Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir

Russian Hill Winery/Talawind Ranch

wine and cheese - Pixabay

Patrick Melley is Winemaker and Co-Founder of Russian Hill and Talawind Ranch wineries.

Patrick’s path to becoming Russian Hill’s Winemaker was fueled by a love of food and wine. A self-taught winemaker, Patrick developed his love of wine through attending FIU, a leading food and beverage college in Florida, coupled with many years of working in the restaurant business. He became a restaurant manager for an international affiliation of restaurants and one of his favorite responsibilities was developing their wine lists. This diverse exposure to wines from around the world refined his palate and sparked a life-long passion for wine and wine and food pairing.

The natural next step was for Patrick to make wine himself. In 1989 he started making wine at home and in 1993, he-co-founded Benicia Cellars Winery, where he was responsible for the general development of the company, grape acquisition and winemaking.

In 1997, Patrick and his partners moved to the Russian River Valley and founded Russian Hill Estate Winery. Here, Patrick could pursue his passion for Pinot noir and other cool climate varietals and make wine from the surrounding estate vineyards.

Captain Vineyards

grape clusters - Pixabay

Susan, the Grower, and Sal, the Winemaker, offer an immersive vineyard and cellar tour that showcases their commitment to Sustainable, Organic, Green, and Dry Farming practices.

During the tour, the winemaker presents four one-ounce samples of their Estate wines, paired with four carefully selected artisanal cheeses, homemade and steam-baked bread, and an assortment of nuts. This experience is available for $45 per person.

Guests also have the opportunity to purchase bottles of wine and enjoy them at the Mid-Vineyard deck, surrounded by over 3,000 vines under a canopy of oak trees, with views of the most beautiful undulating hills.

Coturri Winery

grape clusters in the vineyard

When in wine country, some enjoy a Disneyland experience -- fake castles & dungeons, tram rides, huge gift shops, docents, buses, limos, and a million things to distract you from the wine. And then, there's Coturri. The production is tiny. The facility is a garage. Check out the Syrah, Zin, or anything that they might happen to have on hand to share...and you'll get a great bottle of hand-made wine with little intervention of any sort.

McManis Family Vineyards

chardonnay grapes - photographer Randy Caparoso

Founded in 1990, McManis Family Vineyards is owned and managed by Ron and Jamie McManis, fourth generation winegrowers, and is located in the rich agricultural region of the northern California interior. Currently, the family grows a wide selection of grape varieties on 2600 acres of premium vineyard land.

Image - chardonnay grapes - photographer Randy Caparoso

Forgotten Barrel Winery

Winery's logo

Forgotten Barrel offers a wide selection of premium hand-crafted wines using fruit sourced from Napa, Sonoma, Central Coast and San Diego County. The reincarnation of the former Ferrara Winery has transformed this once-forgotten homestead into a tranquil rustic hideaway in the city. Our winemaker, John Eppler, hails from Northern California, having worked in Napa for Robert Mondavi, Rosenblum Cellars, and his own brand, John Robert Eppler Wines. Visitors are sure to enjoy a friendly and relaxed wine tasting that will long be savored.

Iron Horse Vineyards

wine corks and glass - Pixabay

ron Horse is a great winery to visit on your tour of Sonoma. The winery is off the beaten path but the views are gorgeous on a clear day. You can do your tasting outside and take in the gorgeous views of the vineyard. If you want to sit down and enjoy a picnic you can find a gazebo on the opposite end of the facility. They have an amazing variety of sparkling wine (more than I have seen anywhere else I've been) and also some non-sparkling varieties as well. The staff were very friendly and attentive in spite of the fact that they were pretty crowded. After our tasting, we were able to take food we brought to their picnic pavilion to enjoy a snack before we left. Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.

Fieldbrook Valley Winery

Wine swirling int the glass -- Pixabay - Saman Teher

Over the past 30 years, Fieldbrook Valley Winery has grown from a garage based operation to an efficient facility with separaate production and storage areas. Although Fieldbrook's equipment is capable of producing greater volumes of wine, Fieldbrook Valley limits production to less than 2000 cases a year. Their goal is to emphasize regional diversity and varietal intensity.

Thomas Fogarty Winery

Cluster of gapes - ai generated - Pixabay

Thomas Fogarty Winery was founded in 1978 by inventor Dr. Thomas Fogarty and winemaker Michael Martella. Dr Fogarty’s penchant for innovative thought and Martella’s viticulture instincts allowed them to lead the development of the cool Skyline Ridge area; true pioneers in one of California’s premiere Pinot Noir and Chardonnay regions.

Davis Family Vineyards

glass of wine - Pixabay

This place doesn't have boutique winery hipster appeal so if you're looking for that, go elsewhere. The pourer we talked to works in the field with the winemaker; she said that they all wear many hats. The people behind the tasting counter are just wonderful. Last time it was the wine maker himself! Though he said it's rare to find him doing the tasting.

Gainey Vineyard

wine corks and wine glass - Pixabay

The Gainey Vineyard is part of a large, sustainable farming operation owned and run by the Gainey family for the past 50 years. The Home Ranch, the largest of the three Gainey ranches in the Santa Ynez Valley, is 1800 acres. It is comprised of 100 acres of vineyards, an Arabian horse operation, 1000 acres of rangeland upon which beef cattle feed on native grasses, and 600 acres farmed primarily to organically grown fruits and vegetables. The other two Gainey ranches are located in the Santa Rita Hills appellation. Evan's Ranch and Rancho Esperanza are farmed exclusively to wine grapes. These very cool sites are perfect locations for growing Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and small amounts of Syrah, while the Home Ranch on the warmer, eastern end of the Santa Ynez Valley is ideal for growing Bordeaux varieties of Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

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