“What the heck are people doing growing grapes and making wine from way out on a ridge top above the cold Pacific Ocean? I mean, it is remote. And mountainous. And, frankly, the weather can be a little inhospitable at times.” The quick answer goes something like – this is where our research and luck led us. The longer answer follows.....
Founded in 1996 by Bill Foley, Lincourt is a producer of ultra premium wines from the Santa Barbara County. Named in honor of Bill and Carol’s two daughters, Lindsay and Courtney, the Lincourt winery is located in the heart of Santa Barbara wine country, on Alamo Pintado Road in the Santa Ynez Valley. Originally a dairy farm, the 30 acre property retains the rural charm and simplicity of an earlier era. The quaint tasting room is located in the former farmhouse.
The seeds for Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard were planted when a young man by the name of Ken Burnap took a prom date out to one of the finest restaurants in San Antonio, Texas. Ken ordered a bottle of wine and mangled the pronunciation of the French variety. The very snobby and pretentious wine steward humiliated Ken with his reaction and in the manner of most of us when barely out of our teens, Ken vowed to learn as much as he could about wine and go back to show that wine steward a thing or two.
Big Basin Vineyards was founded in 1998 on an historic site in the Santa Cruz Mountains next to Big Basin Redwoods State Park. The old ranch property was first settled in the late 1800s. Wine grape cultivation had been started by French immigrants by the early 1900s and continued until 1965 when the property was sold by Justin Lacau, who had named the property "Frenchy's Ranch", to a timber company. By the 1990s, all that remained of the vineyards were redwood stakes and scattered vines hidden by brush and poison oak bushes. The mission has been to restore this historic vineyard site using modern, organic viticultural methods. The winery building was completed in December 2003 on the same site as the original 1890s house/winery structure which burned down in the 1970s. It is a 'Monitor'-style barn with a timber frame construction built using redwood selectively harvested from the estate.
Recently we got introduced to Adam Mariani of Scribe Winery in Sonoma. The winery produces a nice selection of wines without producing so many to miss giving proper attention to each varitiel. Adam and his brother Andrew believe that the best wines are the result of a healthy relationship. between man and nature. The Mariani brothers manage their winery taking into consideration that site-specific wines represent the vineyard, the time and the place from where the fruit grows. The result, the vineyard and it's ecosystem are reflected in the wines produced by Scribe Winery. The winery is closed to visitors at the time of this entery due to the Covid-19 situations that is experienced by us all. The Mariani's look forward to pouring their wines for your pleasure as soon as circumstances permit. You can make a reservation at frontdesk@scribewinery.com or order some delicious Scribe wines online.
John and Barbara Drady founded SCV with winemaker Anthony Austin in 2001. Their affinity for the Pacific Ocean and surrounding landscape brought them to the Sonoma Coast and their passion for Pinot Noir drove them to create Sonoma Coast Vineyards.
Combining over two decades of wine industry experience, John and Barbara teamed with Tony to utilize his wealth of expertise and experience to create the stunning wines of SCV.
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
THE WINERY: Otter Cove Wines is a winery located in Santa Lucia Highlands, California. The wines and winery are produced by the owner Richard Oh. You can find Richard pouring in Carmel at the corner of San Carlos and 6th. THE WINE: Otter Cove Wines produces the following wine varietals: Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Syrah/Shiraz. The price of wine tasting is a fee waived with purchase. Visiting the Winery Otter Cove Wines has the following amenities you can enjoy: Family Environment, Gift Shop, Private Tastings, Reception Facilities, Restaurant, Retail Sales, Wine & Food Pairing and Wine Tasting. If you want to visit Otter Cove Wines, it is open at the following times: Monday-Saturday, 12-8pm. Sunday, 12-6pm
The Foxen Boys (aka Bill Wathen and Dick Doré) have been making wine together since 1985, when they founded Foxen Winery & Vineyard at the historic Rancho Tinaquaic on Foxen Canyon Road.
Kendric Johnson was my Dad and is the person for whom this enterprise was named. He died in 2001 just as we were getting started. Naming the company after him is meant to both honor his memory and to impose his high personal standards upon the undertaking.
