Simaine Cellars
Organic Single Vineyard Varietals.
The first time I tasted Simaine Cellars wines was at the grand opening of West Side Renaissance Market in Ukiah. Winemaker Victor Simon was pouring exceptional Zinfandel, Syrah and Sangiovese. We first met ten years ago at Whaler Vineyard where I had an office space and he was doing cellar work in the winery, work he’s… Read the rest
Silversmith Vineyards
Patience and Polish.
“Piece by piece, bottle by bottle, case by case,” is how Tom Johnson describes building Silversmith Winery and his tasting room in Redwood Valley. Tom and Debbie Johnson are both longtime lawyers in Ukiah. Tom oversees the vineyards and production. Debbie does the gardening and many other tasks. “I get the credit and Debbie does the work,”… Read the rest
Scharffenberger Cellars
Mendocino’s House Bubbly.
Scharffenberger Brut has been my house California sparkling wine since the winery was founded in 1981. When John Scharffenberger started his winery in Anderson Valley, he had the foresight and talent to put his winemaking skills into “method champenoise” sparkling wine. He was the first to produce it commercially in Mendocino County sourcing grapes from the Anderson… Read the rest
Rosati Family Winery
Mendocino Cabernet.
When Mario Rosati purchased an old cattle ranch in southern Mendocino County south of Hopland in 1980, he never dreamed he would be in the wine business. However, when given budwood from one of the world’s most renowned Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards, Mario Rosati planted grapevines. At first he and his wife Danelle Storm Rosati made wine just for… Read the rest
Roederer Estate
A Taste of France.
Roederer Estate, nestled into the hillside along Highway 128 in Anderson Valley produces, sparkling wine and is unmistakably French. From its parent company to the winemakers who have been on board since Roederer came to Mendocino County, Roederer Estate epitomizes a Gallic classiness and a familial style. A legacy has been passed on from the family-owned… Read the rest
Roderick Vineyards
Stone Mason to Grape Grower.
Arriving at Dennis and Marty Roderick’s I step into the kitchen of their charming cottage-like home at lunchtime. Dennis and his crew, long time vineyard specialist Pancho Ibarra and 19-year-old grandson Remy Martin are sitting around the table. Bowls of steaming chili scent the air as I join them.
I’ve known Dennis and Marty since… Read the rest
Rack & Riddle
Good for Mendocino County.
With a tasting room open only by appointment and a winery set up to handle a million gallons of custom made sparkling and still wine, Rack & Riddle fills a niche in the wine world. Custom crush services range from crushing the grapes, fermentation and barrel aging, to bottling include champagne-style sparkling wine production and case… Read the rest
Oster Wine Cellars
Family, Bluegrass and Cabernet.
Love, wine, music, family and birthright weave into the story of Oster Wine Cellars. This quintessentially Redwood Valley story begins with Teresa and Ken Oster, who were raised in Redwood Valley, met in kindergarten in Redwood Valley, and now own vineyards and a winery in Redwood Valley. Their married children, Adrianna and Gibson, also live here… Read the rest
Poor Family Vineyards
Some things never change.
“You won’t find much change since you were last here,” offered John Poor Jr. when I phoned to make an appointment for an interview. He is one of four generations who live on the Poor family ranch in Hopland. The last time I made the beautiful drive through the foothills dotted with sheep and oak trees… Read the rest
Philo Ridge Vineyards
Off the Grid and Loving It.
Whether pouring at a wine tasting or working in the vineyards, Fred Buonanno wears Hawaiian shirts and khaki shorts. He and his energetic winemaking wife Heather McKelvey moved from high tech jobs in the Bay Area to start a winery and live off the grid in Anderson Valley. Since purchasing their property with rundown… Read the rest
Pettrone
A Family Brand.
The classy wine label includes design elements that understatedly allude to the people and stories behind Pettrone Family Cellar, one of Mendocino’s smallest wineries. Three birds, Tuscan terra cotta colored lines on cream paper, and a tiny block encapsulating “AP3” refer to the Pettrone family and Italian heritage. Pettrone winery is the result of a family narrative… Read the rest
Patianna Organic Vineyards
At Patianna Organic Vineyards along Old River Road north of old Hopland biodiversity is apparent at first sight. Chickens scratch between grape vines. Goats nibble in riparian borders. Owl boxes mark remains of pesky rodents. Lush compost piles will enrich the soil. Biodynamic and organic describe Patianna’s operation and lifestyle.
As workers pull off an abundance of lush leaves from… Read the rest
Pacific Star Winery
Location to a Fault.
Pacific Star is the only winery California perched on bluffs above the ocean. Twelve miles north of Fort Bragg the magnificent location of winemaker Sally’s Ottoson’s business and home on the Mendocino Coast is worth the trip. Besides its proximity to lapping waves, passing whales, amazing sunsets and variety of “signature blend” wines poured daily, there’sanother… Read the rest
Nelson Family Vineyards
Some Things Old, Some Things New.
An old wagon wheel hangs over the newly stuccoed fireplace in the Nelson Family Vineyards tasting room. Redwoods planted in 1933 shade a dance floor built last year. Vineyards next to the popular strawberry stand on Highway 101 just south of Ukiah. are on their way to organic certification. The first crop of canola… Read the rest
Milano Family Winery
Located in one of Mendocino County’s remaining authentic hop kilns, Milano Family Winery is worth a visit to see the historic structure, to meet the vivacious nurse turned winemaker, the techie inventor of wine business software, to picnic next to giant tortoises and to taste some wonderfully easy drinking wine.
“I always wanted to live in a small town,” says… Read the rest
Meyer Family Cellars
An inviting oasis on Hwy 128.
McNab Ridge Winery
Next Generation of a Legacy.
Rich Parducci, grandson of Mendocino County’s winemaking patriarch John Parducci, takes the reins of the family legacy with his own style. Rich Parducci is confident, unassuming and absolutely at ease carrying on in his grandfather’s footsteps.
“I started working the bottling line at Parducci when I was 12,” says Rich Parducci, now 43. At the… Read the rest
McFadden Vineyard & Farm
Wine, Herbs and Energy.
Guinness McFadden, with both an understated presence and commanding charisma, has combined his business sense with a penchant for anticipating trends in the California food, wine and energy scene for nearly forty years. As the proprietor of McFadden Farm in Potter Valley he splits his time between farming, winemaking, marketing and running a small power plant.… Read the rest
McDowell Valley Vineyards
Southern France meets Cowboy Vintner
Take an old Mendocino County vineyard in a beautiful valley, overlay a commitment to sustainability, merge two longtime Mendocino grape growing families, and blend southern French wine grapes with a horseback riding vintner. The result is McDowell Valley Vineyards under the helm of Vicky and Bill Crawford.
Bill (known as Billy to friends and family)… Read the rest
Mariah Vineyards
Island in the Sky.
To get a perspective of Mariah Vineyards location you have to drive over the hills toward the coast. When billowy cotton puffs of fog fill up the valleys, the coastal mountain peaks jut up like islands, just like–as the Mendocino Ridge appellation is nicknamed—“Islands in the Sky.”
Magical and magnificent are two ways to describe Mariah… Read the rest
