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

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

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.