WINES * ESOTERICA Wines can be found via online sales

B&E Vineyard

Artwork by Wine Artist Agata Zaborowski – Woman enjoying wine with her cats

This is way off the beaten path, but it is worth a stop if you're exploring the East valley or coming in from the 41. We stopped here on a whim after blowing through our wine budget at another winery down the road. I live to regret that. It's easy to miss and the road up to the tasting room makes you initially feel like you're in the wrong place, but the views are great at the top from the dinky building. It's remote, so you'll most likely be alone with your party, anyway. That's good because max capacity feels like it would be around six. The lady working the tasting counter is super cool. This is a no frills place, but that's what I love about the wine culture of Paso. They don't have a big selection of pours here, but what they offer is great. Half of the wines were cuvees, which I enjoy because there is something intimate about them, like enjoying the food of a chef you are a fan of. You submit to their palate. That being said, the Twisted wines are very good, especially the older of the two that were out for sampling. Hands down the best, though, is the cab. Artwork by Wine Artist Agata Zaborowski – Agata Art Gallery  Gallery | Agata Art Gallery

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