Red Meritage

Red Meritage

Hestan Vineyards

Situated in the rolling hills of eastern Napa Valley, Hestan Vineyards is a 56-acre tapestry of small, individually farmed blocks, planted to the five principle red Bordeaux varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec.

The vineyard is named for owners Stanley and Helen Cheng, who purchased the property in 1996. Cheng is CEO of Meyer Corporation, the world’s second largest cookware company with brands including Anolon, Circulon, KitchenAid and Faberware.

In 2005, the Chengs released their first wines from the property, the 2002 Hestan Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon and 2002 Meyer Cabernet Sauvignon; both made by consulting winemaker Mark Herold. The wines were a critical success and were followed in 2008 by the launch of Stephanie, a line of red Bordeaux blends made by consulting winemaker Jeff Gaffner.

Jericho Canyon Vineyard

The Cabernets were the standout, but don't miss the surprising Sauvignon Blanc. If any bottles of the 2005 Cabernet remain, it's an absolute must. The winery is off the beaten path, but well worth the trip; beautiful setting with gorgeous views from the vineyard. The wine tasting room is really elegant and is housed in their cave.

Boeschen Vineyards

What a hidden gem! They only make four types of wine: sauvignon blanc, rosé, cabernet sauvignon, and a blend. Normally after you wine taste, you would just buy your favorite wines and leave the winery, right? Well, Doug, the vintner and now tour guide, then took us for a tour outside the wine cave and showed us the estate's 200+ year old rose, the extensive car collection residing in a renovated barn, and the fully restored functioning green house.

B Wise Vineyards

B Wise is very small production, just 20 acres of vines on their winery estate in Sonoma. They do private tastings by appointment at their wine caves, absolutely the most spectacular cave I've ever seen! The tasting room in Kenwood is open to the public. The wines are truly amazing and beautifully crafted. Amazing wines, small production.

Three Saints Vineyard

Three Saints wines are a vivid expression of carefully selected grapes from the Dierberg Family's vineyards which are located in three of Santa Barbara County's premium wine growing regions:
Santa Maria Valley, Santa Rita Hills and Santa Ynez Valley.

Black Ridge Vineyards

"Whatever it takes to make great wine" is the philosophy behind the people and the wines at Black Ridge Vineyards. 100% estate grown fruit is used in their wines. Open every THursday from 12-5pm and the 3rd weekend of every monty. Be sure to check out their calendar for dates the tasting room is open.

The Blending Lab Winery

Try a unique experience. The Blending Lab Winery is an off-winery tasting room in the heart of Los Angles, near the original Farmer's Market. While this little winery sources wine-grapes from around California they make sure the wine is being made right there in Los Angles. Have you ever wanted to try your hand at wine blending? The Blending Lab Winery offer classes in Wine Blending so that you can create your very own blend.*

Hours:
Mon      closed (private events only)
Tues     closed
Wed      5:00pm to 9:00pm
Thur     5:00pm to 9:00pm
Fri        5:00pm to 9:00pm
Sat       2:00pm to 9:00pm
Sun      2:00pm to 9:00pm

 

 

Moravia Wines

At this family operated Central Valley gem you will find some wonderful wines. We first enjoyed wines from Moravia Wines at a wine tasting conducted by Rob Bausinan who handles the outside sales for the winery. It was great to visit with him at this tasting being conducted at Total Wines in Fresno, CA. Rob extended an invited to visit him at the winery to learn more about what they were doing at Moravia Wines. When I was last there Rob was on vacation but Rich Hammond, CO-Proprietor and winemaker at the winery was available and happy to share. Often people forget just how long wines have been produced in the Central Valley, since the mid-1850"s. It was wonderful experience tasting and talking with the winemaker himself. While all the wines that were poured for me were delightful the two Symphony wines came into focus. I have always enjoyed Symphony since having tasted it in Lodi some years ago. Rich has done a wonderful job with his offering of his 2018 Symphony and 2018 Dry Symphony. The 2018 Dry is produced from a grape that is a clone from Grenache Gris and Muscat Alexander and is a totally dry wine with a floral and peach or apricot on the nose - delightfully crisp and bright. The other Symphony is semi-sweet with 4% residual sugar.*

Hours:

Mon-Fri     Closed
Sat      12:00 to 5:00pm
Sun     12:00 to 5:00pm

Arietta Wine

Rare wine specialist and wine auctioneer Fritz Hatton founded Arietta in 1996 in partnership with winemaker John Kongsgaard and his wife Maggy. The partnership was born of a shared passion for fine wine and classical music. The vinous inspiration for Arietta was an extraordinary 2.3 acre block of Cabernet Franc on the Hudson Ranch in Napa/Carneros. The fruit from this block of Cabernet Franc serves as the core of the Arietta Red Wine.

Artwork by Wine Artist Agata Zaborowski – Agata Art Gallery

Pages

Subscribe to Red Meritage