Tom and Marilyn Stolpman founded Stolpman Vineyards in 1990 after making the decision that Marilyn’s dream of an “investment we can enjoy” could include finding the perfect piece of property that could grow world-class wine grapes.Through extensive experimentation with many varietals, the team has perfected its offerings of Syrah, Roussanne, Sangiovese and Sauvignon Blanc.  Limited plantings of Grenache, Viognier, Petite Sirah, and Chardonnay serve as blending grapes. 

Unconventional by Nature - Winemaker Robert Morse

Terroir is everything, but so as they say is location, and sometimes those aren’t the same place. We have chosen to stay at our vineyard, winery and estate tasting room to allow our customers to experience our unigue terroir. Opposed to what might seem apparent by the concentration of valley wineries, the best vineyard sites are not necessarily alongside the pre-existing major thoroughfares.

In the Foothills, we can grow any warm climate varietals but focus on those that perform at their best in granitic soils. Italian and Rhone varietals benefit from our consistently ideal climate. Our vineyard and winery’s location straddles ridgelines above an elevation of 2000 ft, benefitting from cooling afternoon breezes, abundant sunshine and low yielding rocky soils resulting in our unique terroir.

The Il Gioiello, “the jewel,” name comes from the final home of famed astronomer and scientist Galileo Galilei. Our 2 Roads brand name was inspired by my favorite Robert Frost poem and Morse is my name and most importantly the name of my parents. All three have inspired a slightly different approach to my choices and my respect for integrity, honesty and hard work.

Our wines and winery reflect these values; unpretentious, no concentrates or additives, just wine grapes and great value wines. In my life, the right wine has always been the wingman of a good meal, not the star of the meal. I recall great meals far better than other pleasures and that is why we make “food wines”.

As the French proverb says, “to have a great meal, one requires great hunger”. Having 17 unique estate varietals and clones allow us to create complexity and balance in our wines difficult to achieve with single varietals.

When asked about my favorite wine, the answer is always the same, “what are we eating”. If I’m having a glass of wine without the benefit of food, our 2 Roads blends Crossroad and La Strada are soft, fruity and complex.

photo - courtesy photographer Randy Caparoso

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.

El Dorado's wine area is known for having great Zinfandels, Mourvedres and other reds, but at Holly's Hill Winery there's something there for the white wine lover. Holly's Hill Vineyards is a wonderful family owned and operated winery creating Rhone style wines. Their white wines are solid, dry and not overpowering with strong oakey overtones. You can easily eat food with them - especially the Roussanne and Viognier.