Wente Estate
5565 Tesla Rd, Livermore, CA 94550
Website: https://wentevineyards.com/
Wente Vineyards is an amazing winery that has set the stage for so many other wineries in California. This is the largest winery in Livermore and the Wente family is known throughout California. It is the oldest continuously operated family winery in the United States, originally founded in 1883 on only 47 acres. Today the family owns 2000 acres in Livermore and almost 1000 more in Monterey. The reason this family and winery is so iconic is because founding father C.H. Went and his son Ernest created the Wente Chardonnay clone that now represents 80% of all Chardonnay grown throughout California. As the story goes, in 1912 Ernest convinced his father to import Chardonnay from the University of Montpellier, France. Carl hand-picked the best of the best vines and brought them to Livermore. The first vintage of the Wente clone was produced in 1936 and was called Pinot Chardonnay. Today 4th and 5th generation family members carry on the legacy.
Wente Estate is not just a typical tasting room. This is a full-fledged immersive experience. The estate includes two onsite restaurants, an 18 hole golf course, and in the summer they host a series of concerts that draws in Grammy winning artists. Wine Enthusiast named them American Winery of the year 2011. On top of all of that, they are certified sustainable. There is a plethora of wine tasting experiences offered at the Estate Tasting Room, including private tastings, an estate tour and tasting, a black glass blind tasting, and cabana tasting on the patio. The Winemakers Studio at Wente Vineyards hosts a blending experience, wine and food pairings, and more. Details on each experience are available on their website. Wente also has a second tasting room on Arroyo Road in Livermore. The golf course is a big draw. The family has a whole team that manages the course and they host tournaments. Their Vineyard Table & Tasting Lounge is highly rated with a full course menu. Prior reservations are recommended. For something more casual, Wente also has a Course Grill that serves small bites such as cheese, crackers, charcuterie, and gourmet popcorn. Visiting Wente could truly be an all day event.
Of course, at the heart of all of this is the wine. Just like everything else at Wente, there are lots of options from which to choose. There are literally too many to list, and they run the gamut from a dry sparkling wine to sweet Orange Muscat and Port. The wine grapes are sourced from their Estate vineyards in Livermore as well as Arroyo Seco and Monterey. There are four different style wines produced from the famed Wente clone – Morning Fog, Small Lot Eric’s Chardonnay, Single Vineyard Riva Ranch Chardonnay, and Nth Degree. Prior to visiting the winery I had sampled some of their widely produced wines at a wine tasting in my hometown. I enjoyed them, but I didn’t realize how extensive their portfolio really is. My personal favorites from my tasting experience at the estate were from the Small Lot series, in particular the GSM, Duetto, and Sonata. These wines are typically for wine club members, which is a big incentive to join the club.
Needless to say, visiting this winery left an impression on me. I would absolutely return and refer it to all of my friends. I only did the standard tasting experience for my first visit. Next time I visit I definitely want to plan a longer stay to get the full experience.