Founded in 1990, McManis Family Vineyards is owned and managed by Ron and Jamie McManis, fourth generation winegrowers, and is located in the rich agricultural region of the northern California interior. Currently, the family grows a wide selection of grape varieties on 2600 acres of premium vineyard land.
Image - chardonnay grapes - photographer Randy Caparoso
A hobby gone wild! That is how Idle Hour Winery, formerly Panoche Valley Vineyards, got its start. Winemaker Anna Marie dos Remedios began making wine as a hobby to relieve the stress of her day job as a newspaper journalist/business owner. Anna Marie is focused on small lot, single-vineyard designated wines from some of California's best wine-growing regions. Anna Marie learned traditional winemaking methods from mentor and renowned Pinot Noir producer Josh Jensen at Calera Wine Company. At Idle Hour Winery the focus is on these traditional methods: native yeast fermentation, gravity flow racking and the use of neutral French Oak; all very gentle in nature, applying these to all the varieties Anna Marie ferments. While you will find all of the wines at Idle Hour Winery delightful, be sure to try the Reserve Tempranillo, Cabernet Franc and the Tannat Idle Hour Winery is located in Oakhurst, CA the gateway to Yosemite Park. Idle Hour was include in a short video we did featuring several Central Valley wineries you can view HERE *
Hours:
Mon- 11:00AM-6:00PM
Tues- 11:00AM-6:00PM
Weds- 11:00AM-6:00PM
Thurs- 11:00AM-6:00PM
Fri - 11:00AM-6:00PM
Sat - 11:00AM-6:00PM
Sun - 11:00AM-6:00PM
V. Sattui embodies the essence of the American Dream. Vittorio Sattui, who emigrated from Genoa, Italy, in 1882, established a winery in San Francisco three years later. The Sattui family successfully ran the business for 35 years until Prohibition forced them to close their doors.
In 1976, Vittorio's great-grandson, Dario Sattui, revived the family legacy in Napa Valley, aiming to create a "Napa D'Italia," where visitors could savor a slice of the good life. It became the 46th winery to open in Napa Valley since Prohibition, now known for its rustic Italianate architecture, hidden gardens, expansive picnic grounds, beautiful vineyards, a stone winery and tower, barrel room, museum, artisan deli & marketplace, salumeria, gelateria, and various event spaces.
V. Sattui was among the first Napa Valley wineries to offer wine experiences, beginning with a few picnic tables where guests could relax and enjoy themselves. This early display of hospitality sparked a movement, reflecting the winery's belief that wine is best enjoyed when shared with friends and family.
What sets V. Sattui apart is that nearly every aspect of its business is handled onsite—from grape growing, crushing, winemaking, bottling, and cellaring to fulfilling orders and preparing a variety of house-made delicacies in the extensive kitchens. The wines are sold exclusively to customers through the website and the winery.
Over 140 years after Vittorio Sattui first arrived in America, V. Sattui remains a significant part of the Napa Valley community, where generations of families return time and time again, and lifelong friendships are forged. As stewards of the environment, the winery is committed to leading the next generation, holding firm to the belief that the best is yet to come.
West Wind Wines began with a vision: to craft top-quality local wines while benefiting both the land and the community. The vineyard was planted in 1999 at a 700-foot elevation on Black Mountain. When John and Cynthia Klock acquired the property, following the closure of a cattle ranch, they were committed to preserving its agricultural purpose. After thoughtful consideration, they chose to plant grapes and olives. West Wind Wines also aims to support job training programs and local nonprofits that uplift the community. This combined mission—caring for the land and its people—remains central to West Wind Wines.
More than just a winery, West Wind Wines exemplifies the power of bringing people together to restore families, renew the land, and produce outstanding wine.
The Wine
West Wind Wines is dedicated to growing and sourcing the best grapes possible. The vineyard is influenced by a marine layer that rolls in most summer evenings, extending the grapes' hang time for maximum flavor and complexity. Their winemaking practices include hand harvesting, hand sorting, small-lot fermentations, and gentle pressing. Every wine is made, pressed, and bottled on-site, with aging conducted in a wine cave to reduce oak barrel evaporation and maintain consistent temperature and humidity. Through meticulous fruit selection, a commitment to showcasing the unique characteristics of each grape, and an attention to detail in the winemaking process, each wine offers a distinct profile that pairs exceptionally well with the suggested cuisines on their tasting notes.
Their passioned focus has been to work with the California Central Coast's best vineyards produce many Pinot Noirs, a couple Syrahs and a Cabernet Franc blend. With a cool marine-influence climate and unusually long growing season, many of these grapes make wines that drink well when young and had have shown the ability to improve and age gracefully for many years. Frank & Gray work with some of the best growers in Santa Barbara County, from the quality vineyards of Santa Maria Valley, Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Rita Hills and Los Alamos.
Image: courtesty Randy Carparoso
A lifelong passion for wine, combined with a keen interest in mountain geology, first brought Bill and Bonnie Kehret to the Fair Play region of the Sierra Foothills in the early 2000s. Amidst building a successful high-tech company in Silicon Valley and traveling globally for business, the couple became regular visitors to El Dorado County, indulging in low-key wine getaways.
