Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir

Passaggio Wines

Passaggio Wines tasting room in Sonoma California

Passaggio Wines

Cynthia is the owner and winemaker at Passaggio Wines. Cynthia's focus is small lot boutique wines that include unoaked chardonnay, pinot grigio, rose altogether about 10 varieties of wine. Cynthia went from cop to artisan wine crafter, not a typical journey by any stretch. In 2004, Cynthia left a 15-year Law Enforcement career to pursue that passion and family tradition of winemaking. It has been enjoyable to watch Passaggio Wines grow and see Cynthia follow her dreams. Passaggio's tasting room is gorgeous for either tasting, having wine by the glass, or for a special event. The tasting room staff and winemaker are very friendly and accommodating and make you feel right at home.

Byron Vineyards

Grape Cluster - Pixabay

Hit the tasting room in Los Olivos for an afternoon of Pinot drinking. Staff very friendly and fun to taste with. Pinot is solid and enjoyable. This place is nearby several tasting rooms. Upon entering, it was calm and quiet. Since it was a weekday, it was a much different ambiance from the busy weekends as mentioned by the staff. The tasting included three whites and three reds. It was three chardonnays, two pinot noirs, and one syrah.

Rodney Strong Vineyards

grape cluster - Pixabay

We had a great time here. We stepped in here while waiting for another winery to open. The very first thing we noticed when we opened the door was the intoxicating scent of wine. We were able to take a self-guides tour around and realized the large barrels were right in the open, which was why the facility had that lovely sweet wine smell. Tour was timed perfectly, not too long, but not too short, and we had a super nice tour guide. Wine tasting after the tour was extra fun.

Duchamp Estate Winery

corks and wine glass - Pixabay

Everything we do at Dutcher Crossing begins with the concept of family. Whether you are the oldest or newest member of the winery, everyone’s contribution is needed and integral to our success. From the vineyards to the tasting room, even though we all have walked different paths on our journey to Dutcher Crossing, we’ve settled into family life together.

Our belief is simple—to be a well-balanced, three-legged stool. Leg one is make the best wine we can staying true to the vineyard, vintage, and varietal. The second leg is the beautiful sense of place within our vineyards and winery. Finally, our third leg is hospitality. Whether you are a long-time visitor or new to the property, we want to welcome and treat everyone as we would our own mothers. With the balance of all three legs, we create an experience like none other in Sonoma County.

Niner Wine Estates

people enjoying wine together

They are a family-owned estate winery is in the Willow Creek District of the picturesque Paso Robles. They believe the most memorable experiences occur at the crossroads of exceptional wine and food. Open daily, they offer seated tasting flights and a fresh, seasonal lunch menu sourced from local farms and their Chef’s Garden.

Kukeri Wines

Winemaker Peter Kirilov

Winemaker Peter Kirilov, and Kukeri Wines is based out of Sebastopol. Peter has sourced the grapes for his 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon from Mt. Veeder of the Mayacamas Mountains that separates Sonoma from Napa. The clay and volcanic soils that are characteristic of this area produce small, intense fruit. A rich, ruby red color, the wine is remarkably smooth and balanced considering its relatively young age. Though Kirilov has just recently launched Kukeri he’s no stranger to wine making or the wine industry. He’s a full time wine-maker for two other wineries and founded VinoEnology.com, an industry website that offers winemaking solutions for vintners, including calculators, tools and marketplace. This boutique winery and winemaker is a good one to keep an eye on. Small production wines with the fire of the winemaker’s passion for the wines he makes. Peter offers a Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir.

Calcareous Vineyards

women enjoying wine together

Pursuing a profound love of world-class wines throughout their personal and professional lives, father and daughter Lloyd Messer and Dana Brown developed a real thirst for cultivating something of their own. Truly distinctive terroir-driven wines can be elusive, but this remote plateau in Paso Robles—this place—certainly had a voice like no other. Planting their family vineyard here, atop 442 acres of solid calcareous rock, it has been a labor of love to cultivate fruit on this challenging land, but the reward is immediately apparent when savoring the award-winning results.

Lloyd passed on in 2006, but Dana continues to advance their vision as Calcareous consistently produces a collection of world-class Rhône and Bordeaux wines that speak with an undeniable sense of place.

Saintsbury Winery

wine barrels - Pixabay

Pinot Noir, great personalized service, beautiful grounds, and good prices. This is the epitome of Carneros Pinot Noirs and they have several excellent vintages and labels to choose from. We went for an all Pinot tasting and I enjoyed each one tremendously. I have been told their whites are also good, but I will need to review those on a subsequent visit. Reservations are necessary, but not difficult to get. Please go to this place...you will NOT be disappointed!

Boeger Winery

wine corks and glass - Pixabay

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.

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