First post on the forum, but I have referenced several discussions in the past - thank you for the wealth of knowledge posted here!
My wife and I are what I’d describe as amateur/very green wine lovers; we are really just beginning our wine journey. We reside in Southern California, got engaged in Sta. Rita Hills and married in Rutherford. Our favorite wine region to date has been Sta. Rita Hills. We really enjoy the expression of Pinot that Raj is making at DDLC as well as the Hilt and Brewer Clifton and some of the Chardonnay coming from the region is lovely as well. We also enjoy some of what we term (in our admittedly very limited experience) as more “restrained” cabs from Northern CA. We are members at Promontory, Lokoya, PM and Ridge up there. I also admit that I fell in love with Chave Hermitage and have been searching for a Northern Rhône style wine in CA that is at least somewhat similar ever since.
All of this overly wordy intro is to say, we will be celebrating our first anniversary this summer with a 1.5 week vacation through various CA wine countries. I’ve listed out the current itinerary below. Are there any big things that we can’t miss based on the greater experience of the larger forum? Any tips would be well appreciated!
Santa Barbara Wine Country
Paul Lato
Sanford
Brewer-Clifton
Holus Bolus
Tyler
The Hilt
We unfortunately could not get DDLC
Paso Robles (only one night):
Torrin
Booker
Napa:
Promontory
Lokoya
Peter Michael
Zeitlos
Sonoma:
Occidental or Peay (trying my best for one or the other but we are going in August which is a tough time for them)
Fort Ross
Santa Cruz:
Ridge
Is there anything that you’d recommend in addition to the above?
Tommy…Congratulations on your anniversary. I hope you receive a lot of feedback, though I anticipate a common theme is that you are proposing to hit a high number of wineries in 10 days. We used to aim for 3/day on tight trips…you can burn out at that pace over rhe course of several days. Suggest building in a “detox” day or two to hit the pool, spa, etc.
As for wineries, based on your backstory perhaps consider Walter Hansel and messaging board member Will Segui to try Rivers Marie and William & Mary. Biale is another…great spot at the end of the day to watch the sunset from the back porch.
In SBC, I always have a great time at the Dragonette winery (not tasting room) tasting. In Napa, there is a lot of great stuff, but I think the Mayacamas estate tour and tasting is a can’t miss experience.
Thanks, much, Adam! We do have one detox day. Spa and a lovely dinner at SingleThread. Our travel day from Paso to Napa will also not feature a winery. All in, with the exception of one day, we are shooting for two per day on 12 days of total trip.
Appreciate the recommendations as well! I’ll give those three a harder look.
Between those 3, what would you say is the one I should focus on? We are getting a bit on the high end of wineries so just wanted to rank them by level of effort.
Peay at the winery, or out at the vineyard? Either is great, but a vineyard visit would probably be the highlight of your entire trip. I’m a little biased, because they are one of my favorite California producers. It’s a bit of a drive, espec for your passenger on the windy road, but the vineyard is beautiful and the wines are some of the best in California. Would take up most of the day, but worth it.
To be clear, the Dragonette winery visit is to what is basically a warehouse, not a vineyard, but it’s a much more intimate and private experience compared to the tasting room, and they open a nicer selection of bottles.
Based on style preference for more restrained Cabs I’d recommend trying to work Frogs Leap into your schedule. Really great Rutherford Cab, Merlot, field blend, etc. We loved our tasting there. If you eat at Farmstead in St Helena save some time to do a quick tasting of Long Meadow Ranch wines in the general store attached to the restaurant. These would also appeal to you. Their Rutherford Estate Cab is excellent.
If you have time in Sonoma I’d recommend a tour/tasting to Littorai. Brilliant wines in a style that would appeal to you .
SBC - Hopefully you get to do the Bells x Tyler thing. If not try to get a dinner at Bells.
Wine wise; maybe Chanin & of course you can do the Sandhi Celler Experience;
Napa - Matthiasson
Sonoma - Try to get into Ceritas & Arnot - Roberts
Unfortunately we are there the wrong weekend for the Bells x Tyler lunch. I’ve wanted to try many times. We have a table at Bells though. What is the difference between the Sandhi Cellar experience and the regular tasting in the wine ghetto?
For Paso: if you like Rhone, could be interesting to check out Tablas Creek. They have the rhone connection and it’s a fun visit, very nice facility with a broad range of wines.
Also recommend Giornata in Paso, I like their Italian varietals. And they have a market and now restaurant, Etto, that focuses on their pasta brand.
For Sonoma: Joseph Swan is an OG, their wines were one of our favorites from the area. I’ve also liked Gros Ventre for Pinot but never visited.
For Santa Cruz: Thomas Fogarty is sorta close to Ridge.
Never done the sandhi cellar yet, just regular sandhi and ddlc twice. From what I read it’s Sandhi at the actual winery (so down the block) where you will try things bottled and out of barrels.
When we did ddlc many years ago it was out of barrels + vineyard tour. Maybe they’ll sneak a sample of a ddlc in barrel idk?
I’d spend a little less time in Santa Barbara and shift that time to Paso Robles to see more of the area. We’ve spent weeks in the Paso area exploring. You’re also more likely to find that elusive Northern Rhone syrah in that area. My two cents worth.
Thanks, that is a good idea as our time in Paso is the shortest. Right now we have Booker and Torrin booked. I see Clos Selene and Tablas Creek recommended as well. Are there any others we shouldn’t miss that you’d say are closer to Northern Rhône in style?