Award winning wines. Ramos Torres Winery is committed to crafting wines with intensity, richness and elegance. The estate vineyard, Love Ranch, is a fine example of what meticulous care and sustainable winegrowing can achieve in the Central Valley.
Located in Sonoma County, California, one of the world's premier wine producing areas, McIlroy Wines is a small, family based winery that creates outstanding wines. Only a small number of cases are produced each year.
Norman and Gino rented a small farm building in the Carneros region of Sonoma County. They purchased winegrapes, some 50-gallon oak barrels and a redwood vat. Three hundred cases of Pinot Noir and a small amount of White Riesling represented ZD's first commercial vintage in 1969. The grapes were purchased from the Winery Lake Vineyard, which had been planted a few years earlier by René di Rosa. ZD's 1969 Pinot Noir carries the historical significance of being the first wine to have a Carneros designation on the label. It states, "Made in Sonoma from grapes grown in the Carneros region of Napa." The Chardonnay winegrapes from Winery Lake Vineyard were not in production until 1971, which is the first vintage of ZD Chardonnay.
Richly flavored, hearty red wines. Italian style which means big grapey textures & body. Small boutique production. Some varietals are less than 100 cases per year.
Milano Family Winery specializes in some of the more unknown varietals such as Carignane, Charbono and Valdiguie as well as the more known Zinfandel, Cabernet, and Merlot. Housed in an former hop kiln this quaint tasting room is just off highway 101 just south of Hopland. I was quite impressed with the tasting room staff and the genuine feeling that you get when you first enter the room. The wine itself isn't earth shattering, but it's decent quality enough to keep most visitors interested.
The tasting room is beautiful, especially the natural stone bar in the room furthest from the entrance. The gardens are also worth the visit, with human-high flowers and an eclectic collection of sculptures. Oh yeah, and one of the guys in the tasting room yodels - definitely a forgotten art.
Founded in 1905 and deeply rooted in Napa Valley, Ballentine Vineyards is more than a winery; it’s a celebration of a century-old heritage. As a multigenerational, family-owned and operated winery, we pride ourselves on being an enduring symbol of quality, sustainability, and authenticity in Napa Valley.
The son of Van and Betty Ballentine, Frank Ballentine has seamlessly blended his passion for wine with business acumen, crafting his own major at UC Davis, crowning his academic achievements with an MBA at Fresno State, and continually augments his expertise through executive management programs at Stanford and Harvard. After college, Frank was a winemaker in the San Joaquin Valley and Fresno. Transitioning from winemaking to food manufacturing and distribution, Frank held senior roles at Odwalla during its meteoric growth and currently serves as the President and CEO of GreenLeaf for 25 years, a prominent purveyor of high-quality produce and specialty products. In all of these pursuits, Frank has ceaselessly sought best practices to elevate his family business.
In 2012, Frank joined forces with his aging parents to oversee the Ballentine Vineyards. Here, he rekindled his love for the land and the intricate science of vineyard management with his wife Linda and children Ryan and Audrey by his side. Collaborating closely with Winemaker Bruce Devlin, a shared vision emerged.
Lamborn Family Vineyards Cabernet and Zinfandel are only available for purchase here on our website by our Exclusive Winery Club Members via a password protected online shopping cart. Lamborn wines have extremely limited distribution beyond their Membership and can be very hard to find retail. Vintner's Collective is the first of it's kind in Napa Valley, a multi-winery tasting room that is home to twenty of the most experienced and talented winemakers in the Valley. The man behind Vintner's Collective is Garret Murphy, who dreamed of creating a place where wine lovers could taste the wines of some of the best winemakers in Napa Valley, and where smaller wineries without their own tasting room could showcase their wines and introduce them to consumers. With a little Irish luck and good intuition, the location for Vintner's Collective in the landmark Pfeiffer building made the idea a reality, and current changes and growth in downtown Napa made for good timing. Vintner's Collective is open daily, 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Vintners Collective 1245 Main St. Napa, CA 94559
Great views, greater wines. Ridge is a must. The wines offered by Ridge are top notch, well balanced, unique wines. While you can find their wines in some stores make the trip up the mountain where you can taste some of the more limited offerings. Also and estate in the Santa Cruz Mountains * Monte Bello * Santa Cruz Mountains * 17100 Monte Bello Road * Cupertino, CA 95014
MacFadden Vineyards sells and ship out of their tasting room affordable, delicious, easy to drink wines from grapes organically grown on their own nearby vineyard in Potter Valley. McFadden Vineyard Tasting Room also sells organic dried herbs and herb blends, and organic beef, from the Potter Valley farm. MaFadden's has a nice tasting room on Main Street in Hopland. Friendly server. We had a good time talking with him.
