Author Archives: Cathy Gartley

Joseph Swan Vineyards & Winery

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The entrance to Joseph Swan Vineyards

The entrance to Joseph Swan Vineyards

2916 Laguna Rd, Forestville, CA 95436

Website: http://www.swanwinery.com/

Joseph Swan Vineyards is a small family owned winery in the heart of the Russian River Valley. Joseph Swan was known as a pioneer of Pinot Noir, although he had no affiliation with wine during his early career. He started his career as a pilot and trained other military pilots during World War II. He then went on to become a commercial airline pilot in the 1950s. That was the time when he began experimenting with wine in his home. He and his wife loved wine and began farming a 10-acre vineyard in Sonoma County in 1967. The winery was founded in 1969. Swan focused on using the European style to produce wine and introduced some techniques for producing Pinot Noir and Zinfandel that were not well-known in California back then but have since become commonplace. Unfortunately Joe grew ill from cancer in 1988 and passed away in 1989 at the age of 74. Today the winery is run by Lynn Swan Berglund, daughter of Joseph Swan, and her husband Rod Berglund. Rod worked with Joe before his passing.

This winery is truly an example of a small family run business. They have kept their production small throughout the years and are not widely distributed outside the winery and its wine club. To give a sense for the atmosphere, at the entrance to the winery is a small sign made from a piece of wood with “Joseph Swan Vineyards” carved into it hanging from a wooden post. The parking lot fits a few cars with the vineyard immediately to the right. Walking into the tasting room felt like walking into someone’s garage or a warehouse. Outside the entrance are some fermentation tanks.

Joseph Swan Tasting Room

Joseph Swan Tasting Room

The tasting area is filled with barrels and boxes of wine. There is a small tasting area on the left side that fits about 4 people standing side-by-side. Our server was very friendly and took his time explaining each wine. This winery focuses on Pinot Noir and old vine Zinfandel, but they also produce a myriad of other wines, including several Chardonnays, Pinot Gris, a dry Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, and a Tannat (the first I have ever seen in Sonoma). I have seen many accolades for their wines in Wine Enthusiast.

Give this winery a try if you want to experience a real, small family run winery. This is what really draws me to Sonoma. I would definitely recommend trying the Pinot Noirs and Zinfandel because that is what they are known for. If you have a partner with you, it would be worth sharing two tastings to sample the entire selection. The one thing to keep in mind with this tasting room is that their hours are limited to Saturdays and Sundays or by appointment on Mondays, so plan ahead for your visit.

 

Chimney Rock

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Chimney Rock Winery

Chimney Rock Winery

5350 Silverado Trail, Napa, CA

Website: http://www.chimneyrock.com/

Chimney Rock is an alluring winery located off the Silverado Trail in the highly acclaimed Stags Leap District. I was drawn in by its white Cape Dutch style architecture that stands out along the hillside. Before being planted to grapes, the property was a 185 acre golf course. The name “Chimney Rock” was inspired by the chiseled rock formations in the hillside. The Wilsons purchased the property in 1980 and planted 75 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. The first vintage of Chimney Rock wine was produced in 1984, but it wasn’t until 1990 that the hospitality center opened for the first time. A decade later, the Wilsons formed a partnership with the Terlato family who own more than 40 wine brands worldwide including some well-known Napa and Sonoma wineries like Markham, Rutherford Hill, Iron Horse, and Terlato Family Vineyards. The Terlato family has full ownership of the winery today.

Tasting room at Chimney Rock

Tasting room at Chimney Rock

I really enjoyed my tasting experience at Chimney Rock. The tasting room is open, bright, and comfortable with white walls and wooden beams. Windows all around the room bring in lots of natural light. There is a good-sized, square, wooden tasting bar in the center of the room. A gold chandelier and wooden shelving add some elegance to an otherwise simple room. According to their website, they are recognized as “one of the world’s premier fine wine producers”. They offer a selection of tasting options that range from $20-$35. Although I consider this to be a bit high, many of the Napa wineries are charging similar fees now. My husband and I shared a white flight and a red flight. I wasn’t a huge fan of the white wines, but I really enjoyed the Cabernet Sauvignon. This is not a surprise to me since people have been seeking out Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stags Leap District since the famous Judgment of Paris in 1976. This winery also offers a few different tours each day by prior appointment. The staff here was very gracious and I would recommend this as a stop along the Silverado Trail for their red wines.

 

Schug Carneros Estate Winery

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Schug Carneros Estate Winery

Schug Carneros Estate Winery

602 Bonneau Road, Sonoma, CA 95476

Website: http://www.schugwinery.com/

This winery is like a little piece of German heritage in the Carneros region of Sonoma. The winery was founded in 1980 and named after its owner Walter Schug. Both the fathers of Walter and his wife Gertrud managed wine estates in Germany, and that is also where Walter earned his diploma in Viticulture and Enology. After Walter and Gertrud married in 1961, they left their homeland and set a course for California. This began Walter’s career in the wine industry. Walter created a reputation for himself as the founding winemaker for Joseph Phelps Vineyards in the 1970s. He always had a passion for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and started making Pinot Noir under his own wine label when Joseph Phelps stopped producing it in 1979. Three years later he decided to open his own winery.

360 degree view of Carneros from Schug Winery

360 degree view of Carneros from Schug Winery

The Schug Carneros Estate Winery looks like a building from an old German town. It is nestled into the hillside. It was very quiet when my husband and I stopped in. There was one other small group that pulled in at the same time as us. Right outside the winery off the parking lot is the crush pad. The tasting room is on the first level. On the right side of the building there are stairs that leading up to a small, wooden patio with a couple of picnic tables. There is a very pretty view of the hillside from both the front and back of the winery. From the back, visitors can get a 360º view of the surrounding area.

It is a good thing that there weren’t a lot of other people visiting at the same time as us because the tasting room doesn’t accommodate many people. It is small and cozy. When we walked in, there was a simple bar to our right with one girl standing behind it. There were some wine bottles and medals displayed around the rest of the room. A couple of small windows provide lighting. For a very small fee we were able to simple 4-5 wines of our choice off the menu. Although Schug’s main focus is Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, they did also offer a Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Late Harvest Riesling. All of the wines that I tried were enjoyable.

I really liked this winery for its quiet atmosphere. If I lived in the area, I could see myself spending an afternoon at the winery sipping some wine on the patio and taking in the surrounding views.