Anybody Familiar w/ These Wineries?

I haven’t been to any of these wineries, but it looks like Folded Hills is just a 2 hour drive away from me. I’ll try to check it out when I get the chance.

You can see their vineyard from the 101 as you drive north of Nojoqui Falls on the right side. I believe the owners are related to the Anheiser Busch Family . . . Have not tried any of their wines and am interested to knowing Angela’s winemaking style. I’m not sure if they have a tasting room that is open at the property or not - you might want to call before heading over.

And if you happen to be in the area, drop me a line and I’ll be more than happy to meet you at my tasting room as well! champagne.gif

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I have added a few wineries that might be new, or are simply operations that I have not bought anything from as of this point in time.

Turtle Rock Vineyards: based in San Luis Obispo, I noticed a WB contributor nominated their Mourvedre as one of the best he/she has ever tasted. That alone is enough to catch my attention. :wink:

http://www.turtlerockvineyards.com


Fine Disregard Wines: I am familiar with this one, but have not tasted their Napa Valley Oak Knoll “Milhouse” Semillon or Stags Leap District “Lost Row” Syrah. The word around the campfire is that there is a Mourvedre in the pipeline…

Nadeau Family Vintners: according to their website, Nadeau is “an estate micro-winery located in the Santa Lucia Mountains four miles west of Paso Robles”. The wines range from Zinfandel, Rhône-style wines, and the occasional Sangiovese or Nebbiolo. The descriptions for the very small-production wines lean toward a more full-fruited, generous style. Some of the bottlings are estate-grown; others are sourced from nearby vineyards.

http://www.nadeaufamilyvintners.com/wine.html


Idell Family Vineyards: I fail to grasp how I have not seen prior TN’s from this winery: “Idell Family Vineyards has partnered with viticulturist and vintner Steve Matthiasson of Napa to develop an ultra-premium Chardonnay vineyard, the Michael Mara Vineyard”! This grower/winery in Sonoma Valley also farms a Syrah vineyard, and one for the “Oscar” Mixed Blacks wine. Their “Oscar” Zinfandel is vinified using fruit from the Hamel Family’s newer Sonoma Valley planting - not the Armor Plate (formerly Stellwagen) Vineyard. “The six acre ‘Michael Mara Vineyard’ is a partnership between Richard and Susan Kornblatt Idell and Steve and Jill Klein Matthiasson.” The “Oscar” Mixed Blacks red wine is composed of Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Carignan, Mourvedre and Grenache.

Sutton Cellars: According to the website, Sutton Cellars has been around since 1996, is based in a warehouse in Dogpatch, San Francisco, and focuses on minimal intervention in producing small lots of a diverse selection of wines, ciders, and digestifs, including (but not limited to) vermouth. A forthcoming 2013 “GRCRG” Carignane/Grenache blend from Mendocino’s Tolini Vineyard is in the works.

http://suttoncellars.com


West of Temperance: the winery participated in last year’s Berserker Day, and I believe that we will see an offering from WoT again this year. Unique wines, like “Aglianico, Sangiovese and Teroldego sourced from stellar California vineyards. Mendocino County Old-Vine Carignane, Petite Sirah, Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir and Napa Valley Merlot” are among the products available from this Napa-based operation. The “Colorfield” blend has received strong praise in the “What Berserker Day Wines Are You Drinking?” thread.

Hillcrest Vineyard: the website declares this producer to be the oldest winery in Oregon and a master of Pinot Noir. I am fascinated by the odd combination of grapes blended together (Carignan and Pinot Noir, anybody?). The site asserts: “Beginning in 2010, we now produce wines from different corners of the old world. Based on relationships we have developed over the last 3 decades, we make wines with friends in Priorat, Spain, Maury, France, the Mosel Valley of Germany and Caltagirone, Italy. These wines, like our Oregon wine, come from the grapes that helped develop the reputation of these world class wine areas. The varieties we make include Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, Lladoner Pelut, Frappato, Nero D’Avola and Riesling.”

https://www.hillcrestvineyard.com


Odonata Wines: I feel like I should taste the wines from Odonata for a couple of reasons, one being that I posted an interview with owner/winemaker Denis Hoey on the “Mourvedre Appreciation” page! Some of this winery’s bottlings are estate-grown, while all are from the Santa Clara/Santa Cruz area. Wines include Riesling, Chardonnay, Petite Sirah, and a few other diverse reds.

