Red Wines

Red Wines

Bond Estates

grape cluster - Pixabay

Bond offers four Napa Valley Red wines, Melbury, St. Eden, Vecina, and Pluribus. The wine not utilized for the final blends of Bond, then goes to create a second wine under the Matriarch label. I tasted a bottle of Matriarch recently and was very impressed with its silky nature.

William Cole Vineyards

grape cluster - PIxabay

When William and Jane Ballentine bought a nineteenth century ghost winery in St. Helena in 1999, little did they know it would take them three years to acquire a permit to open its doors which had been shuttered since Prohibition. The reason: county laws prohibited restoration of abandoned wineries with less than ten acres and the young couple only owned five. After several years working with the county, the Ballentines received a special historic winery ordinance that allowed them to reopen the 1873 winery.

Bethel Road Distillery & Winery

people enjoying wine - painting by wine artist Agata Zaborowski

The path to Bethel Rd. has been one of passion, experimentation and homage to the tradition of spirit making from around the world. Since Niels Udsen’s time living in Italy, making Italian-style Grappa has been something he dreamed of. After acquiring one of the first distilling licenses in the county and an Arnold Holstein Bavarian still, the dream has finally become a reality.

In its first phase of production, Bethel Rd. has created two outstanding Grappas, a Gin and a two-year barrel aged Brandy that is both rich and complex. You will also find top notch small batch wines made from Estate Grown Organically farmed grapes. This is only the beginning of the journey and many more spirited experiments are in the works.

The distillery and winery is run by the Udsen family of Castoro Cellars, who are pioneers of Paso Robles wine country. Creativity and community are at the center of the Bethel Rd. mission with the goal being to manifest a space that is both inviting and inspirational.

Thursday - Monday: 11:00am - 5:00 pm
Closed Tuesday & Wednesday
Spirit Tasting Flight $20
Wine Tasting $20
Club Members Taste Free!

people enjoying wine - painting by wine artist Agata Zaborowski

Brookdale Vineyards

wine and cheese

The name “Brookdale” evokes memories of a horse farm in New Jersey where the Seitz family was raised. This original farm has since transformed into a community college and a state park, yet it still retains the name Brookdale. Additionally, Brookdale Farm can now be found in Kentucky, where another family member established a renowned racehorse breeding farm in 1983. The author also comes from a family that raised horses throughout their childhood and into adulthood. For these reasons, a horse is featured prominently on the Brookdale wine label, connecting the family’s rich history.

Passaggio Wines

Passaggio Wines tasting room in Sonoma California

Passaggio Wines

Cynthia is the owner and winemaker at Passaggio Wines. Cynthia's focus is small lot boutique wines that include unoaked chardonnay, pinot grigio, rose altogether about 10 varieties of wine. Cynthia went from cop to artisan wine crafter, not a typical journey by any stretch. In 2004, Cynthia left a 15-year Law Enforcement career to pursue that passion and family tradition of winemaking. It has been enjoyable to watch Passaggio Wines grow and see Cynthia follow her dreams. Passaggio's tasting room is gorgeous for either tasting, having wine by the glass, or for a special event. The tasting room staff and winemaker are very friendly and accommodating and make you feel right at home.

Starr-Ranch Winery

grape cluster

Starr Ranch is a family owned and operated ranch located in the central coast of California specializing in altar, premium wine, group, production. 

Starr Ranch is a family-owned and operated ranch situated on the Central Coast of California, specializing in ultra-premium wine grape production. In addition to wine grapes, the ranch also cultivates walnuts, a variety of fresh fruits, and persimmons.

After an extensive search throughout California, the owners discovered the hills of Adelaida, where they found a ranch with the potential to produce exceptional ultra-premium wine grapes. Like others before them, including Tablas Creek and L'Aventure, they conducted a thorough investigation before choosing Paso Robles as their vineyard home in 2000.

Tablas Creek Vineyards

grape cluster - ai generated - Pixabay

Tablas Creek’s 270-acre estate vineyard, rich in limestone, is nestled in the heart of the Adelaida District, within the hills north and west of Paso Robles, approximately 11 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Their approach to viticulture centers on quality, using dry-farming techniques and maintaining moderate crop levels. Since 2003, the vineyard has held organic certification, underscoring a commitment to sustainable practices.

Beginning in 2010, Tablas Creek integrated various Biodynamic methods throughout the estate, which include the use of a mobile herd of sheep and alpacas. This holistic approach aims to capture the unique character of the vineyard’s terroir, yielding grapes of intensity and depth. The estate achieved its Biodynamic certification in 2017.

Tablas Creek views regenerative agriculture as a vital approach to addressing global climate and resource challenges. In pursuit of this mission, they became the first vineyard globally to receive the Regenerative Organic Certified® designation in 2020 and the first Regenerative Organic Certified® Gold vineyard in 2022.

Stanton Vineyards

glass of red wine - Pixabay

The Stanton family has been growing grapes in the Napa Valley since 1947. They began making their own wine in 1999. For this first vintage and the next three they used grapes exclusively from our Oakville vineyard. In addition to the Oakville property, the Stanton family owns two vineyards in St. Helena.

In 2002, acclaimed winemaker Dave Phinney, joined the Stanton team, lending his talented hands to the ’02 vintage, creating a wine that quickly captured the attention of critics and wine afficianados. A fan of Petite Sirahs, Doug decided to dedicate some of their Petite Sirah production to introduce their first vintage in 2004. 

Stanton Vineyards remains, and will remain, a boutique winery, producing about 800 cases total (625 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon and 180 cases Petite Sirah) under their Stanton Vineyard label. This small production, which accounts for less than 7% of the grapes grown on their properties, allows them to focus on producing both grapes and wine of great character. Because, as Doug, his father John, and grandfather Jesse all agree, the grapes and the soil come first.

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