Unique Varietals

Unique Varietals

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.

Unti Vineyards

Winery Region

Dropped in here without an appointment, but our hostess kindly welcomed our group of four. The winery emphasizes on the Rhone varietals, including a serious syrah and grenache. They also make a pretty tasty zinfandel as well.

Kaleidos Wine

woman, cat, wine

While waiting for his vines to mature, Steve Martell crafted his first few vintages using grapes from friends and neighbors. Even as his vineyard reaches full production, he plans to maintain some of these contracts. The exceptional quality of this fruit adds depth and dimension to the young grapes from his estate.

The Kaleidos label holds personal significance for Martell. It's named after his mother's shop, where she sold kaleidoscopes and other art. This name resonates deeply with him and perfectly represents his wines. Just as a kaleidoscope blends light and colors into unique images, his vines merge the elements of soil and sunlight to create distinctive fruit characteristics.

Each sip of Kaleidos wine reflects Martell's meticulous attention to detail. He invites you to taste the fruit of his passion. Kaleidos wines are available for tasting at the Tin City tasting room located at 3075 Blue Rock Road, Paso Robles.

Hendry Winery

pouring a glass of wine - Pixabay

Reservations are a must! Call a couple of weeks ahead of time, so you get the day and time slot you want. They only have two time slots, either 10am or 2pm. The wine tour and tasting runs about three hours (half tour, half tasting), but it's totally worth it! The winery grounds are gorgeous. Great scenic views. The tour and tasting combo is $40, but it's waived if you buy an equivalent amount of wine. Sweet! Their bottles range from about $25 to $50 depending on what you get.

Cockerel Family Wine Estates

gape cluster - Pixabay

It began as a dream to produce a superb Sauvignon Blanc in the Napa Valley modeled on the best traditions of the incredible Bordeaux blancs of France. In 2005 we were fortunate to locate a beautiful estate vineyard in Calistoga which was planted over 50 years ago on St. George rootstock. Back dropped by the Palisades, the old vines thrive in this dry-farmed vineyard which has deep soil that is well suited to growing Sauvignon Blanc. The result -- our first estate grown wine Terroir Coquerel, followed by Le Petit Coquerel, and in 2008 Cockerel Family estate grown late harvest Sauvignon Blanc, La Douce Revanche. Each wine is distinctive and delicious, reflecting individually the terroir of their original Calistoga vineyard and of the elegant flavors unique to Sauvignon Blanc.

The Cockerel Family's vineyards and winemaking operations are centered around their estate vineyard, "Walnut Wash," located in the afternoon shadows of the Mayacamas Mountains at the northern end of Napa Valley, within the Calistoga AVA. This site benefits from a warm and protected environment, with a mix of deep clay and stony soils. The vineyard currently encompasses seven acres planted with Sauvignon Blanc, Verdelho, Petite Sirah, and Tempranillo. In 2014, four additional acres were planted with Cabernet Sauvignon. Under the stewardship of winemaker Christine Barbe, the vineyard is meticulously managed to achieve low yields and high quality, resulting in exceptional fruit each vintage due to the unique conditions and favorable terroir.

In the realm of winemaking, Christine Barbe has significantly influenced the quality and style of Coquerel wines. Each bottling is crafted by hand in small lots to ensure character and authenticity. The white wines are noted for their brightness, crispness, elegance, and structure, while the reds are characterized by their intensity, aroma, harmony, and lushness. Complexity, concentration, balance, and minerality are the defining features of their wines.

Aron Hill Winery & Vineyards

Aron Hill Vineyards Logo

AronHill Estate vineyard is nurtured on this beautiful hillside where there is the perfect blend of sun, climate, and soil, resulting in excellent fruit. Judy Aron pride herself on her personal hands-on attention to every detail in the finest winemaking tradition. Judy works hand in hand and with deep gratitude to my dedicated vineyard manager, Richard Sauret, and winemaker, Mikel Olsten, to achieve excellent and premium wines. The dry farmed, low yield, fruit-forward Cabernet Sauvignon is estate grown and touted by Cab lovers as smooth and full bodied with a pepper kick. “Unbridled Passion” is how Judy describes AronHill's Vinho Doce port.

Avanguardia Wines

Avanguardia logo

Welcome to Avanguardia Wines, a small, ultra-boutique winery located in Nevada City, known for producing non-traditional blended wines. 100% of their wines are proprietary blends, crafted from 2-6 different grape varieties, many of which are Italian and uncommon in California. Their tasting room is located in Grass Valley.

Avanguardia Wines stands apart by avoiding the more common varietals like Cabernet, Zinfandel, and Chardonnay. Their flagship white wine, Cristallo, features a rare grape from the Republic of Georgia. Their distinctive red, Ampio, combines the UC-patented Carmine with the French Mondeuse for a truly unique flavor. Their newest blend, Tre "T," made from Teroldego, Tempranillo, and Tannat, has already earned Gold at the San Francisco Chronicle competition.

Focusing on balance, Avanguardia crafts wines with carefully calibrated levels of alcohol, acidity, tannin, and oak, leaning more towards a European style than the bold trends often seen in California.

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