Since 2005, Jason has been transforming his home with its 5 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon vines into a premium wine-producing estate, complete with olive orchard and a newly completed wine cave.
Enos Vineyards total production is only a few hundred cases per year. With such small production, Enos Vineyards can only make our wines available to those on our list. Allocations are determined each year based on production.
I'm writing this review based on their "unofficial" tasting room that's upstairs in their main office. I know a "real" tasting room will soon open down on the main street, and I'm not sure how much the atmosphere is going to change but if you get a chance to make an appointment at their super secret tasting, do it now!
In the low-key tasting experience, you'll get to sit around a small table with a few other die-hard Orin Swift groupies and taste their entire library of wines! You'll have a friendly, knowledgable guide tell you stories about each wine, the label, the history and more. The tasting is complimentary and there's no pressure to buy any wine, though the direct prices are good and you'll find wines that are hard to get anywhere else.
The tasting is friendly, fun, leisurely, well-paced, and you get the feeling of being a true winery VIP since it's by appointment only. It's also one of the only places in town where, after the tasting, you'll be asked if there's any wine you'd like to revisit. This is SUCH a nice touch and is very appreciated. I love this tasting experience and I love their wine. It's a must-stop in Napa.
This is a boutique winery with a wonderful tasting room full of comfy leather chairs. They make mostly reds (sometimes a rose), and I must say they are wonderful, especially the pinots! Plan to spend a while and chat with the owner, and plan for generous pours.
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.
John Schwaesdall, A San Diego native, started making wine from some of the old vineyards in Ramona that were planted in 1950′s. He since has planted 4 1/2 acres of various red and white wine grapes. The vineyard lies among gigantic granite boulders that are found predominately in the Ramona/Mt. Woodson area of San Diego. These boulders are true natural wonders. One great granite boulder on the property weighs 80 tons and looks just like a cat. Another looks like Moby Dick. John won’t hesitate to show visitors the fantastic natural sculptures on his 6 acres of property.
Michael and David Phillips represent the fifth generation of growers in Lodi, and things are changing. With 650 acres of premium wine grapes, there is plenty of room for experimentation and innovation.
A cozy tasting room and they were even dog friendly! Wine was delicious and owners were really friendly and great to talk to. The tasting was $6 - not bad at all when you compare them to Napa, but a little different when you compare them to all the wineries in Grass Valley who don't charge for tastings. This is more of a place you spend the evening with a good glass of wine rather than a "learn about each type of wine in detail" because there were lots of people in the tasting room and they didn't have a lot of time to explain every wine to us. However, on a recent weekend visit, a Sunday it was far more relaxed.
Longoria Wines is an artisanal family winery established in 1982 by Rick and Diana Longoria. Rick’s decision to start his own wine label was born out of a desire to produce Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, two varietals he was not producing as the winemaker for J. Carey Cellars, his first job as a winemaker. Rick sensed that those two varietals were poised to become the signature varietals for the new Santa Barbara County wine region, and he wanted to become a part of this new movement.
Nothing was extremely stand out here, and the room is very small. However, I was intrigued by the Howlin' Good Red and the donation they give to Monterrey County SPCA, so we stopped by and gave it a whirl. Caught them right before closing and had a nice tasting session. It is a pick and choose list if I remember correctly, and the ones I picked were very good but maybe priced a little too high. The Howlin' Good Red was a very good, upper middle of the road red blend, that I enjoyed enough to get a bottle.
MacFadden Vineyards sells and ship out of their tasting room affordable, delicious, easy to drink wines from grapes organically grown on their own nearby vineyard in Potter Valley. McFadden Vineyard Tasting Room also sells organic dried herbs and herb blends, and organic beef, from the Potter Valley farm. MaFadden's has a nice tasting room on Main Street in Hopland. Friendly server. We had a good time talking with him.
