Category Archives: Sonoma Valley

Mayo Family Winery

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Mayo Family Winery

Mayo Family Winery

13101 Arnold Dr, Glen Ellen, CA 95442

Website: http://www.mayofamilywinery.com/

Mayo Family Winery has three different locations in Sonoma Valley. The main tasting room is located in Glen Ellen. Mayo Family Reserve Room is located in Kenwood and offers seated wine and food pairings. The third tasting room is part of the Cellar Door tasting room on the grounds of the Lodge at Sonoma. The Glen Ellen tasting rooms is open until 6:30 p.m., later than most other wineries. That makes this tasting room a popular spot at the end of the day.

Mayo Family Winery was founded in 1993. It is currently run by owners Henry and Diane Mayo and their son Jeffrey. The winery focuses on producing small lot, single vineyard wines. Their wines are only sold online or in one of the tasting rooms. Mayo makes pretty much any varietal of red or white wine that can be grown in Napa or Sonoma, including sparkling wine and a port.

Mayo Family Tasting Room in Glen Ellen

Mayo Family Tasting Room in Glen Ellen

I visited the tasting room in Glen Ellen. From the outside it looks like a big, brown barn. There was a vintage car parked near the doorway to the tasting room. The tasting room inside is a large, open space with bright white walls and ceilings. The wood paneled tasting bar takes up one side of the room. The lighting and windows on the opposite side of the room make the space bright.

There were lots of people around the bar when I arrived but it didn’t feel crowded. The staff was friendly but we had a lot of time between each pour because the server kept leaving us to assist some other customers at the opposite end of bar. Although we understood that the other guests had arrived before us and there were too many people for us to get personalized service, we found ourselves standing around quite a while waiting for our server to come back so we could let her know what we wanted to try next. There were 10 different wines to choose from on the tasting menu. Between my husband and me, we tried 7-8 of them. My personal opinion was that the wines were not as high quality as many of the other wineries I have been to in the area. However, this winery does offer a lot of different varieties that the other wineries do not offer and their late hours make it accessible after the other wineries have closed for the day.

 

Dutton Estate Winery

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Dutton Estate

Dutton Estate

8757 Green Valley Rd, Sebastopol, CA 95472

Website: http://www.sebastopolvineyards.com/

Whenever I have some free time on my hands I am always looking for ways to read or learn more about wine.  I want to absorb everything I can about the wine regions, grape varietals, and history of wine.  I’ve come to the realization that I like learning about wine more than drinking it.  After having been to so many different wineries, I have built an appreciation for the source of the grapes and the grape growers.  I started off with a big misconception as a novice wine drinker that most wineries grow their own grapes.  In actuality, a lot of wineries in California purchase at least a portion of their grapes from other grape growers.

My interest in the grape growers is what drove me to visit Dutton Estate.  Time and again I see Dutton Ranch listed on the labels of various wines.  So, I decided to go to the source.  Dutton Estate is owned by Joe and Tracy Dutton. Joe grew up on the Dutton family ranch in the town of Graton. His parents started the ranch in 1964. Today, Joe is co-owner of the ranch which consists of 1150 acres of grapes within the Green Valley, Russian River Valley, and Sonoma Coast appellations. Dutton Ranch sells their grapes to approximately 60 wineries. Joe and Tracy started the Dutton Estate Winery in 1994. Tracy who also grew up in the area and helped to run her family’s farm, is now the President of Dutton Estate Winery and oversees the daily operations while Joe oversees Dutton Ranch.

Dutton Estate Tasting Room

Dutton Estate Tasting Room

Visiting Dutton Estate Winery was like stopping in at a relative’s family home. There were a few steps leading to the wooden door entrance decorated with a wreath. I could see there was a patio out back with a table and chairs. When we stepped inside it felt like we were walking into a dining room. There was a fireplace in one corner and a wooden hutch on the opposite side. Wooden floors, fabric curtains, and a couple of small tables with cushioned chairs added to the homey feel. To the left was an open area with the tasting bar a family picture of Joe, Tracy, and their three daughters hanging on the wall. We were the only people there at the time, likely because it was right after they opened in the morning.

Dutton Estate Winery

Dutton Estate Winery

A guy greeted us and asked if we would like to have some small bites to pair with our wine tasting. We declined at first saying we just finished breakfast, but then another woman came out from the back room where she was preparing the food and encouraged us to do it. I’m so glad we did because the bites paired perfectly with the wines. I enjoyed all of the wines we tried, which consisted of a couple Sauvignon Blancs, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and a late harvest Syrah.  A couple other people walked in as we were finishing up our tasting.

These are the types of wineries I really love to visit because it makes me appreciate the wine so much more when I’m learning about the people who are growing the perfect grapes, making the wine, and then matching the wine with the right food to accentuate its true qualities. We had a nice, quiet tasting as if we were invited guests. I have so much gratitude now for where the grapes come from when I see Dutton Ranch on a label.

Back patio at Dutton Estate

Back patio at Dutton Estate

Lynmar Estate

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Lynmar Estate Winery in Sonoma

Lynmar Estate Winery in Sonoma

3909 Frei Road, Sebastopol, CA 95472

Website: http://lynmarestate.com/

Lynmar Estate is a very unassuming winery in the Russian River Valley. The winery is well-known for its Pinot Noir. Lynn Fritz, a CEO of a global company, purchased the property in 1980 as a family retreat. Over the years he transformed it from a pasture to a vineyard and garden. The family began making small lots of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the 1990s, and the wines have received accolades from almost every popular wine magazine ever since.

When we pulled up to the winery, it felt like we were stopping in for a visit at someone’s family home. The winery has a wrap-around porch with a flat expanse of lawn out front. There is pretty shrubbery that separates the property from the road. The property is surrounded by vineyards to the right and behind it. On one side of the winery between the tasting room and back deck is an organic garden. At the time we were visiting one of the employees in the tasting room was telling guests to take some kale because they had an over-abundance of it.

The back deck at Lynmar

The back deck at Lynmar

Behind the tasting room is a large outdoor deck and seating area shaded by umbrellas, big enough to host events. The views of the surrounding landscape from the deck are beautiful.

By contrast, the interior of the tasting room looks modern. In the center of the room is a glassed in wine display with metal racks from ceiling to floor filled with wine bottles. When someone purchased some wine, one of the staff members would walk inside and grab the bottles off the shelves.

The tasting bar at Lynmar Winery

The tasting bar at Lynmar Winery

Between the wine display and the tasting bar was a section with comfy chairs for people to sit and relax while tasting. The floors are tiled and there’s an S-shaped tasting bar with a metal counter top on the far left side of the room when coming in from the back deck. Behind the tasting bar are windows that look out into the vineyard. There is also a cozy, private seating area set in front of a fireplace off to the side of the tasting bar. The coolest feature of the tasting room for me was the chair made out of corks that people could actually sit in. This winery had a very laid back atmosphere and the staff was very welcoming. People were encouraged to get a pour of one wine and roam around inside or outside, then return when they were ready for another pour.

If you are looking for someplace low key in the Russian River Valley area to hang out with a group of friends or family, this is a good place for it. Without a doubt you have to try the Pinots. That’s what this winery and the Russian River Valley has a reputation for. My personal favorite of the Pinots I tried was the 2011 Quail Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir made from a blend of 14 different clones from the property. It was full of berries with a soft, smooth finish. I was also a big fan of the 2010 Russian River Chardonnay with its light toastiness and vanilla cream taste. The light pink Rosé of Pinot Noir is a nice crisp wine for a warm day on the patio.