Roussanne

Roussanne

Oak Mountain Winery

Painting by Agata Zaborowski women enjoying wine

Another stop on the DePortola Wine Trail. I wish I had the opportunity to walk around the grounds here and check them out, but time was pressing and we had more wineries to get to. Outside there is a very large patio with a wonderful view. There was a pizza booth to purchase a snack and a live band playing. I hope to stop by again next trip to the area. A really nice, friendly atmosphere to relax. Growing classic warm weather Mediterranean varieties of grapes which include Mourvedre, Viognier, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Zinfandel and Sangiovese Brunello are keystone wines at this picturesque winery. Also included are some unique wine varietals such as Tempranillo, Primativo and our a Pinotage. I hope to meet the winemaker Stephen Andrews next time I am in Temecula Wine Country. Painting by Agata Zaborowski

Eric Ross Winery

Grape cluster - Pixabay

A foodie at heart, Eric likens the wines to a beautiful meal: "If you start out with really good fresh ingredients, I mean really good, you have the fundamental components for something extraordinary." Taking advantage of this premium growing region, and by hand-crafting each vintage, Eric Ross Winery takes that same approach when producing our wines. " Taste The Vineyard" that's what the wine should reflect.

David Girard Vineyards

Wine and Cheese - AI Generated, Pixabay

David Girard Vineyards is nestled in the Sierra foothills near where the south fork of the American River gave up its gold in 1849. At an elevation of some 1,200 feet soil, temperature and conditions, an environment ideally suited to growing the premier grape varietals of southern France's Rhône valley. Twenty years ago the folks at David Girard started with little more than good earth, a tolerance for risk and a willingness to learn from their mistakes. The winery has established a solid reputation for excellence and value by producing Rhône style wines in the heart of one of California's most historic regions.

Lavender Ridge Vineyard

October Colors in the vineyard

Rich and Siri Gilpin are the owners and operators of Lavender Ridge Vineyard. Rich has a BS degree in Enology from the University of Davis, CA. He has 25 years of experience in the wine industry and comes from a background of making wine for reputable wineries in Healdsburg, Napa, and the Sierra Foothill regions of California. Rich and Siri both have a passion for organic farming and the use of herbs in the culinary arts, including the use of lavender in special dishes they have created. You'll have to visit them at their tasting room to find out more details.

Palumbo Family Vineyards

Painting by Agata Zaborowski - enjoying wine

Palumbo Family Vineyards This is a smaller, family run winery that is a bit out of the way of Temecula's bigger wineries. Tours don't come here often because they don't allow large busses or limos. However, I was happy that I was able to discovered this place. The tasting room is small, the family that makes the wine and their few employees pour your tastes. You definately get a very intimate feel here. As for the wine, it is delcious and the prices are not too high which is a giant plus given that the quality of the wines is fantastic.

Palumbo Family Vineyards and Winery is committed to small lot, handcrafted wines from varieties that are grown on small block, sustainably farmed wine vineyards.

Nick Palumbo, Owner/Winemaker
is a past President of the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association. The highlights for me were the Viognier/Roussane and the Cabernet Sauvignon. Will definately return when in the area. If you are like me, looking for a winery that is a gem and adds to the winery experience in Temecula, CA I just might see you there one day.

Cotere Cellars

Logo for Coterie Cellars

It may have been a bit of romanticism at the start, but Coterie's founders, Shala and Kyle Loudon, were hooked the first day they worked at a small winery. Shala, whose family has a history with wine in Italy, and Kyle, a lifelong foodie, envisioned a future inspired by their pasts. Plenty of points test your resolve when you create a winery from scratch, but the spiritual sway of the land and wine are strong in California. These feelings run deep.

Shala and Kyle believe in a little of the unconventional. They believe in making wine primarily by hand, without the homogenization imposed by too much technology. They offer the wines of Coterie primarily through a members list, directly from the winery, and at a small number of fine restaurants, rather than through wide distribution. They take special pride in receiving accolades that are volunteered, rather than soliciting scores, reviews, and awards. Furthermore, they don’t engage much in publicity; they are honored that the winery has a special clientele.

