What a fantastic wine tasting experience. We were taken inside Mrs. Sullivan's home for a tasting at the table overlooking her lawn and pond, with a fire crackling away. The people were fantastic. By appointment only. Incredible wine, try the Merlot, if you don't think you like Merlot. You'll leave with a bottle.
Nestled amidst the scenic beauty of the Sierra Foothills of California, Renwood / Santino Winery stands as a tribute to classic Italian/American winemaking. From the delicate freshness of the Pinot Grigio to the bold earthiness of the rich red Zinfandels. In 1994 Boston wine lover and visionary Robert Smerling fell in love with Santino wines and decided to buy the place. His goals were clear, to preserve the ancient vines of the Shenandoah Valley and produce award winning wines, putting Amador on the world wine scene. New vineyards were planted with clones of Barbera, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo and Muscat Canelli, all classic Italian varietals. Each vineyard is small with low yields giving intense flavors.
Napa Valley isn't quite like Hollywood (yet), where the stars get by on a first-name basis. Even so, what serious wine collector doesn't know who Helen and Heidi are? While the name Philippe may not register so quickly, Philippe Melka is definitely a Napa winemaker to watch, a man many believe is poised to become one of the valley's hottest consultants since Helen Turley and Heidi Barrett.
This is a Famly business run by four Brothers, all native residents of Napa, and all grew up making wine in their garage as kids.... Needless to say they produce some outstanding wine! The brothers take turns conducting private tours at a cave winery in the southeastern hills of the Napa Valley. It's a great tour and a REAL Napa Winemaking experience.
We stumbled in here after hitting up a winery or five, and I'm so glad we did. While we waited for our table, we went next door to the tasting room where the staff was casual and personable. Fun fact - if you are dining at Farmstead, they give you discounted wine tastings!
Inside the restaurant, it has a classic yet modern farmhouse feel, decorated with aged wood planks on the walls and mason jars filled with fresh flowers. Our waiter was helpful and knowledgeable
No, you cannot actually pull into a dusty parking lot and head into a tasting room, where on the spot, you can purchase your wine along with silly fleece vests, and magnets and bottle openers with Destino printed across them. Actually, you can't visit a winery at all.
No matter, their wines are tasty.Their chardonnay is especially good and I always prefer reds.
They purchase their grapes from a select group of vineyards. I'd really like to know who, but that's beside the point.
Girard's goal is to highlight the flavors of Napa Valley and its rich, ripe grapes. A small portion of the winery's portfolio also comes from grapes grown in Sonoma's upscale Russian River Valley, where cool weather offers ideal conditions for Chardonnay.
The tasting room was cozy and had a warm ambiance to it, as do most of the wineries along Olivet Road. The pourers were friendly and conversational, not too pretentious about their wines but knew just enough to make good recommendations and tasting tips. The sparkling chardonnay and sparkling gewurztraminer were both refreshingly strange and delightful.
Casque Wines, an urban winery, is just 5 minutes off of I-80 at the Horseshoe Bar exit in Loomis. A tasting room during the day and wine bar at night on the patio. Casque invites you to listen to some great music every Saturday from 6-9 pm.
Modus Operandi Cellars puts out some truly fantastic wines and Jason is the perfect host for the tasting experience. We found him years ago almost at random, joined the club, and haven't looked back since. Both Jason's whites and reds are something special and still rank among my favorites of all time.
