Andrew Murray fell in love with the emerging Rhône varieties, Syrah and Viognier, in the late 1980’s while traveling through France’s Rhône Valley. Leaving his UC Berkeley paleontology studies behind, he pursued his new mistress, Syrah, with an internship in Australia. As Robert Parker, Jr. put it, “…Andrew Murray’s offerings are a breath of fresh air given their exceptionally high quality and realistic prices – reader take note.
Single Leaf excels in the making of malbecs and the business of barberas. Scott Miller, winemaker/owner explains the complexities of the wine making process at winery events throughout the year. Pam Miller, owner, winemaker of Pammie's Cuvee, provides great food and recipes. The wines are priced to fit every budget.
homas' fondest early memories are of the Castillou Ranch and watching, then ultimately joining, the miracle of turning grapes into a magical libation--WINE.
Today, Thomas is carrying on the family's agricultural and winemaking traditions in scenic Humboldt County. He has planted nearly 30 acres of European-style wine grapes in a 280° bend of the south fork of the Eel River in historic Myers Flat.
Pondering Freestone's tasting room, we weren't completely sold on the idea of spending $10 on a few sips of wine, but we decided to at least scope it out. It was surprisingly quiet on a Saturday afternoon, and the tasting room staff seemed excited to have a group of 6 appear. They offered us a private tasting room where we could all sit comfortably, and even offered us plates and knives to dig into our Wild Flour spoils while we tasted. Um yeah...we like this place already. With Freestone Vineyards and Wild Flour as next door neighbors, you've got the perfect one-stop-shop for a sampling of Sonoma County's bounty. Make the most of it: get some Fougasse, and trot over to Freestone for the perfect pairing.
We booked the 10am tour and tasting. For $15 I was very impressed. The tour was about an hour and a half. We started in the front tasting room, went outside to the vineyards, to the caves where they store the barrels and finally to the room with the tanks. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. She was willing to answer any questions we had.
I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who wants the full winery experience!
The Wilson family has been farming the rich land in Clarksburg for three generations, beginning with George Harold Wilson who established the family homestead in the early years of the 20th century. George loved the land and firmly believed that farming offered a way to improve people’s lives around the world.As a family, the Wilsons are committed to each other. As growers, they are committed to producing the highest quality fruit for all varietals because they know that premium fruit is essential to great wines.
What a nice tasting room! I thought their wines were nice and balanced. The $5 tasting fee was certainly worth it. I am a big proponent of urban wineries and am thrilled that JC Cellars has set up shop in Oakland. If you visit in be sure to try Dasche's wines also!
Philip Staley Vineyards & Winery is a small, family-owned grower/producer of fine wines. Located in the Alexander Valley near Healdsburg, California, amidst some of the most beautiful country on earth. But if you are touring the wine country Sonoma, you won't know where are vineyards or winery are.. And that's a pity, because it is small wineries that are producing some of California's finest wines such as Philip Staley Vineyards & Winery.
Cardinale Estate is an ultra premium wine estate located off of Highway 29 on top of a small natural hill. This is the site of the old Robert Pepi winery and after selling his Pepi Winery Robert is now running his own boutique label called Eponymous which we have reviewed here. Cardinale is visible from the main highway. The stone building is classy and elegant with great views of the Napa Valley from its hillside location. This is a high end winery specializing in merely one wine each year, a Cabernet Sauvignon. In addition, this location serves as a hub for tasting some of the Jackson Family's high end Napa labels, all of which we have reviewed.
Croze Wines is operated by Gary Wooten, a long time resident in the Napa Valley. He has worked as winemaker with several smaller area wineries during their formative stages and helped them become established. He currently runs two labels; Croze wines which includes a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Sauvignon Blanc and the second label, Smith Wooten featuring a 100% Cabernet Franc (he originally made a barrel of Cabernet Franc to use for blending purposes but after tasting, found this wine to be excellent as a stand along varietal and ended up bottling it) and a Syrah.
Croze ages their wines longer than many area wineries and as a result the current vintages are typically several years older than what you usually find on the market. The barrel aging program usually runs up to 40+ months and all the wines are tasted during this time and are removed from barrel when they are ready, in other words the barrel aging program is not locked into a certain amount of time like you may find with some of the larger wineries.