Woffard Acres Vineyard

Cabernet Sauvignon grape clusters

This was homiest and friendliest of the 3 wineries we visited. The view off the hill cannot be beat. It is gorgeous. It was neat to see the vines with fruit hanging off of them. Some of it had been picked and was waiting for pick-up, which happened quite often as the owner whizzed by on his ATV. We could see people in the back taking the grapes he had just delivered and running them through a press.

Come for the Wine. Stay for the View.

Guests are invited to savor award-winning, small-batch wines while enjoying breathtaking canyon views. With a production of only 1,500 cases each year, these wines are exclusively sold through the Sales Room. Reservations are recommended, and required on weekends in October. Walk-in guests will be seated as space allows. For reservation information, guests are encouraged to reach out.

Dogs are welcome on a supervised leash, and children may visit with parental supervision. Limos are not permitted without prior approval, especially during events and on weekends in September and October. Photographers are welcome during business hours.

Photo courtesy of Photographer Randy Caparoso

Chesebro Wines and Art

vineyard at sunset - Pixabay

I love this tasting room. There is lots of space in the place and art to amuse you in between the tasting. The wines are fantastic and even though they are not widely advertised, they are a good buy. The service is great and they enjoy spending time talking to you about the wine. Definitely check this place out if you are in Carmel Valley. I really enjoyed the red blend from Arroyo Seco.

Winemaker Mark Chesebro

Mark took a crush job at Bernardus Winery under Don Blackburn in the fall of 1994, and ended up staying until the spring of 2005. First working in the cellar, then as Enologist, he eventually became Winemaker in January of 1999. He basically held every production job available at this 50,000 case winery. Mark notes that this was truly his real winemaking education. It taught him not only about winemaking, but also about the extreme importance and impact of farming. He candidly observes that wine is very easy to botch up in the winery, but it can never be better than the raw materials. Respect for this concept became the guiding force in his approach to the production of fine wine.

Since Spring of 2021 Mark has had the pleasure of working with his son Will as co-winemaker . Will grew up with winemaking at Bernardus and at Chesebro Wines. He has worked harvest jobs at Hobo Wines and Thomas Fogarty. He also ran the laboratory at  J Lohr Winery's white wine facility.

Together they are currently launching their Cedar Lane Vineyard label featuring wines from the estate vineyard of that name in the Arroyo Seco AVA. These wines were previously bottled under the Chesebro label but they wanted to highlight the source vineyard and have the Chesebro label focus on wines from the Carmel Valley AVA.

Lusso Della Terra Cellars

Lusso Della Terra Cellars is a boutique winery situated in the Fiddletown AVA, nestled in the picturesque rolling hills of Fiddletown, California. Known for its small-lot specialty wines, the winery consistently wins competitions across the country and delights wine connoisseurs from around the globe. Lusso Della Terra focuses on high-quality, handcrafted, ultra-premium wines, released in limited quantities and designed to be shared with loved ones.

Luxury
The winery offers a luxurious experience for visitors, featuring a beautiful space for private events and stunning vineyard backdrops for small, intimate weddings.

Craftsmanship
Lusso Della Terra also provides full-service Custom Crush for a variety of clients, collaborating with winemakers from around the world, both large and small. Guests can experience true wine craftsmanship with the winery’s award-winning winemaker.

Big Basin Vineyards

pouring a glass of wine - Pixabay

Big Basin Vineyards was founded in 1998 on an historic site in the Santa Cruz Mountains next to Big Basin Redwoods State Park. The old ranch property was first settled in the late 1800s. Wine grape cultivation had been started by French immigrants by the early 1900s and continued until 1965 when the property was sold by Justin Lacau, who had named the property "Frenchy's Ranch", to a timber company. By the 1990s, all that remained of the vineyards were redwood stakes and scattered vines hidden by brush and poison oak bushes. The mission has been to restore this historic vineyard site using modern, organic viticultural methods. The winery building was completed in December 2003 on the same site as the original 1890s house/winery structure which burned down in the 1970s. It is a 'Monitor'-style barn with a timber frame construction built using redwood selectively harvested from the estate.

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