At Rodrigue Molyneaux, they believe that the great wine must come from great grapes. Nancy & Garry Rodrigue see to it that their grapes recieve intensive monitoring of the watering and pruning techniques. These farming practices keeps the yield down to three tons or less per acre. Although the yield will be smaller, the grapes will be larger with more fruit flavor. This is the reason Rodrigue Molyneaux red wines are so robust with a fruit-driven complex flavor.
Palmeri Wines is all about mountain fruit. Most of the vineyards designated for Palmeri are located above 1,000 feet, which provides a more balanced growing season. In hotter years, the grapes benefit from a more temperate climate at high elevations, while in colder years, the higher temperatures atop the mountains offer protection from the frost found on the valley floor. The well-draining, nutrient-poor soils of these mountain vineyards produce grapes that are generally more flavorful, show greater complexity, and yield more age-worthy wines.
Larkmead puts out some of the finest Cabs and Sauv Blancs in the valley. The vineyard itself is beautiful, located right on the valley floor. Sonny treated us great, explaining the winemaking process and the unique history behind Larkmead. Not to be missed if you are in Napa. The Larkmead Vineyards tasting room is open from 10am to 3pm, by appointment.
Husch Vineyards is a small, family owned and operated winery. It is the oldest winery in the Anderson Valley appellation, located in Mendocino County (Northern California) just 2 1/2 hours north of San Francisco. The tasting room is in a hobbit cottage straight out of the Shire. Worth stopping just to see it. People were friendly. The wines were very earthy and herby, almost gamey. Definitely distinctive. The tasting is free, which is rare even in Anderson Valley, so you have nothing to lose but a little bit of time and room in your stomach for something else.
Lone Buffalo Vineyards, launched in 2007 in Auburn, CA is the culmination of owner and winemaker Phil Maddux’s thirty-five year passion for wine making. The buffalo's power and resilience in the face of encroaching civilization symbolizes hope and renewal for humanity and harmony among all people. Here in the Sierra foothills, Lone Buffalo Vineyards symbolizes this same hope and renewal with its contribution to the re-emergence of the wine-making tradition in Placer County.
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What a beautiful estate! This was my first time to Francis Ford Coppola and I was in awe! I don't even know where to start, but the grounds are beautiful, the tasting room was fun, the memorabilia was nostalgic, and the cellar was amazing as well!All of the staff was ever so friendly, welcoming and helpful. You wouldn't expect anything short of greatness, when you learn that Mr. Coppola is heavily involved in the operations of the winery and visits periodically to ensure that everything meets his standards.
This place is great! The people that work here are always extremely nice and are very educated on their product! Mike is always such a pleasure to sit and chat with.
Tasting room location is in the same parking lot as 10 other wineries tasting rooms - right off Dry Creek Road. Stop at this ONE location and you will be able to taste wines from Amphora, Collier Falls, Dashe, Forth, Philip Staley, Peterson, Lago di Merlo, Kokomo, Mietz and Papapietro. We went in for wine tasting- which was complimentary. Melissa, who helped us out, was so nice! Friendly and enlightened us on the wine. Some nice wines.
In 1989, well ahead of the Paso Robles vineyard boom Bob and Jan decided to plant a small vineyard. Pebble Smith, wine and vineyard expert and the father of world-famous winemaker Justin Smith, owner of Saxum, selected an entirely south-facing rocky hillside situated 1800 feet above sea level. Ten acres were ripped to four feet, yielding large calcareous rocks laden with whalebones and other marine mammal fossils – thus the origin of the vineyard and winery's name. The calcareous treasures trapped in the vineyard's broken shale and limestone were left behind after the underwater canyons and basins retreated, and when the earth shifted and folded during the Miocene some six million years ago. On this hillside reminiscent of a moonscape, the Simpson Family planted this distinctive property exclusively to Cabernet Sauvignon. Our friend, noted cattleman Rex Swan, has an entire baby whale thorax and vertebrae intact in a rock now centered over his fireplace. The graphic on the back label was produced from that specimen. It became apparent to the Simpson’s that they had a very special vineyard. For over a decade, grape buyers have raved about the vineyard and its fruit. The terrain and coastal influence create a synergy that yields fruit that is crafted into rich and substantial wine. This distinctive area is no longer a secret, as evidenced by the purchase of an adjacent ranch by the Perrin Brothers of Château de Beaucastel and Robert Hass, after two years of combing California for the perfect spot to grow Rhone varietals.
Ruston Family Vineyards is a vineyard and winemaking company situated in the Napa Valley. The family has been cultivating the west St. Helena hillside since 1941. Originally an old prune orchard, the land now supports grapevines of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. The vineyard produces artisanal wines from both their own grapes and purchased fruit, designed to be enjoyed with food, family, and friends.
The story of Ruston Family Vineyards begins with Fred Carpenter, who moved to California from North Dakota around 1907 with his family. They settled in the San Joaquin Valley. At the age of 17, Fred relocated to Oakland, where he studied engineering through a correspondence course. He later became one of the inventors of the jet pump, with his company based in Berkeley, CA. In 1941, seeking to escape the summer fog of the Bay Area, Fred and his wife Lana purchased a 40-acre orchard in St. Helena, which was the maximum distance they could travel on a weekly gasoline ration. They built a house and spent weekends and summers there until the 1970s, after which they lived there permanently until the early 1980s. A photograph of Fred and Lana working in the orchard appears on the back label of their wines.
While the prune business eventually paid off the property loan, it eventually declined. In 1975, the more level eastern section of the orchard was sold. In the mid-1980s, Fred and Lana’s daughter, Lorraine Ruston, moved to the ranch and planted Merlot vines on the remaining western slopes. Lorraine managed the vineyard herself, selling the grapes to local wineries.
In the mid-1990s, Lorraine’s son, John Ruston, and his wife, Janet Sapadin, were residing in New York City and working in the environmental field. Janet, a New York native from Washington Heights, Manhattan, and John shared a mutual interest in wine and cooking, which led them to recognize the winemaking potential of the vineyard. In 1996, John, Lorraine, and Janet decided to expand the vineyard and enter the wine business. The 1997 Merlot was the first wine produced under the Ruston Family Vineyards label. John and Janet left New York in 1999 to live in the old farmhouse. Their two daughters, born in New York and raised in Napa Valley, pursued higher education at UCLA and UC Riverside before branching out, leaving behind cuvées named in their honor.