In a fortunate twist of fate, the old Mt. Aukum winery came up for sale just as Bill was preparing to retire from the company he had dedicated nearly 30 years to building from the ground up. Intrigued by the potential of the microclimate atop Mt. Aukum, the well-drained granite soil, and the breathtaking views from the winery, Bill and Bonnie purchased the property in 2018. They envisioned transforming the site into a world-class winery that would showcase the unique characteristics of the region.
The following year was dedicated to a complete renovation of the facility and the installation of state-of-the-art winemaking equipment and technology. With a small, dedicated team, they transformed the site into a premier winemaking facility and began the process of renewing and expanding the estate vineyards.
In April 2019, the newly renovated tasting room at Kehret Vineyards reopened its doors. After much anticipation, the first wines from Kehret Vineyards were released in October 2019. The next crucial step in their journey to becoming a world-class winery was to find the right winemaker to lead their vision.
In 2020, Steve Leveque joined the Kehret Vineyards team as the Master Winemaker. He is reshaping winemaking in the Fair Play region, bringing with him a rich history of viticulture and world-class winemaking techniques. Steve’s impressive resume has established him as one of California’s most renowned winemakers.
Born and raised in Napa Valley, Steve has built a reputation for crafting wines that embody the purity and identity of their vineyards. His experience includes prestigious positions at notable wineries such as HALL, Chalk Hill, Opus One, and Mondavi.
In addition to being a master winemaker, Steve is also a skilled viticulturist, spending significant time overseeing vineyard operations to produce exceptional grapes of unparalleled quality. He honed his winemaking skills during a decade-long tenure at Robert Mondavi Winery and absorbed innovative ideas from leading viticulture research and visionary collaborators, including the renowned Bordeaux consultant Michel Rolland. Later, as the executive vice president and winemaker at Chalk Hill Estate Winery in Sonoma, he crafted an award-winning portfolio of small-lot Bordeaux varietals and Chardonnay. Steve then became the head winemaker for HALL Wines in Napa, as well as their partners WALT and BACA. Under his guidance, over 200 of his wines received ratings of 90 points and above during his 11-year tenure.
Steve has earned three 100-point scores from Wine Advocate, two from Jeb Dunnuck, and was recognized with the #2 Wine in the World from Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2011. More than 80 of his wines have been rated between 95 and 99 points by elite wine publications. This success is the result of years of experience marked by risk-taking, experimentation, collaboration, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.
Steve’s winemaking philosophy begins in the vineyard. To truly tell the vineyard's story and create balanced wines, he emphasizes the importance of bold flavors. Every aspect of vineyard farming is crucial; timing is everything. Each vintage presents its own unique challenges, and vineyard operations must align with the growing season's influences. Decisions about shoot removal, hedging, and crop thinning all carry significant consequences.
For Steve, achieving a harmonious balance between vine vigor and crop is essential. He believes that cultivating low-vigor vines with low yields allows each cluster to ripen perfectly. This approach ensures that each grape cluster can develop fully, allowing for optimal ripening of sugar, tannins, texture, and flavor. Canopy management is another critical component of this process.
Numerous factors contribute to vineyard expression and balance. Once harvested, a winemaker's role is to honor that expression, employing gentle and precise techniques. Ultimately, to maintain vineyard expression and balance, winemaking must consistently respect and celebrate what the vineyard offers.
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.
Larkmead puts out some of the finest Cabs and Sauv Blancs in the valley. The vineyard itself is beautiful, located right on the valley floor. Sonny treated us great, explaining the winemaking process and the unique history behind Larkmead. Not to be missed if you are in Napa. The Larkmead Vineyards tasting room is open from 10am to 3pm, by appointment.
The Bonaccorsi Wine Company, founded in 1999, emerged from the vision of Master Sommelier Michael Bonaccorsi, who aimed to craft exceptional Burgundian and Rhône-style wines in California’s Central Coast. Recognized as one of the top Master Sommeliers in the world, Mike was a perfectionist and a collaborative force within the local winemaking community. His first vintages garnered acclaim, with some of the highest-rated Pinot Noir and Syrah wines that even graced the tables of the White House and some of the finest restaurants across the United States.
Despite his success and accolades, Mike remained humble, known for his keen sense of humor and generosity. Tragically, he passed away suddenly in January 2004 at the age of 43, leaving behind a loving family, including his wife, Jenne Lee Bonaccorsi, his parents, and 11 siblings, among them Rich and Joe.
From 2004 to 2018, Jenne took the reins of Bonaccorsi Wine Company, continuing the legacy by producing some of the most highly acclaimed wines in the Central Coast. Rich and Joe supported Jenne throughout these years, participating in harvests, pouring wines at tastings, and championing the Michael Bonaccorsi Memorial Scholarship at Allan Hancock College, along with the endowment at the University of California, Davis, aimed at nurturing the next generation of winemakers.
Rich and Joe have always believed in their brother Mike's vision. From the company’s inception, they served as financial partners, wine pourers, informal salespeople, and, most importantly, proud brothers. Now, alongside their wives, Desiree and Mary Clare, they continue to carry forward the Bonaccorsi Wine Company with love, humility, and immense joy, inviting wine enthusiasts to experience the passion and spirit that define their family’s wines.
Image: Saman Teher, Pixabay
Family owned and operated. Wine & Olive Oil Tasting available. Chacewater Winery and Olive Mill was built in 2008 with one goal in mind, to produce high quality wines and extra virgin olive oils.
Hours: Daily | 11 am - 5 pm
