As you take a walk through the vineyard with Charlie Barra, you’ll find yourself surrounded by 60 year old, craggily, grapevines that resemble the sunbaked hands of Charlie that has nurtured them. These hearty, twisted vines, located on the bench lands at the headwaters of the Russian River in Redwood Valley, CA, are the source of the superior organic fruit that goes into each bottle of wine.
Handley Cellars is a small, 14,000 cases per year, family-owned winery in California's Mendocino County, bonded in 1982. Handley Cellars is located at the northwest end of the Anderson Valley on 59 acres of the original Holmes Ranch. Still standing on the property are the now-refurbished ranch house, barn, and the original water tower. Handley Cellars offers a wide variety of wines that complement today's diverse cuisine with its worldwide influences. Winemaker Milla Handley seeks to make balanced wines that possess distinctive varietal characteristics, wines that reflect the soil and climate in which they were grown.
Frei Brothers Reserve is a winemaking story more than a century in the making. In 1890, Swiss immigrant Andrew Frei purchased the core of what is now Frei Ranch in Sonoma County's Dry Creek Valley. The superb stretch of land was already a vineyard, but Frei brought it to prominence when he built a winery that produced 20,000 cases of wine annually by 1895. In 1903, Frei turned the winery over to his sons, Walter and Louis, who adopted the name Frei Brothers.
An artisan, family owned winery showcasing the fabulous fruit and friendly spirit of Dry Creek Valley. Located near the charming village of Healdsburg. Pulled in on a whim while visiting wine country for the day. Not only was it a beautiful winery/vineyard, but we practically had the place to ourselves. Patrick was very friendly and knowledgable about all the wines.
In the early 1900s, Cesare and Rosa Mondavi, newlyweds from Italy's Sassoferrato region, planted their roots in Minnesota. When the Prohibition Act of 1919 banned alcohol sales, Italian families were puzzled—wine was a daily essential. But a loophole allowed families to make 200 gallons of wine per year for personal use, and Cesare saw an opportunity.
He began shipping California grapes for home winemaking, quickly noticing that many came from a place called Lodi. With a keen business sense, he moved his family to California, including his young son, Robert Mondavi, and launched his own grape-shipping enterprise. Robert’s first job was hands-on, nailing crates for his father’s grapes, a start that would spark a lifelong dedication to wine.
Raised with values of hard work, Robert Mondavi embraced his calling. He studied business and chemistry at Stanford, followed by viticulture and enology at UC Berkeley, preparing him to make waves in California’s burgeoning wine industry. This early groundwork would help shape the legacy of one of California’s most revered wine pioneers.
Good wines, friendly owners, fun animals. A field full of alpacas greets you as you enter Oso Libre. The husband and wife owners were absolute gems, but let's face it, unfriendly people simply don't own alpacas. They shared a lot of interesting info about the winery and animals which made for an entertaining conversation. The wines were tasty and the term “wine farm” setting of Oso Libre is a great experience.
Mt. Vernon Vineyard and Winery is a small, family-owned and operated winery nestled in the grassy foothills of Auburn, California. The Taylor family transforms Sierra Foothills grapes into outstanding, lush aromatic wines, featuring riveting fruit flavors that are fit for a president.
The winery provides a majestic view and a relaxing atmosphere. Regarded as the largest winery in Placer County since Prohibition, Mt. Vernon offers an exceptional selection of wines and unique blends that are sure to captivate the taste buds.
Established in 1996, Mt. Vernon is pioneering the production of various foothill grapes, including Old Vine Zinfandel, Syrah Port, Barbera, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gold Country Nectar, and a Sur-lie aged barrel-fermented Chardonnay that is joining the Mt. Vernon collection.
Photo courtesy of photographer Randy Caparoso
Everyone working there was extremely friendly and generous with the servings. The tasting room has an open layout with a decent-sized counter and several tables. The tasting room is warm and inviting with a rustic feel. Barrels line the walls and serve as the base of the tables. Ancient Zinfandel - Courtesy Randy Caparoso
Mayo Family Winery produces small lots of single-vineyard wines under the premise that the world's most interesting and highest quality wines must come from a single-vineyard source that can be expressed in the wines' aroma, taste and texture. Founded in 1993, the winery has two winemaking facilities in Glen Ellen, California, each fitted and equipped to produce particular types of wines. Mayo Family wines are only sold online or in their tasting room attached to the winery in the town of Glen Ellen and their two other tasting rooms in Sonoma Valley.
The people in the tasting room were all very pleasant and cheerful - and really seemed to enjoy what they were doing. VERY nice and welcoming atmosphere. Wines were GREAT!
