Author Archives: Cathy Gartley

Louis M. Martini

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Louis M. Martini Winery

Louis M. Martini Winery

254 St. Helena Highway, St. Helena, CA 94574

Website: http://www.louismartini.com/

Louis M. Martini Piazza behind he tasting room

Louis M. Martini Piazza behind he tasting room

The tasting room of Louis M. Martini is located just south of downtown St. Helena off Highway 29, across the street from Sutter Home. It is a small tasting room in comparison to many of the other wineries in Napa Valley, but don’t let its size fool you! This combined tasting room and gift shop can get busy as visitors stop in to sample the variety of Cabernet Sauvignons that the winery is well-known for. When the weather is nice, guests can opt to relax on the outdoor piazza shaded by a large vine-covered wall and bring their own picnic.

The Martini family has been specializing in making award winning Cabernet Sauvignon from vineyards in Napa and Sonoma counties for over 75 years. Louis M. Martini started by making sacramental wine in 1922 during the Prohibition years. He produced his first Cabernet Sauvignon wine in 1934 once Prohibition was repealed. Louis M. had studied winemaking in Italy and applied what he learned about blending grapes from different vineyards and using large wooden tanks for fermentation to the high quality cabernets that he produced throughout the 1940s – 1980s. The winery changed hands in 2002 when E. and J. Gallo purchased it. Today, Louis M. Martini’s grandson, Michael, is the 3rd generation winemaker and carries on the Martini winemaking traditions.

The one downside to this tasting room is that they don’t have a big vineyard on site. There are a few vines located outside the entrance of the tasting room. However, I definitely think their selection of Cabernet Sauvignon is worth stopping in for. Louis M. Martini also produces a Zinfandel, Malbec, Petite Sirah, and Moscato worth trying as well.

Benton Lane Winery

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Benton Lane Winery

Benton Lane Winery

23924 Territorial Highway, Monroe, OR 97456

Website: http://www.benton-lane.com/

My very first introduction to Oregon wine was a glass of Benton Lane Pinot Noir. I remember it fondly. It was almost 10 years ago and my friend Denise and I had a weekly tradition of having dinner and some wine at a local wine bar. We would head to the wine bar after work and always order fondue to share while having a glass or two of wine and listening to live jazz music. I really looked forward to our weekly outings. I was a wine newbie willing to try anything, but I usually preferred whites over reds. My friend Denise on the other hand loves big, bold reds. Pinot Noir was the one type of wine we could both agree on. One night we both decided we wanted to try something different and asked our server for a recommendation. That’s how we were introduced to Benton Lane. We immediately loved it and would often order it on repeat visits. We branched out a bit and tried some other Oregon wines that we also liked but kept coming back to Benton Lane. That wine got us talking about someday visiting Oregon.

Sadly our weekly tradition had to end when my friend moved to North Carolina with her family, but we have continued to stay in touch. We kept saying we should visit Oregon but had other family or work related commitments that prevented us from planning a trip. Finally we decided to do it and knew we had to visit Benton Lane. Although it was about an hour drive from where we were staying in Salem, we made the trek to Monroe on our first day in Oregon. The drive to the winery was very quiet and rural. As we drove down route 99, on each side of the road were flat fields that seemed to stretch on forever. We could see the mountains off in the distance. It was very picturesque. Unlike the more northern part of Willamette Valley where there are wineries in close proximity to each other, the wineries were much more dispersed.

Entrance to Benton Lane Winery

Entrance to Benton Lane Winery

The long drive to Benton Lane was well worth it for me because of the sentimental connection I have with the winery. For anyone else in the area I would recommend visiting because they have great Pinot Noir. I also discovered that they produce a lovely limited production Pinot Blanc as well as Pinot Gris. The winery is surrounded by acres of vines that is a very pretty sight to see. Denise and I were the only ones there when we arrived and it was so peaceful. The winery and tasting room is inside of a wood paneled building that looks like a farm house. The tasting area is sectioned into two areas. The first area that we immediately walked into has a small, simple wooden tasting bar that accommodates four people at a time. Off to the right was an area with a few gift items, like shirts, wine souvenirs, and jams.

Extra tasting area at Benton Lane

Extra tasting area at Benton Lane

To the left of the tasting bar is a second area that has a few tables and chairs for seated tastings. From that section there is a door that leads to the outdoor stone patio area with several tables and chairs shaded by a large tree and a fantastic view of the area. We chose to do a tasting at the bar and then walk around for some pictures. A nice couple from the area celebrating an anniversary joined us about mid-way through and they were the only people we saw while we were there. The Pinot Noir was just as good as we remembered and Denise and I were glad we could finally say we made it to the winery.

Benton Lane outdoor patio

Benton Lane outdoor patio

Gloria Ferrer

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Entrance to Gloria Ferrer Winery

Entrance to Gloria Ferrer Winery

23555 Arnold Dr., Sonoma, CA 95476

Website: http://www.gloriaferrer.com/

I had Gloria Ferrer on my list of wineries to visit for quite some time before I actually stopped in. I read good reviews online and in wine magazines about both their still and sparkling wines. I had also tried a couple of the sparkling wines at wine expos near my home.Each time I visited Sonoma, I drove by the winery on my way to other places but always seemed to run out of time on my itinerary.  This winery closes a little earlier than the other wineries in the vicinity. I also put off visiting the winery because their tasting experience works a little different from other places. Instead of offering a tasting flight, their sparkling wines can be sampled by the glass. Since I like being able to try multiple wines when I visit a new place I was hesitant to put this at the top of my list.  Finally, I didn’t want to put it off any longer and took my husband and sister along with me. My thought process was that if there were three of us each purchasing a glass of wine we would be able to sample each other’s, and hence it would be like getting a tasting flight. I regret that it took me so long to get to this winery because I really enjoyed the wines and experience.

Gloria Ferrer tasting room

Gloria Ferrer tasting room

Gloria Ferrer is located off of Highway 121 in the Carneros region of Sonoma. It is in close proximity to Viansa, Jacuzzi, and Cline wineries. Upon entering the driveway we drove past a vineyard to our left with the winery up on a hill in the background. This winery is owned by the Ferrer family who have been winegrowers in Spain since the 1500s. It is the same family that owns Freixenet, one of the world’s largest producers of méthode champeniose sparkling wine. José Ferrer started Gloria Ferrer winery in 1982 and named it after his wife who convinced him to purchase the property after visiting Carneros and writing her husband a letter about the beauty of the land that reminded her of Catalonia.

The winery looks like a villa surrounded by trees and vines. There wasn’t a whole lot to see at the winery but their one big selling point is the outdoor terrace with a gorgeous view looking out over Carneros. Gloria Ferrer does offer daily tours of their wine cave for a more in depth history and view of the winery. They also have an indoor tasting bar and seating area. However, most visitors are drawn to the terrace when the weather is nice. That’s where my husband, sister, and I headed when we arrived at the winery.

A view from the outdoor patio at Gloria Ferrer

A view from the outdoor patio at Gloria Ferrer

We sat down at one of the tables and a server brought us menus and a bowl of delicious spiced nuts. Their tasting menu includes a selection of several sparkling wines and some still wines served by the glass. We each ordered a glass of sparkling wine and leisurely sipped it while taking in the surrounding views. It was very relaxing and we loved the wine! The experience was more like having a nice lunch at a café with friends than the typical tasting room where everyone stands around the bar. I would stop in again when I am looking for a place to wind down and drink some good bubbly.