23355 Millerick Rd, Sonoma, CA 95476

Website: http://www.larsonfamilywinery.com/

One of the things that I really love about visiting wine country is that there are so many “unknown” wineries waiting to be discovered.  When I say unknown, I mean that back on the east coast where I’m from you don’t see the brand name in local stores or restaurants. Larson Family Vineyards is one of those wineries that I never would have thought to visit if I weren’t looking at the Sonoma wine map for places I hadn’t been to yet.  If you haven’t heard of Larson Family Vineyards and you are going to be in Carneros, you should look them up.

There is lots of history in the Larson property.  It used to be the Embarcadero in the early 1800s and the gateway to Sonoma Valley.  A steamboat captain named Stoffen built a house on the property in the mid-1800s.  The house still stands and is now called the Captain’s House.  It can be rented with four bedrooms, 2 full baths, and a gourmet kitchen.  Michael Millerick bought the house along with 120 acres in 1899.  Millerick is the name of the road that the winery is on.  Michael was the great grandfather of Tom Larson.  He raised dairy cattle on the property.  Between 1929 to the 1950’s, Millerick Ranch was the site of the Sonoma Rodeo each year with 8,000 people would come to partake in the event.  Tom Larson and his father Bob planted Chardonnay in 1977.  Tom founded the winery in 1988 after completing a degree at U.C. Davis, and the rest is history. 

 

Larson has a real down home feel.  On the way in we drove past some mailboxes onto a gravel driveway leading to the barn style tasting room.  There are fun wood signs along the way.  The sign on the way in said, “Wine just around the corner”, and as we were leaving the sign said “We miss you already”. We parked by a picket fence.  Behind us were some goats.  A friendly family black lab greeted us as we walked into the tasting room.  The interior is spacious. There are high ceilings with a ceiling fan and pendant lights hanging down.  The floors are wood and the tasting bar is made up of two long wood planks held up by wine barrels. 

Behind the tasting bar is a mural of the Sonoma Rodeo that spans the length of the wall.  The back doors lead to fermentation tanks on the right and a large picnic area on the left.  Straight ahead is the vineyard.  Some of the picnic tables are under a covered roof while others are out in the open.  There is also an area for bocce ball and cornhole. Guests can choose from an indoor or outdoor tasting.  The picnic tables can be reserved for two hours.  Inside the tasting room there are some food items, like mustards and crackers. 

What surprised me the most was how popular this place was!  The picnic area was full, including a bachelorette party.  Although there were really nice views outside, my husband and I decided to do our tasting inside because it was much quieter.

This is a dog friendly winery.  Not only does the family dog hang around the tasting room, other guests brought in their furry friends as well.  Larson Family has a pretty large selection of wines, including Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and a Meritage blend.  I enjoyed the 2012 Three Lab Cab and 2012 Larson Family Merlot the most and took a couple bottles home with me.  Even though this winery was very popular when I visited, it felt like a friendly family gathering.  I’m glad I found this place.