Author Archives: Cathy Gartley

Trentadue

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Trentadue Winery

Trentadue Winery

19170 Geyserville Ave, Geyserville, CA 95441

Website: http://trentadue.com/

I was first introduced to Trentadue at the Boston Wine Expo. The winery produces a chocolate flavored port called Chocolate Amore. I am not typically a fan of port, but I am a very big fan of chocolate. It’s hard to go wrong with a chocolate flavored wine. It is different from any other wine I have ever tasted. Hence, when I learned that the makers of this wine are located in Sonoma Valley, I wanted to visit to see what the winery is all about.

Trentadue is located in northern Sonoma in the Alexander Valley appellation. It is right down the street from both the Clos du Bois and Francis Ford Coppola wineries. As we turned into the entrance and followed the gravelly road to the winery, we were surrounded by old vines. The winery is a Tuscan style complex with a small fountain and some stone columns out in front of the entrance. The property that the Trentadue Winery is located on has been around since 1868.   At the time, a botanist by the name of Andrew Bouton created a nursery to breed different strains of fruit trees. The present owners, the Trentadue family, purchased the property in the late 1950s and began planting new Carignane vines in addition to the 68 acres of vines that were already growing there. These vines today are among the oldest Carignane vineyards in America. Leo Trentadue went on to plant 8 other varietals in 1974, including Sangiovese. In 1987, Leo encouraged his winemaker to start experimenting in fortified wine, producing their first Petite Sirah port.

Old gnarly vines at Trentadue Winery

Old gnarly vines at Trentadue Winery

Today, Trentadue continues to produce a number of different varietals including Viognier, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, and Sangiovese. They also produce several ports in addition to Chocolate Amore. Inside the tasting room they offer tastings of all of their wines. In the center of the tasting room is a U-shaped bar. It is a decent size, but the place was crowded when I visited toward the end of the day. There were a couple of servers behind the bar, but only one gentleman was really paying attention to all of the people surrounding the bar.   The other woman was focused on something else and it took a few minutes before anyone noticed that we were waiting to be served. I decided to focus my attention on the ports since the chocolate port is what convinced me to visit in the first place. My husband agreed to share the port tasting with me even though he doesn’t typically like port. In hindsight, I wish I had tried some of the other wines as well.   Sampling 4 ports in a row was a little too much for me.

For anyone interested in visiting the winery, this place does have more to offer outside of their tasting room. They host weddings and other events. The outdoor area provides views of the surrounding vineyards, mountains, shaded gardens, redwood trees, and expansive lawns.   They also offer gondola tours through the vineyards.

Alpha Omega

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Alpha Omega Winery

Alpha Omega Winery

1155 Mee Ln, St Helena, CA 94574

Website: http://www.aowinery.com/

Alpha Omega is one of the more modern wineries located off of Highway 29 in Rutherford. The winery is a contemporary farm-style building with a large farmer’s porch entrance and beautiful outdoor terrace. Owners Robin and Michelle Baggett purchased the former Esquisse Winery in 2006 and remodeled it. Robin is an entrepreneur who produced grapes of his own for several decades before buying the winery. After purchasing the winery, they hired a young, Swiss winemaker named Jean Hoefliger from Newton Vineyard. They also signed on the world famous wine consultant Michel Rolland as Hoefliger’s mentor. The two men worked together previously at Newton Vineyard. Some of Rolland’s other clients include cult wineries Screaming Eagle, Bryant, Harlan and Dalla Valle, just to name a few.

The tasting room at Alpha Omega

The tasting room at Alpha Omega

I sort of stumbled upon this winery during one of my visits to Napa. My husband and I were traveling between Cakebread Cellars and Raymond Vineyards and had some extra time before our next reservation, so we decided to try out a new winery. The first thing I noticed when we pulled into the parking lot was the large fountain and reflection pond. It was almost a contrast to the farm-style building where the tasting room resides. However, the interior tasting room was very modern and classy looking. The room is covered in light wood paneling. There is a large rectangular bar in the center of the room with wood paneled sides and a white marble countertop. The lighting above the bar gave a feeling of being in a lodge. To the left of the bar were windows looking out onto the outdoor terrace and seating area right next to the pond and fountain. These windows brought lots of sunlight into the tasting room. There were also some private seating areas separated from the main tasting area by large wooden, sliding farm doors.

