The 60 acre property west of Lodi has been owned and farmed by the Spenker family for more than 100 years. At a home winemaking party Chuck and Bettyann met and fell in love. They started the winery in 1994 as an outgrowth of their interest in maintaining and demonstrating the high quality of their Zinfandel grapes.
Jan-April: by appointment
(209) 367-0467
May-Dec: Sat & Sun 12-4pm
or by appointment
Charles R Vineyard is one of Livermore Valley's big wine secrets - well maybe that's not true with the number of reviews I have found. Charles R is a great little find, here's why:
Great wines at decent prices: The Sauvignon Blanc that they just made is light, crisp and delicious and their cabs which are good too. Service with a smile: It doesn't matter how many people are packed into this little tasting room, they always have the nicest people helping visitors and who simply love to chat about wine. The Charles R Experience: From the sitting on their patio nibbling on food you brought while savoring a glass of their wine to tasting in their tasting room, the overall experience is so "laid-back Livermore".
The outdoor tasting cabana is surrounded by 15 acres of happy, pampered Santa Clara Valley grapes — open the first and third full weekends of the month, Saturday and Sunday, from noon to 5 PM, for public wine tasting. we offer private vip tastings, and large group celebrations on the 2nd and 4th (or 5th) weekends of the month by reservation. we feature award-winning, estate-grown reds: merlot, zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, syrah, and petite sirah.
come for the wine, but you’ll stay for the vibe. we’re dog friendly, kid friendly, family friendly, group friendly. bring a picnic, listen to music, watch the game, play bocce, relax and unwind. a satori story is sure to unfold.
The vineyards of Lucas & Lewellen are located in the three principal wine grape growing regions of Santa Barbara County: the Santa Maria Valley, the Los Alamos Valley, and the Santa Ynez Valley. These valleys all run west from the coastal mountains to the Pacific Ocean, allowing warm days and cool nights to produce a long, gentle growing season.
After a day of trekking around Yountville and St Helena I wound up at Girard Winery. Girard stays open till 7, very smart move I must say as they get the overflow of folks looking for a place to continue their wine tasting adventures or a place to grab drinks before heading off to a nice dinner. It's not a showy vineyard or winery so if you are looking for the fluff you will not find it (although it is a nice tasting room). What you will find are some REALLY GREAT WINES.
Location:
A delightful tasting facility perched on the hillside that feels spacious and has a great view.
Service:
Knowledgeable and friendly staff, although this is hit and miss. The first gentleman who poured for us was very helpful, but then a brusque lady came along and stole our spit bucket that we were using and gave it to the couple she was attending.
Wines:
We had a $25 flight of 5 wines that came with the flexibility to pick any combination of the wines they were pouring. Miner does not produce estate wines and their grapes are sourced from third party vineyards.
It was fun to compare the difference between the two styles of Chardonnay, one of which (2008 Chardonnay, "Wild Yeast") received more oak aging & malolactic fermentation % than the other (2010 Chardonnay, "Napa Valley").
Produce limited amounts of hand-crafted wines from the Dry Creek Valley and the Puccioni Ranch. Pucioni Vineyards has been growing grapes and making wine at the Puccioni Ranch since 1904. Pucioni family were one of the last families in Sonoma County to use a mule and a plow.
The scenery is great, there is outdoor seating for a picnic and a fabulous bottle of wine to accompany it. Beautiful tasting room and a wonderful selection of wines. If you like white wine you are in for a treat with the viognier, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay. On the red side they have tempranillo, barbera, syrah, mourvedre and zin.
Christian Lazo wines express the flavor of the earth. Wines start in the vineyard.
The Wilson family has been farming the rich land in Clarksburg for three generations, beginning with George Harold Wilson who established the family homestead in the early years of the 20th century. George loved the land and firmly believed that farming offered a way to improve people’s lives around the world.As a family, the Wilsons are committed to each other. As growers, they are committed to producing the highest quality fruit for all varietals because they know that premium fruit is essential to great wines.
