Author Archives: Cathy Gartley

Long Meadow Ranch

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Long Meadow Ranch

Long Meadow Ranch

738 Main Street, St. Helena, CA 94574

Website: http://www.longmeadowranch.com/

The tasting room for Long Meadow Ranch is near the center of downtown St. Helena next to Louis M. Martini. Although it is located off of probably the busiest area of Highway 29, the tasting room was quiet when I visited. We parked outside the white picket fence and walked along the path past a gazebo to the tasting room located inside the historic Logan-Ives House. The Logan-Ives House is a restored gothic revival farm house built in 1874. The outdoor area is shaded by trees, which makes you forget about all of the St. Helena hussle and bustle just on the other side of the property. There was a nice little picnic area outside of the tasting room. It felt more like we were visiting someone’s home than a winery.

Long Meadow Ranch has been owned by the Hall family (Ted, Laddie, and Chris) since 1989. Ted was raised in a small farming community in western PA, went to high school in Texas where he met Laddie, and started making wine along with two Stanford University classmates in 1971. That passion for making wine drove him in the 1980s to look for a place for his family to start their own winery. The Hall family bought the property in 1991 and had their first vintage in 1994. In the 20 years since the Hall family purchased the property they have created Long Meadow Ranch & Affiliates, a group of family-owned companies producing ultra-premium wine, extra virgin olive oil, grass-fed beef, and organic fruits and vegetables. The family runs a Farmers Market on the property.

Long Meadow Ranch Tasting Room

Long Meadow Ranch Tasting Room

The tasting room and bar inside the Logan-Ives House is spacious. There is an area with food and gift items produced from Long Meadow’s farm. Visitors can come by to sample both wine and olive oil, no reservations are needed. There is also a family owned farm-to-table restaurant on the property. The wine and food is sourced from three estates – Mayacamas Estate, Rutherford Estate, and Long Meadow Ranch Winery estate. The family owns 650 acres in the Mayacamas.

Long Meadow Ranch Gift Shop

Long Meadow Ranch Gift Shop

I did the wine and olive tasting when I visited. The tasting included 4 wines plus samples of their olive oil. I enjoyed all of the wines I tried, in particular the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon. I found it was rich in blackberries, black cherries, and plum. It was extremely smooth. I also enjoyed the E.J. Church Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve which is 100% cabernet sauvignon produced from the highest vineyard on the property. There were only 130-140 cases produced.

This winery also offers a Mayacamas Estate or Chef’s Table experience by reservation. The Mayacamas Estate Experience includes a tour of the vineyards and caves and an introduction to some limited production estate wines. The Chef’s Table experience provides a chance to meet the estate’s chef and enjoy a multi-course meal and wine pairing.

Deerfield Ranch Winery

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Deerfield Ranch Winery

Deerfield Ranch Winery

10200 Sonoma Hwy, Kenwood, CA 95452

Website: http://www.deerfieldranch.com/

The words that come to mind when I think of Deerfield Ranch are “interesting” and “eclectic”. I had mixed emotions about my visit to this winery. The best way to explain what I mean by this is to describe what I experienced on my visit.

Deerfield Ranch is located in the Kenwood area of Sonoma Valley off of Highway 12. The winery is a bit off the main road hidden behind some vines. The entrance is marked by a sign nailed to a couple of wooden posts with some wine barrels beside it. Along the short drive past the vineyard to the parking area guests are greeted by a couple of tall metal giraffes sitting on a patch of land in the middle of a pool of water. The road leads to a small parking area between some vines and the winery building. When we got out of the car we weren’t sure where to go to get to the tasting room. If there were signs indicating the way we missed them. We walked up to the first door we saw that led to one end of the wine cave and had signs pointing to the restrooms. After walking a little ways into the cave, we felt like we were not in the right place and went back outside. That’s when we saw some people at the other side of the building and ventured in that direction. Then we came upon the actual entrance to the cave and tasting room.

Entrance to wine cave at Deerfield Ranch

Entrance to wine cave at Deerfield Ranch

The tasting room is located in the center of the cave. I like the unique concept of having a public tasting room inside the cave. Some other wineries offer tastings in their caves but it is often as part of a private tour or reservation. In the middle of the cave there was an area carved out with tables and seats. The tasting area was pretty well lit with soft lighting and had a cozy feel. One of the people working there informed us briefly that we could have a seat and someone would come over to review the tasting menu with us. Service was a bit slow and I wish that the lady pouring for us had provided more education about the wines.