Our server was a nice, down to earth guy but he made some comments during the tasting about some of the nearby wineries that made him come across as a bit arrogant. Granted, Alpha Omega did have an elegant air to it and the wines were very nice. I thought the 2009 Napa Valley Chardonnay, 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010 Beckstoffer Georges III Napa Valley, 2010 Beckstoffer To Kalon South Blocks Napa Valley, and Stagecoach Napa Valley were all complex, exceptional wines. However, all of the wines on the tasting menu, with the exception of the Rosé, were very pricey. The Beckstoffer and Stagecoach wines are not typically part of the tasting menu but our server let us sample some because I think he was hoping we’d purchase it. Each bottle goes for around $150 and they are only sold in packs of three. I opted to take home the much less expensive Rosé and Chardonnay instead.

Alpha Omega's outdoor patio

Alpha Omega’s outdoor patio

Besides having a nice tasting room and lovely wines, the outdoor terrace and fountain are also a reason to visit this winery. There is lots of seating on the terrace. Part of the seating area is beneath an awning extending from the side of the tasting room. The other portion of seating between the awning and pond is shaded by trees. It’s a relaxing setting despite the fact that the winery is not far off of busy Highway 29.

The fountains at Alpha Omega

The fountains at Alpha Omega

Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery

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Gary Farrell Vineyard & Winery

Gary Farrell Vineyard & Winery

110701 Westside Rd., Healdsburg, CA

Website: http://www.garyfarrellwinery.com/

Fans of the book or movie Sideways might recognize Gary Farrell as one of the wineries that Miles and Jack visited. Despite the mention in Sideways, this winery has been highly acclaimed for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnays by wine magazines and wine enthusiasts. Gary Farrell is located in the Russian River Valley. The two reasons I would recommend someone to this winery is its beautiful setting and great Pinot Noir.

Gary Farrell, the original owner, started making wine in the Russian River Valley in the 1970s. He produced the first Gary Farrell label wine in 1982. Gary is the one who deserves the credit for creating the small-lot Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that made the winery so successful. I learned an interesting fact when I visited that this winery does not have its own vineyard. All of the grapes are sourced from other places. Granted, the grapes come from well-known properties like Rochioli up the street. Gary built the state-of-the-art winery and tasting room in 2000. Sadly, he sold the winery to The Vincraft Group in 2004. The Vincraft Group has tried to maintain the same small lot style that Gary produced.

Gary Farrell's tasting room

Gary Farrell’s tasting room

At the entrance to the winery is a gate and stone wall with a Gary Farrell sign. We drove up a short driveway to get to the winery parking lot. The winery is located atop a hill with spectacular views of the valley below. The tasting room is spacious with a wood paneled u-shaped bar that extends along the left side of the room. Behind the tasting bar are windows from ceiling to floor that look out on the beautiful setting. During the summer, the winery also offers private tastings on the terrace by appointment. In the winter, guests can pull up a seat next to the fireplace for a fireside tasting.

The tasting room was quiet when I visited. There were a couple of other small groups there at the time, but the room is so spacious that my husband and I had our own corner of the bar to ourselves. We each did a tasting to share and sampled a Sauvignon Blanc, a couple of Chardonnays, three Pinot Noirs, and a Zinfandel. I was a big fan of all of the Pinot Noirs. Even though Gary Farrell is no longer making them, they are still high quality. The lasting memory I have of this winery is looking out at the gorgeous view while sipping lovely Pinot Noir. That’s worth the visit!

The scenery outside of Gary Farrell Winery

The scenery outside of Gary Farrell Winery