Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir

ROAR Wines

glass of wine

Gary and Rosella Franscioni founded ROAR Wines with the conviction that Pinot Noir had a bright future in the Santa Lucia Highlands, coupled with the aspiration that their farming expertise would translate into exceptional grapes and wines. In 1996, they planted Rosella’s Vineyard on their home ranch, followed by Garys’ Vineyard in 1997 in partnership with the Pisoni family. The inaugural vintage of ROAR was released in 2001, crafted from these two vineyards. From the outset, the couple’s mission was to create wines they themselves would enjoy drinking, a vision that garnered critical acclaim almost immediately. About a decade later, they expanded their endeavor by planting two additional vineyards: Sierra Mar and Soberanes. Today, Gary and his sons continue to enhance and innovate in both the vineyards and winery, striving to produce the highest quality wines their land can offer.

Fortino Winery

wine corks and wine glass - Pixabay

The History of our founders and by extension our winery starts in Italy. Both of our founders, Ernest (Ernie) and Marie Fortino goes back to Italy where they were born. Marie emigrated from Sicily to the United States with her family at the age of eleven, while Ernie came to the United States at the age of 23 from Cosenza, in the region of Calabria.

Ernie met Marie in Santa Cruz, where their respective families were living. Ernie was immediately taken by Marie and gave her a promise ring while she was still in school, thus ensuring that she would not date anyone other than him. They married in Santa Cruz in 1964 and started their lives together. Ernie and Marie had two children (Gino and Teri) when they found and purchased a very run-down winery in Gilroy in 1970. As young newlyweds and immigrants, they had very modest means, however, they were able to purchase the building and the land surrounding it, thus beginning their legacy in the Santa Clara Valley.

Surh Luchtel Cellars

winery's barrel room - Pixabay

Surh Cellars, a producer of premium hand-crafted wines, has been rooted in Napa Valley since 1999. The winery specializes in crafting small batches of age-worthy wines sourced from distinguished vineyards in Napa, Sonoma, and beyond. Their wines are made with minimal intervention and without compromise.

Surh Cellars aims to create balanced yet concentrated wines that capture the fruit and character of each vintage and region. From the full-bodied, intense Cabernet Sauvignon to the softer Bordeaux blend Mosaique and versatile Pinot Noirs, their wines are designed to complement food and be enjoyed frequently with loved ones. With production limited to only a few hundred cases per batch, Surh Cellars' wines are truly handcrafted, reflecting the passion behind each bottle.

The wines of Surh Cellars are the result of an ongoing evolution. Since 1992, they have witnessed the industry's transformation, shaped by factors like Mother Nature, consumer preferences, critics, and technological advancements. This journey has been one of constant learning. As climate change has altered the suitability of various regions for fruit growing, Surh Cellars has adapted, focusing on coastal areas as inland regions have become less hospitable. Over the years, they have produced a wide range of varietals, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, and Chardonnay.

Banshee Wines

wine and cheese

Banshee crafts wines of uncommon purity from Sonoma and Napa California. Banshee specialize in Pinot Noir, Cabernet and Sauvignon Blanc. Plus they have a special red blend called Mordecai. Banshee Wines is not your normal wine company. It is a band of wine industry insiders dedicated to producing benchmark wines without the cult wine prices. Banshee specialize in finding hidden gems in other wineries' cellars and then blending those barrels to create killer wines.

Chesebro Wines and Art

vineyard at sunset - Pixabay

I love this tasting room. There is lots of space in the place and art to amuse you in between the tasting. The wines are fantastic and even though they are not widely advertised, they are a good buy. The service is great and they enjoy spending time talking to you about the wine. Definitely check this place out if you are in Carmel Valley. I really enjoyed the red blend from Arroyo Seco.

Winemaker Mark Chesebro

Mark took a crush job at Bernardus Winery under Don Blackburn in the fall of 1994, and ended up staying until the spring of 2005. First working in the cellar, then as Enologist, he eventually became Winemaker in January of 1999. He basically held every production job available at this 50,000 case winery. Mark notes that this was truly his real winemaking education. It taught him not only about winemaking, but also about the extreme importance and impact of farming. He candidly observes that wine is very easy to botch up in the winery, but it can never be better than the raw materials. Respect for this concept became the guiding force in his approach to the production of fine wine.

Since Spring of 2021 Mark has had the pleasure of working with his son Will as co-winemaker . Will grew up with winemaking at Bernardus and at Chesebro Wines. He has worked harvest jobs at Hobo Wines and Thomas Fogarty. He also ran the laboratory at  J Lohr Winery's white wine facility.

Together they are currently launching their Cedar Lane Vineyard label featuring wines from the estate vineyard of that name in the Arroyo Seco AVA. These wines were previously bottled under the Chesebro label but they wanted to highlight the source vineyard and have the Chesebro label focus on wines from the Carmel Valley AVA.

Hagafen Cellars

two friends and wine by Artist Agata Zaborowski

Nice, quaint winery. Has outdoor tables/seating and even cornhole (bean bag toss) game if you wanted to play. And a cute little picnic table for the kids. Our wine guide was friendly and super helpful. Mom enjoyed this spot because it had a nice selection of sweeter wines, e.g. Riesling. Very laid back environment. Bought some sandwiches from the deli just down the street recommended by Hagafen and ate at Hagafen outdoors while enjoying some Riesling. Art work by Wine Artist Agata Zaborowski -Agata a Art Gallery 

Autheur Wines

pouring red wine into a glass - Pixabay

The Auteur wines have been highly touted in the wine press and are sold by allocations through a mailing list. The owner/winemaker is Kenneth Juhasz who is also the winemaker for The Donum Estate and the Robert Stemmler label, and a consultant for other wineries

Cordant Winery

Painting by Agata Zaborowski

David and DeAnn Taylor founded Cordant Winery in 2014 to produce Pinot Noir and Rhone-style wines that would become favorites in their cellar, and hopefully those of friends, family, and customers. Today the Taylors make about 3000 cases of wine per year, from Monterey County in the northern California Central Coast moving south through Santa Barbara County, a distance that covers almost 200 miles.
 

Trecini Cellars

grape cluster - Pixabay

Reserving a tasting time was simple, I called in the morning and was able to reserve a tasting time for the afternoon for myself and my guests. As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by a very gracious host who was very knowledgable in wines and we were served with delicious wines.

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.

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