There are a lot of wineries to choose from in El Dorado county, but this should be one of the first that you try. The tasting room at Mira Flores Winery is beautiful, and included high ceilings and a nice roomy tasting bar. The patio outside is stunning, and would be a nice place to enjoy a picnic lunch. Dick, our pourer, was friendly, accommodating, and we really enjoyed spending time with him. Five stars for ambiance and service.
The 2007 San Francisco International Wine Competition had 47 judges tasting 4,300 wines. After three days of sipping and spitting, the awards for Best Syrah/Shiraz, and Best of Show Red Wine, went to the 2004 Canihan syrah "Exuberance." It was the first commercial release of Bill Canihan's life, and his was judged the best red wine in the entire competition, which encompassed a galaxy of wines from all over the world.
Ken Brown Wines focus is on very small lots of Pinot Noir from the finest vineyards of Sta. Rita Hills. The wines are produced at the Ken Brown winery in Buellton at the gateway to the Sta. Rita Hills appellation, and most lots consist of 250 cases or less. Total annual production is only about 2,000 cases. Ken work with growers, many of whom he has known for years, to hand select vineyard blocks for our program. Some of the remarkable vineyards we work with include Cargasacchi, Clos Pepe, Rio Vista and Sanford & Benedict. Ken Brown Wines also produce limited bottlings of Chardonnay and Syrah.
Collier Falls is a family-owned winery in Healdsburg, California’s beautiful Dry Creek Valley. Collier Falls Vineyards makes limited quantities of award-winning, estate red wines from their sustainably-farmed hillside vineyards in Sonoma County. Collier Falls Vineyards wines are aromatic, complex and elegant, and the winery's name comes from the waterfall below their Zinfandel vineyards.
HdV is a venture between the Hyde Family of Napa Valley and the de Villaine Family of Burgundy. The families, related by marriage, share long histories in French and Californian winemaking. In HdV, we have brought together our knowledge and experience for the purpose of creating single vineyard wines from the slopes of Hyde Vineyards.
Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery is known for their Pinot's, but I was very impressed with their Chardonnay's. We really liked the Zinfandel they were pouring as well.
Long Creek Winery & Ranch is a boutique winery encompassing thirty acres neatly tucked away in the Sierra Foothills within a stone's throw of massive Lake Oroville, seventy miles north of Sacramento, California. The vineyards and winery are uniquely situated on the western side of the Sierra mountain range where the four seasons are relatively mild. The vineyards enjoy a micro-climate that is comparable to some of the hillside country of central and northern Italy.
A long-standing member of the Santa Barbara winemaking community, Whitcraft Winery is obsessed with producing the highest quality wines. Their signature varietals are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah, but also produce a variety of other unique, hand-crafted varietals.
From vine to bottle Mounts Family Winery specializes in hand-crafted, limited production lots of Petite Sirah, Malbec, Grenache, Viognier, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel.
Pinot Noir, great personalized service, beautiful grounds, and good prices. This is the epitome of Carneros Pinot Noirs and they have several excellent vintages and labels to choose from. We went for an all Pinot tasting and I enjoyed each one tremendously. I have been told their whites are also good, but I will need to review those on a subsequent visit. Reservations are necessary, but not difficult to get. Please go to this place...you will NOT be disappointed!