Deerfield Ranch tasting room in the wine cave

Deerfield Ranch tasting room in the wine cave

Deerfield Ranch is one of only a few certified organic wineries in Sonoma. They have a broad selection of wines including Rosé, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Zinfandel, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, several red blends, and a Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc. With a selection like this, it makes me question what style of wine they are trying to produce. I wasn’t impressed with the white wines and rosé and I think that influenced my opinion for the remainder of the tasting even though the wines did get better as we progressed to the red blends.  Although I enjoyed the laid back atmosphere in the wine cave, I was starting to get annoyed that it was taking so long to wrap up our tasting. There were only a few other people in the cave at the time. I do blame some of my annoyance on myself because I think the intent of this winery is to provide a quiet, casual wine tasting experience and I was simply looking to sample the wines and get out.

In summary, this winery has a mix of rustic and modern charm. The welcome sign, winery complex and vineyards look rustic, but the metal giraffes and tasting room seem more modern. There are some good characteristics of the winery, including the fact that they are certified organic. There are some really nice views of the valley from the parking area and the tasting room inside the wine cave provides a unique experience. Additionally, they provide a wide variety of wines. It is an interesting place to visit if someone is looking for something a little outside of the norm.

A view of Sonoma Valley from Deerfield Ranch

A view of Sonoma Valley from Deerfield Ranch

Whitehall Lane

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Whitehall Lane Winery

Whitehall Lane Winery

1563 St Helena Hwy, St Helena, CA 94574

Website: http://www.whitehalllane.com/

Whitehall Lane is a small, family owned winery in Rutherford. The winery was started by two brothers in 1979 and named after the road that runs along the south border of the property. At the time, winemaking was dedicated to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The winery was purchased by the current owners, the Leonardi family, in 1993. The family is from San Francisco and consists of proprietor Tom Leonardi Sr., his wife and five kids. The Leonardi’s upgraded the winery with a barrel aging program and state-of-the art equipment and expanded from one vineyard to six. Today the winery sells their wines internationally and has received a number of accolades from well-known wine magazines like Wine Spectator and Wine and Spirits Magazine based on the quality of their wines.

Whitehall Lane Tasting Room

Whitehall Lane Tasting Room

Today, Whitehall Lane focuses its wine production on Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Reserve wines. Their Current Release tasting menu includes each varietal and a couple of Reserve wines. Whitehall Lane also offers a tasting of their Reserve only wines. When I visited I split a tasting with my husband and sister and sampled all of the wines offered on the Current Release menu. I found them all to be pleasing. One of my personal favorites was the Belmuscato Estate Dessert Wine.

The exterior of the winery has a modern look with some vines surrounding the parking area. There is a pergola covered in vines and purple flowers leading from the parking lot to the entrance that adds a little Tuscan charm. The greenery and flowers are very pretty when they are in bloom and provide a nice contrast to the yellow stucco façade of the winery.

Whitehall Lane Tasting Bar

Whitehall Lane Tasting Bar

The interior of the tasting room is a little rustic and refined at the same time. The walls are stark white with minimal decorations and the tasting room feels wide open. The tasting bar is to the left of the entrance. The bar itself it made of black wood panels that resemble the siding of a barn. The bar is L-shaped with a good amount of room to fit several small groups of people at one time. In front of the bar is a large glass window that looks into the fermentation room. On the wall behind the bar is a beautiful panoramic photo of the vineyards. Our server mentioned that she was new.  Regardless, she was very friendly and helpful. A couple of the other servers around her were willing to help out when we had questions she was unsure of. We visited toward the end of the day and the atmosphere was inviting and relaxing.

This winery is open to the public until 6 p.m., although the last tasting begins at 5:30 p.m. The winery offers tours twice a day for a very reasonable fee that includes a walk through the vineyard patio, fermentation cellars, crush pad, barrel room and wine library. The winery also offers seated tastings that can be paired with food in the Club Room by appointment. Whitehall will allow guests to picnic in the small, Tuscan inspired garden in their estate vineyard by appointment. The garden, Barrel Room, Reserve Room, and Club Room can be booked for private events as well. See their website for details.