The tasting experience was very informative. And a little formal. The host takes you into their tasting room and closes the doors for total immersion. The tasting is really all about the wine and educating visitors of the history of the label. Great stop for very classy wine! Not so much for relaxing and lounging.
It's almost not fair for me to give this place a review-- as there has recently been a change in ownership. The new owner is renovating and updating a majority of the property. The drive up to Michel-Schlumberger is absolutely gorgeous; at least it is in April because it is not directly off the freeway; instead it is through several windy roads, and then through more curvy windy roads. It feels like you've reached some kind of sanctuary or private retreat in the countryside by the time you've arrived.
Mietz is a small producer of exceptional quality wines available to taste at Family Wineries of Dry Creek tasting room at 4791 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg. Restrained style of winemaking makes these wines particularly food friendly.
I walked into this place for a tasting, and they handed me a pulled-pork slider that blew my mind. No matter what wine I was handed after that was going to be the best I'd tasted all day.
That's cheating. Down and dirty, but it was so wonderful I'm not going to complain!
Confessions of a Winemaker Chef - I always considered winemaking to be “cooking”. Through my entire time as a chef, I wanted to work with the flavors, textures, and aromas of grapes from the California coast. Finally I took the plunge and moved to Napa Valley.
Miro Tcholakov was born and raised in Northern Bulgaria, a region with many millennia of winemaking history. He was exposed to wine and wine making at a very early age from his grandfather who taught him how to make wine in the old tradition that had been tested through generations.
Close your eyes and savor the deep flavors…You might swear you are drinking a great French Pomerol. Mojon’s Bench 2004 Estate Merlot combines fine estate grown merlot with a touch of cabernet franc to achieve a wine that’s soft, ripe and complex.
Montemaggiore is a gorgeous, intimate, private wine experience tucked away on top of a hill in overlooking Dry Creek. It's incredible the amount of labor and care they put into making sure they are employing environmentally friendly, sustainable and organic wine-making practices.
Moon Mountain Vineyard is a family-owned 286-acre property located high on the western side of the Mayacamas Mountains. Sixty-six acres of this rugged mountain terrain are devoted to organic vineyards. The property also serves as the home of Repris Wines. Nice red wines grown on the hilltop with near organic techniques. The syrah is very good and the cabernet sauvignon is usually blended nicely. In general their red wine tends to be rich in flavor with a nice finish.
Great winery conveniently located next to a chocolate shop. Moondance offers wine and port tasting for $5 apiece. In addition to wine, they also have mustard, olive oil, and balsamic samples for you to try. They are in a mutually beneficial relationship with their chocolate selling neighbors. They offer chocolate samples as a pairing with their wines.