These tasty little wines were introduced nationally in 2008 from California’s Central Coast and represented a finely crafted, fruit-forward, indulgent and eminently approachable style of wine. The inaugural release included Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Since then, Adam has used his experience and relationships around the world to add seven international wines to the lineup. http://underdogwinemerchants.com/
This is a small vineyard making only 3500-4000 cases a year. A varitey for wines to choose from. Alicante Bouschet, Barbera, Barbera Rosato, Black Muscat, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Port, Primitivo, Sangiovese, Shiraz / Syrah, Tempranillo, Verdelho, Vinho Tinto, Viognier, Zinfandel
Photo courtesy of photographer Randy Caparoso
When Davis Bynum created Barefoot Bynum Burgundy—the first ever Barefoot wine—in his garage in Albany, California.
We changed our name to Barefoot Cellars, created the famous footprint label and quickly captured the hearts of our fans.
We struck gold. Jennifer Wall, winemaker extraordinaire, joined our team and sprinkled her magic dust on our line of fun, delicious wines.
The Riboli Family WInes Estates/San Antonio Winery in LA offers complimentary tasting and winery tours. The Winery features Riboli Family of Wines and a unique and varied selection from around the wine world. Actually have 3 locations in LA, Ontario east of LA and in Paso Robles.
Pianetta winery is located on the vineyard, fourteen miles north of the downtown Paso Robles tasting room. The majority of the grapes harvested are sold to a major premium winery. Their success with Pianetta Estate grapes as well as their encouragement inspired Pianetta to develop a small winery so as to identify the wine from this vineyard. The first vintage yielded 370 cases of 2002 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. Since then, Pianetta has grown to a 2700 case production and added Shiraz, Syrah, a Syrah/Cabernet blend, and a Rose style wine to their Estate wines, as well as Sangiovese, Petite Syrah, Zinfandel, and a Tuscan style blend from the Paso Robles appellation.
The Irving family immigrated to the United States from Nova Scotia. Grandfather John Irving worked in the Comstock Lode silver mines near Virginia City, Nevada before moving to Jackson, California to mine gold. In 1890, they acquired an 84 acre ranch east of Placerville. It was known as the four mile ranch because it straddled the main road east, formerly the route of the Pony Express. An existing house on the property was present at the time of their acquisition and is listed on the county tax rolls from 1885.After years of clean up and restoration, the ranch has become one of the show places in the Apple Hill area. The property has approximately 16 acres of wine grapes, as well as, peaches and eight varieties of apples farmed by a local retail fruit operation.
Tyler and Trevor Grace, fourth great-grandsons of Lewis Grace, have established themselves as skilled winemakers through years of education and hands-on experience.
Tyler began his journey with an Earth Science degree from Dartmouth, but after a brief period as a field geologist, he pivoted toward winemaking, earning a degree in enology and viticulture from Fresno State. His global experience started with a year of travel, working at notable wineries such as Heitz Cellars in Napa and in Coonawarra, Australia. This "endless harvest" gave Tyler invaluable opportunities to work under expert winemakers during wine's most crucial stages of development.
Returning to California, Tyler deepened his skills as an enologist at Quail Ridge Winery in Rutherford, followed by a role as assistant winemaker at Bell Cellars in Yountville. There, he specialized in Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, while gaining experience with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, and Viognier. In 2007, Tyler arrived in El Dorado County to help establish the family vineyard and winery. His exposure to both traditional winemaking and hand-tended boutique wine production has shaped his current winemaking philosophy. Today, Tyler focuses exclusively on Lewis Grace wines, combining his Napa Valley expertise with Sierra Foothills practices to create high-quality, boutique wines.
Trevor Grace, holding a master's degree in viticulture and enology from UC Davis, brings 15 years of winemaking experience in El Dorado and Amador County. Trevor has worked with over thirty grape varieties, honing his craft with an emphasis on high-elevation winemaking, a key aspect of his family’s vineyard. His ongoing mastery of these subtleties complements Tyler’s experience, together producing exceptional wines under the Grace family name.
The gentleman in the tasting room, Scott, was friendly, knowledgeable and just nice to be around making our visit even better. He told us the tasting room have been open only three weeks which was hard to believe given the fabulous design, product displays and sense of organization. Oh dog friendly too!
Fetzer Vineyards was founded in 1968 in beautiful Mendocino County by Barney and Kathleen Fetzer. One of the first California wineries to branch out into serious Chardonnay production, Fetzer remains committed to sustainability and environmentally conscious wine production. Dennis Martin oversees all wine-making at Fetzer and is assisted by Charlie Gilmore and Michael Chupp, who are in charge of white wine making and red wine making respectively.
We arrived on a sunny May day and it was easily over 90 degrees. We stopped by Navarro and I have to say - the grounds were gorgeous! There was a bench with a picnic table for those who wanted to lunch and wine. It overlooked gorgeous green lushy grass on a hill. The tasting room was very cozy and small but definitely very welcoming. Our pourer was friendly and gave us a great restaurant recommendation.
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.
