Mr. Swan makes some very nice California pinot noirs and zinfandels. Sure, this is not OPUS ONE facility-wise, but Rod makes great wine at more than fair prices. I appreciated their willingness to educate people and enjoyed their 07 Tannat.
Bell is an incredible winery in Yountville. If you can, book a private tour and tasting where you'll get the full story behind the single clone Cabernets and their winemaker Antony. If you're lucky, Maggie will do your tour. Brace yourself for the Clone 6!
The gentleman in the tasting room, Scott, was friendly, knowledgeable and just nice to be around making our visit even better. He told us the tasting room have been open only three weeks which was hard to believe given the fabulous design, product displays and sense of organization. Oh dog friendly too!
The wines are very nice. Pinots, Syrah, Chard, Cab. All amazing! And the staff is friendly and very knowledgeable.
A beautiful fall afternoon sitting on the picnic table with 6 bottles of PInot Noir just waiting to be tasted. A tasting at Ancien is a very personal experience. It was just the two of us as the gentleman pouring walked us through their philosophy of wine making. A tour of the barrel cave and a walk through the vineyards tasting a few grapes off the vine . We enjoyed every drop and were soon members waiting for our first shipment. Great wine and very nice people. By appointment only, call ahead, your will not be disappointed
Frangipani Estate Winery overlooks its vineyards on the De Portola Wine Trail, offering guests breathtaking views of the estate. Perched on a plateau, this is where the wine-tasting magic happens. Visitors experience a unique wine tasting, with patio service that stands out. Guests can relax and stay seated while being served Reserve Style wine by a friendly staff that welcomes patrons with enthusiasm and extensive knowledge of both the wines and the Valley.
The Frangipani Estate Winery label was established in 2003. In need of a place to call home, the estate was founded in 2005. The tasting room, built by the family from the ground up, opened its doors in January 2006. Every bolt, screw, and piece of drywall was meticulously installed by the owners. The tasting room exudes an Old-World Heritage feel, where family and friends come first, complemented by handcrafted red and white wines that showcase the essence of the estate.
The Boeger Winery estate, originally homesteaded during the 1849 Gold Rush by the Fossati-Lombardo family, has a rich history rooted in California's early days. Like many during that era, the Fossati-Lombardo family sought their fortune in the gold fields but soon realized that greater prosperity lay in providing goods and services to miners rather than mining itself. Their land evolved into a thriving fruit and nut farm, which later expanded into a winery and distillery. Using Mission grapes and an early clone of Zinfandel, they produced wines, and a small block of that original Zinfandel still produces wine today.
In 2018, Boeger Winery received the prestigious Wine Lifetime Achievement Award from the California State Fair, a testament to its longstanding impact on the industry.
Decades after Prohibition forced the closure of the last winery in the county, Greg and Sue Boeger discovered the property in 1972 and made it their home. This marked the beginning of Boeger Winery as the first modern post-Prohibition winery in the El Dorado American Viticultural Area. Greg Boeger was no stranger to winemaking, as his grandfather, Anton Nichelini, founded the Nichelini Winery in Napa Valley in 1890. Greg spent much of his youth at his grandfather’s vineyard, gaining hands-on experience that would later fuel his passion for the craft.
Following in the footsteps of the Fossati-Lombardo family and his grandfather, Greg became a pioneer in his own right by experimenting with lesser-known grape varietals, including Barbera, Carignane, Refosco, Charbono, and Aglianico. Among these, Barbera became a standout, earning hundreds of awards for the winery.
As a trailblazer in the El Dorado wine industry and a staunch advocate for agricultural rights, Greg Boeger was recognized with the 2018 Wine Lifetime Achievement Award. This honor placed him among California's most renowned winemakers, including Robert Mondavi, Jerry Lohr, Bob Gallo, and the University of California, Davis.
For those looking to experience the magic of Boeger Winery, visitors are invited to explore the estate, taste its award-winning wines, and take in the history that continues to shape its future.
The Chimney Rock estate began to take shape in 1980 when Hack and Stella Wilson purchased a 180-acre parcel on the east side of the Silverado Trail, which included a golf course. They constructed a country house inspired by Cape Dutch-style architecture and soon began planting vineyards.
The initial 59 acres were planted with a mix of red and white grape varieties, leading to the production of the first vintage of Chimney Rock estate wines in 1984. In the early 1990s, the estate saw the addition of a Cape Dutch-style winery building, featuring a massive allegorical frieze of Ganymede, the cupbearer to the gods, and a new tasting room.
In 2000, the Terlato family partnered with the Wilson family, bringing additional resources and a vision to enhance Chimney Rock’s reputation for producing exceptional estate Cabernet Sauvignons. By 2002, the remaining 46 acres of land were exclusively planted with Cabernet Sauvignon.
Since the Terlato family assumed sole ownership of Chimney Rock in 2004, they have been dedicated to realizing the estate's full potential. They have consistently upheld the highest standards in viticulture and winemaking. Today, the Chimney Rock estate spans 119 acres of vineyards, divided into 28 distinct blocks, each tailored for specialized viticulture to match the unique characteristics of each site.
Silvestri Vineyards began in the Piedmont region of Italy as an immigrant's dream of a better life. The year was 1908 when a young girl from Castell'Alfero, and a young boy from Novara prepared to leave home and travel to America. Joseph (Joe) Silvestri and Eugenia (Jenny) Martinetto would later meet and marry in New York's 'Little Italy' where they worked in the restaurant business. With the arrival of their children, they moved across the Hudson River to Teaneck, New Jersey, with the hope of building a life and a business of their own.
In 1950 a grandson would be added to their legacy and it was in this grandson that the Silvestri family would once again feel the wanderlust that had brought them to this land of dreams and opportunity. Finding his voice in music, Alan Silvestri traveled to Los Angeles in search of his dream through the pursuit of his art. Music was his vehicle for expression but food and wine, the staples of life at home, were never far from his heart. After meeting his wife Sandra in 1978, they would often travel back east where family events and occasions were always marked by wonderful food served with Jenny and Joe's homemade wine.
Alpen Cellars, established on a family ranch in the spring of 1984, is situated in a picturesque mountain valley at the foot of towering craggy peaks in the rugged Trinity Lake region of Trinity County, California. It seems an unlikely location to attempt to grow wine grapes. But the notion, a product of a young enology student's vision, turned out to be notably rewarding.