Rideau Vineyard: Rideau’s estate vineyard is located in the Los Olivos District AVA of Santa Barbara County’s Santa Ynez Valley. All Rhône-style wines are estate-grown; Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are bought from various SB-area vineyards. Estate wines include Viognier, Roussane, Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvedre.

http://rideauvineyard.com/

Again, as I have not tasted the wines from the preceding wineries, I invite those who have to share their experiences. TIA :slight_smile:

Drew, I’ve been to several of these places and tasted wines from other ones. I’m linking below to a few Grape-Nutz write-ups.

From a January 2016 visit: Turtle Rock

Brian Ojalvo of West of Temperance posts here occasionally, and I’m planning to visit him sometime in the next month or two. There are a few notes from a tasting I attended in 2016. 2016 Garagiste Festival “Northern Exposure” tasting including West of Temperance notes

From a January 2012 visit: Rideau

There are a few notes on Odonata from a 2015 tasting. A bit more info in the notes on the Technical Session preceding the main tasting. I believe that Wes Barton is pretty familiar with Odonata - you might contact him for more info. 2015 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Paradise tasting including Odonata notes

I haven’t been to Nadeau for many years. Here are a couple of Grape-Nutz visits to Nadeau from 15+ years ago that Eric Anderson wrote up:
2000 visit to Nadeau
2002 visit to Nadeau

From what I’ve heard, Sutton Cellars is not currently in business. PM me if you want more info.

Thanks for the heads up, Ken! I will be sure to read up on your notes/visits. :slight_smile:

Adrienne is doing some great stuff at Rideau - watch for them to emerge as a more serious Rhone player in our area - and she loves Mourvedre and Roussanne :wink:

Sent you a PM. I’ve profiled some of those mentioned on my blog.

This is the oldest winery in Oregon, founded by one Richard Sommers, who was a true legend in Oregon winemaking. I first met him in the early 80s, and remember tasting some absolutely marvelous Rieslings and a truly magnificent 1978 Cabernet from his estate fruit. I bought from him off and on over the years, and always thought he made the best Riesling on the West Coast. Visited the estate again in 2005 (I believe) and met the new owner Dyson DeMara and he was harvesting Riesling from the estate vineyard (tank samples were stunning) and he inherited a huge cellar of old Hillcrest wines in bottle. I purchased a few old bottles of Pinot Noir (never was a fan of his Pinots) and they were just ok - but I did pick up a few magical bottles of 15-20 year old Rieslings that were ‘wow’ good. I still consider this site to be the best Riesling vineyard on the West Coast.

That’s certainly some strong praise, Thomas!!

Thanks for sharing your experiences! :slight_smile:

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread!

I know that one really has to just shut up and drink the stuff to make a fair judgement of a winery, but I don’t always have that luxury.

My favorite part of the Wine Berserkers forums is the exchange of ideas and sharing of personal anecdotes/TN’s/opinions. :slight_smile:

Here are a few new additions to the list of wineries that are new (to me). Please share whatever you might know about them!!!


Kreck Wines: a Teldeschi Ranch Zinfandel and a Del Barba Vineyard Zinfandel. The site says that the next release is this Spring.

Driscoll Wine Company: three Zinfandel wines: “Tilth”, “Contra Costa Del Barba”, and “Lodi Cherryhouse” (Perlegos), as well as a Valdiguie from the “Al Frediani Vineyard” in Calistoga.

Wing Span Wines: this winery appears to offer only two wines : “Saturn Return” Rosé (Calistoga Cab Sauv and Stags Leap Petite Sirah), which is currently sold out, and “Moons of Jupiter” Del Barba Vineyard Zinfandel. Tessa Perliss and Aaron Pott collaborate on this project.

https://www.wingspan.wine