This is a delightful wine tasting experience, far from the crowds, a lovely home/winery on the top of a hill with great views. The wines are excellent and there is an interesting variety..,.many winners every year, especially good zins. The owners are usually there and are delightful people - a nurse and a retired fireman - you will feel welcome and will have fun and enjoy very good wines.
Brant was introduced to the Rhone Varitals in the early 1980's and had his first taste of Charbono at the Inglenook Family Winery in Saint Helena. Brant sourced the budding wood from a family that was married into them in 1993, and in 1994 planted the Charbono, Petite Sirah, Mourvedre, along with twelve other Rhone Varitals. These are the source to the River Bluff Wines.
What an absolutely delightful place. Small, charming, off the beaten path. This offered a robust tasting (6 wines for $15) and a wonderful venue. When we arrived Cathy went into the vineyards and picked some Sangiovese grapes to go with a cheese plate she prepared for us. It was such a gorgeous setting. And through out our lunch she just kept coming back to pour us more wine! She was extremely generous with her pours.
Over the years, Papagni has become a very diversified company bent on producing the finest grapes possible for the winemaker, and the consumer. While they guarantee that excellent wine can be produced from their grapes, and fresh grape juice, because for eighty years, their customers, and our own family have been doing just that: making exceptionally complex, quality wines using our grapes.Some of the oldest continuous wineries in the state of California. The Papagni family tradition of growing grapes for winemaking reaches back to Bari, Italy. Family members have passed down the art of grape growing from generation to generation.
The Papagni family have extended the grape growing traditions that started in Italy, to central California in 1912 and now to Madera, California.
The Papagni family dreamed of fine wines made from the San Joaquin Valley so they planted premium grape varieties, combining carefully monitored vineyards with the most modern technical advances in cultivation and irrigation with the ancient traditions that yield the finest of premium wines. Red, white, port and dessert wines.
Paraiso Vineyards has a lovely tasting room and boutique. They go beyond the expectant cork toppers and have a lovely showroom of beautiful odds and ends. They also have a delicious assortment of chocolates and truffles you can try and pair with your Pinot. I recommend the chocolate covered sea-salt caramels.
For the wine, they have a lovely array of reds and a few whites. They are known for their Chardonnay and Pinot Noirs. They have a lovely Zinfandel, which is not estate, but the grapes come from the not so distant Paso Robles. You can't really go wrong with any of the Pinot Noir's. I preferred the Eagle's Perch Chardonnay over the the other one as it had a bit more body. They only use French Oak, so more fruit forward and light on oak. They also use a small percentage of new French Oak, so if you prefer more fruit, you will definitely like this.
The tasting fees are cheap! It is only $5 to taste around 5 wines, so that alone makes it a great value. They sit on top of a hill, so the view from the back patio is beautiful! You can take a picnic lunch and enjoy a bottle under the tree on the picnic table.
If you are hitting Soledad wine country, you should definitely put this place on your list of things to do.
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.
Carvalho Family Wines are available for purchase at our tasting room, located in the Galeria Do Vinho at Old Sugar Mill. The tasting room is open Wednesday through Sunday 11:00 am - 5:00 pm.
Nestled amidst the scenic beauty of the Sierra Foothills of California, Renwood / Santino Winery stands as a tribute to classic Italian/American winemaking. From the delicate freshness of the Pinot Grigio to the bold earthiness of the rich red Zinfandels. In 1994 Boston wine lover and visionary Robert Smerling fell in love with Santino wines and decided to buy the place. His goals were clear, to preserve the ancient vines of the Shenandoah Valley and produce award winning wines, putting Amador on the world wine scene. New vineyards were planted with clones of Barbera, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo and Muscat Canelli, all classic Italian varietals. Each vineyard is small with low yields giving intense flavors.
Coming upon the Rutherford crossroad you'll see the fresh new face of a venerable name on the Trail. Founded in 1881, Villa Mt. Eden is one of the few producers from the early era in Napa Valley history that continues to make world class wines today.
Now located on Conn Creek, there is a stylish new tasting room and winery, where not so long ago bears, deer and raccoon came down from the mountain to quench their thirst .
In the days of the rancho, 'Mission' grape vines filled the vineyards, however, by the time Villa Mt. Eden produced it's first vintage, new viticultural specimens imported from Europe were providing winemakers with quality grapes showing nice varietal flavors.
Today, Winemaker Mike McGrath bases his success on the excellent quality of those grapes.
Paso Robles premier winery Brain Benson Cellars is family owned and operated. Enjoy award-winning wines from unique AVA regions. Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday for tastings.
