Zinfandel

Zinfandel

Dashe Cellars

wine corks and glass

n 1996, the husband and wife winemaking team of Michael and Anne Dashe founded Dashe Cellars. Focused on crafting exceptional single-vineyard wines, Dashe Cellars blends the two winemaker’s combined 40-plus years of experience at such noted wineries as Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château La Dominique, Ridge Vineyards, Cloudy Bay, Far Niente, Chappellet, and Schramsberg Wine Cellars. Drawing on this wealth of experience, the Dashes create vineyard-focused wines that capture the complexity and character of top vineyards throughout Sonoma County and beyond. Winery & Tasting Room: 55 4th Street, Oakland, CA 94607

Villa Mt. Eden

barrel room - Pixabay

Mount Eden Vineyards is a historic wine estate situated at an elevation of 2,000 feet, overlooking Silicon Valley in the Santa Cruz Mountain Appellation, about 50 miles south of San Francisco. Established in 1945, it stands as one of California's original "boutique" winery properties, dedicated to producing small lots of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The estate's lineage of estate-bottled Chardonnay and Pinot Noir is the longest in California.

The vineyards, planted in the austere, infertile Franciscan shale on a cool, exposed mountaintop, yield low but consistently high-quality crops that have produced world-class wines for over half a century. In 2007, Mount Eden expanded its holdings by acquiring a 55-acre wine estate in the Saratoga foothills, which was named Domaine Eden.

In addition to its estate wines, Mount Eden Vineyards also crafts non-estate Chardonnays from California's central coast, with a focus on the Edna Valley. They have achieved notable success with Chardonnay from the Wolff Vineyard, consistently earning recognition for producing exceptional wines from this region.

Barr Estate Winery

Painting by Agata Zaborowski

Barr Estate Winery is a small family-owned and operated vineyard, boutique winery, and tasting room located at 6950 Union Road on the east side of Paso Robles in the Geneseo District where the warm days and cool nights are ideal for grape growing. Aglianico, Albarino, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Mourvedre, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, Primitivo, and Tannat are grown on our 57-acre vineyard and crafted into our single vineyard estate wines. Barr Estate Winery tasting room is open Fri-Sun from 11-4. A family member is usually there to greet you and invite you to taste our handcrafted food-friendly production wines and our estate-grown cold pressed 100% extra virgin olive oil.

After working for an international company for thirty years, Tealy and Greg decided to start a second career dedicated to growing grapes and making great wines at affordable prices that enhance the culinary experience. After searching for a vineyard the couple settled on the Central Coast of California in Paso Robles in 2007. It is still a place where the vineyard farmer and the winemaker are the same person and winemaking starts in the vineyard. Greg is the winemaker.

Loxton Cellars

vineyard in fall colors

The property is small and nothing fancy but more likely than not, your wine tasting will be led by the vintner himself, who came to Sonoma with nothing and built this small winery with his own hands. He's a great host who truly understands and loves wine. It's a delightful experience and the wine is priced very reasonably compared to many other wineries in the area.

Charter Oak Winery

wine grapes and glass - Pixabay

Charter Oak Winery is a small boutique producer of the most exceptional Napa Valley red wines made by winemaker Robert Fanucci.

Charter Oak wine is unfined and unfiltered, with the grapes fermented using natural yeast. The winemaker employs tools crafted by his grandfather (Nonno in Italian) to punch down the cap three times a day, working the must into a foaming lather. This unique method sets their wine apart. The winemaker believes that the key to their success lies in the natural fermentation process and the meticulous punch-down of the cap with handcrafted wooden tools, a ritual performed with dedication. Witnessing the sun illuminate the purple grape juice as it bubbles to the surface is a sight the winemaker cherishes deeply, as it nurtures the soul.

After three to four weeks in the fermentation tank, the time comes to separate the skin from the juice, all done by hand using a 100-year-old basket press. The wine is then transferred into barrels using buckets. Although this method is not the most efficient, it adheres to the winemaking tradition passed down from the grandfather. The result is wine that is truly handcrafted, and each bottle reflects a distinct difference from mass-produced alternatives.

Cedarville Vineyard

people sharing wine

In 1995, Jonathan Lachs & Susan Marks found the perfectly situated 20 acre property at 2,500 ft. elevation, located 1/2 mile up a dirt road from Fair Play Road, which would become Cedarville Vineyard. With Cedarville Vineryard 15 acres of vineyard coming into maturity, in 2000 Jonathan & Susan built the winery here on the estate. The panoramic views from the top of our vineyard spread from Mount St. Helena to the west to Pyramid Peak in the Crystal Range of the Sierra Nevada to the east. Jonathan and Susan chose the name, Cedarville, in honor of a nearby ghost town (founded in 1852) that boomed for ten years during the Gold Rush. Now, 150 years later, little remains of the original town, but the winemakers feel connected to the spirit of the pioneers of this historic area.

Viszlay Vineyards

Winery entrance and sign

Viszlay Vineyards is a family owned and operated boutique winery located in the Russian River Valley. You can find this little gem just a few miles south of downtown Healdsburg, CA. Viszlay's estate wines are grown on their own 10 acre vineyard. Currently they are pouring their Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Caberbet & Merlot blendm Zinfandel and a Petite Sirah wines. In addition to a traditional wine tasting you can also enjoy a Cheese & Wine paring. We just made recent contact with John Viszlay at the winery and we look forward to experiencing his wines and the winery story soon.  We will keep you posted!

Wilson Creek Winery

Painting by Agata Zaborowski - man with pet dog and bottle of wine

Wilson Creek Winery is warm and friendly, comfortable yet exhilarating, simple yet elegant, all inspirations from the Estate wines, vineyards and Mount Palomar in the distance. What makes this Winery for me is the grounds. Tons of places to sit and enjoy your wine tastings. I think what makes it for me, is that I don't feel confined to standing at the tasting bar. I can walk around with my tastings. I don't particularly feel as free to do that at other Wineries. This winery has a lot to offer to visitors that are looking to do a little wine tasting in Temecula Wine Country.

Bel Vino Winery

people sharing wine

Bel Vino Winery is the Temecula home of Fine Wine and Good Times in Southern California in Temecula Wine Country. Surrounded by the beautiful scenery of breath-taking vistas, rolling vine-covered hills and panoramic views of the Temecula valley, Bel Vino is the perfect location for an intimate (indoor or outdoor) wine tasting or an exceptional California vineyard wedding. Beautiful winery, with a great feel to it. There was a live band playing at the little outdoor stage when we pulled up. The tasting bar was inviting, and the host was very friendly and very helpful. The reds were good. The Tatria was extremely good, one of my favorite wines from my whole day of wine tasting. Also make a Pepper Jam, which is amazing. It's a nice balance of sweet and spicy, and they served samples on crackers with cream cheese.

Cabot Vineyards

wine grape cluster - Pixabay

John and Kimberly Cabot set out to be self sufficient and live off of the land. After college on the Humboldt coast they moved inland where more fruits and vegetables could ripen. They grew a wide assortment of organic produce and marketed it through Northern California retailers and Farmer’s Markets. Ten years of growing experience on the Klamath River in Northern California nurtured within them a deep respect for the land. They also developed a deep appreciation for red wine from their families. They set out to bring their love for growing, wine and the land together into one dream… They began planting wine grapes in 1998. It was exciting to pioneer an undiscovered wine area in California. The land is carved by narrow gorges and steep mountains making ideal vineyard sites rare little gems. They now have three small vineyards that they hand planted with small crews of locals. Each of the vineyards is individual and is meticulously tended in accordance with its unique needs.

Pages

Subscribe to Zinfandel