Category Archives: Sonoma Valley

Arrowood Vineyards

Leave a reply
Arrowood Vineyards

Arrowood Vineyards

14347 Hwy 12, Glen Ellen, CA 95442

Website: http://www.arrowoodvineyards.com/

Arrowood Winery is located in lower Sonoma off Sonoma Highway 12 in Glen Ellen.  It is right behind Imagery Winery.  The winery actually looks like someone’s home from the exterior with gray siding and white trim. There is a huge veranda that wraps around the front.  To get to the tasting room there is little bit of a hike up the walkway and steps to the entrance.  As you follow the pathway you will pass by some vines and beautiful roses and greenery. 

Arrowood Tasting Room

Arrowood Tasting Room

Inside the tasting room has a modern lodge feel with polished wood floors, cream colored walls, a fireplace and comfy leather armchairs.  There are a couple of candle chandeliers hanging from ceiling.  The tasting bar has a dark wood frame with a marble countertop and it is situated in front of a large window looking out toward the vineyard.  The area is very spacious and can accommodate 8 to 10 people comfortably at the tasting bar.There is also a private tasting room upstairs with a long wood table that can seat 10.  It resembles a dining room and has an open railing looking down over the tasting room below. 

 

Arrowood's Private Tasting Room

Arrowood’s Private Tasting Room

When we arrived we were given the option to do a tasting at the bar inside or go outside on the veranda.  It was a beautiful day and the veranda was very inviting.  There were a number of benches and tables for couples and small groups.  We grabbed a high top table looking out toward Sonoma Highway.  We had a very pretty view of the vines straight ahead and could see the mountains in the distance.  I really loved getting to sit on the huge veranda taking in the surroundings. 

Arrowood produces 100% Sonoma wines.  Their signature wine is Cabernet Sauvignon which they make from different vineyards in Knights Valley, Alexander Valley, and Sonoma Valley.  This winery was founded in 1986.  It has been a part of Jackson Family Wines since 2006.  They also produce other varietals like Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Chardonnay, Merlot, Malbec, and a Proprietary Red Blend.  There are a few different tasting options available aside from the traditional tasting that my husband and I tried.  The options include a private tasting where guests can sample limited release and library wines, or guests can select a cheese and wine pairing.

To sum up my experience, I liked the casual atmosphere and roominess of the winery.  I also felt the wines were casual, easy drinking but still high quality.  I enjoyed the Merlot and Justi Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon the best from my tasting experience.

The view from Arrowood

The view from Arrowood

Hawley Tasting Room

Leave a reply
Hawley Tasting Room and Gallery in downtown Healdsburg

Hawley Tasting Room and Gallery in downtown Healdsburg

 

36 North St, Healdsburg, CA 95448

Website: https://hawleywine.com/

I visited the Hawley tasting room in downtown Healdsburg upon a recommendation from our tour guide at Bella Winery.  I believe in the adage to “always trust the locals”.  Hawley Vineyards and Winery is actually located in Dry Creek Valley.  The property sits 1000 ft. above sea level on Bradford Mountain. Ten acres of the estate are planted to Merlot, Cabernet, Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Viognier. This winery is owned by John and Dana Hawley who moved onto the property in 1975.  The vineyard at the time was rundown.  John tried to produce wine from the vines with not much success.  He ended up tearing them out and starting over. Between 1990 and 1996 John worked as chief winemaker for Kendall Jackson.  The Merlot from his property was the core of Kendall Jackson’s reserve program.  John produced the first vintage under the Hawley label in 1995.  The winery became certified organic in 2006.

 

Hawley Tasting Room

Hawley Tasting Roomn

The tasting room and gallery is located off a side street in downtown Healdsburg.  The tasting room is modest with artwork by Dana Hawley and wine barrel furniture built by their son Austin. The tasting experience was reasonably priced, offering a taste of 4 wines for $10 or all 9 wines for $20.  The tasting room has a rustic, cozy feel.  The space isn’t incredibly large, but there is enough seating for a few groups of people at a time.  I thought the tasting bar made from barrel staves was pretty cool.  In the center of the space were some stools and a wooden table.  There was also a wooden park bench and a couple of comfy leather chairs. There were also a few wine barrel Adirondack chairs outside the front door of the tasting room for those who prefer to hang outside. Dana’s artwork was displayed on the walls.  Both the artwork and some of the furniture were available for purchase.  The estate is not open to the public, but they do offer vineyard tours and experiences by reservation, such as a blending class or picnic.

I really enjoyed all of the wines. My husband and I sampled their flagship Viogner with lovely citrus flavors, a delightfully light Chardonnay, a fruity Pinot Nori, and a jammy Zinfandel.  We took some home with us and left feeling grateful for the recommendation to visit.

Ty Caton Tasting Room

Leave a reply

 

Ty Caton Tasting Room

Ty Caton Tasting Room

8910 Sonoma Hwy, Kenwood, CA 95452

Website: https://www.tycaton.com/

Ty Caton Vineyards has a small tasting room in Kenwood.  One of the benefits of this location is that it is in the central part of lower Sonoma Valley.  It is possible to spend an afternoon visiting several wineries in this one area without having to drive more than 1 or 2 miles.  The Ty Caton tasting room is part of a small plaza off of Highway 12.  An additional bonus of this tasting room is that is it open until 6 p.m. and many of the surrounding wineries close by 4:30 p.m. or 5 p.m.

I enjoyed my visit to this tasting room because it is cozy and inviting.  The building from the outside doesn’t look like anything special with its brown paneling and red roof.  There are some wine barrels out front signifying that this is a tasting room.  As I stepped inside, I felt like I was walking into someone’s home.  Within the entryway are some bookshelves filled with wine bottles and other wine paraphernalia, and there is a staircase leading up to a second floor.  The place is very bright with light yellow walls and lots of windows.  Straight ahead in the next room is a long tasting counter that stretches almost the full length of the room and can accommodate a large group of people at one time.  There was one girl working behind the counter when we walked in and she was very welcoming.  She seemed to be genuinely excited about her job and the wines she was pouring.  

The tasting menu included quite a few wines.  Ty Caton’s focus is on big red wines, like Cabernet Sauvignon and red blends.  His most popular red blend, and my personal favorite, is called TyTanium which is a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Merlot, and Malbec.  I don’t recall exactly how many different wines I was permitted to select from the menu as part of the tasting fee.  My husband and I each purchased a tasting and were sampling each other’s wine so we could try more of them.  It turned out that we sampled almost every wine on the menu.  Good thing this was our last tasting room of the day!  I grabbed a bottle of water and headed straight to dinner afterwards to sober up from all of the wine that I drank.