Melville Winery
For the burgeoning oenophile, Melville Winery is a delight and education. While the winery boasts award winning Chardonnay, like most in this ideal appellation, it specializes in Pinot Noir.
Category Wineries
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Vineyard 29
An upside of travel is the many beautiful places we can visit. Few compare to the cultivated grandeur of Napa Valley. Of course, the reason we were there was no so much to look at the sprawling vineyards and grand tasting rooms but to actually taste the valley's celebrated export: wine. We came with one exceptional winery in mind: Vineyard 29. The consistently 90+ rated wines from this winery are the product not only of prime location but highly advanced technology used in sorting grapes and every other step in the fermentation and bottling process.
Nacimiento-Fergusson Road
So, we've been raving about Big Sur a bit. But here is the down side: rock slides. I'm sure you've heard plenty about them. The slide between Mud Creek and Salmon Creek Station is expected to close that portion of Highway 1 through 2018. That means no through-routes of Highway 1. For trailers and other large rigs, that means Highway 1 is an in-out trip starting in Northern California. But we have a truck camper and are taking the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road.⠀
Recovery, Wine Tasting, And Wandering The Forest
After a few days to recover from our wintery detour, we are ready to go exploring. Our first priority is to enjoy the Amador County wine region. Could we go wine tasting in Napa? Sure. But that is crowded and overexposed. There is plenty of fine wine to be discovered across California. And our hosts are well versed in their local wineries.
Pacific Star Winery
Once we had explored Glass Beach, it was time to head up the coast and inland to the redwoods. Yet, not far outside of Fort Bragg, we came across the Pacific Star Winery tasting room, perched atop the ocean bluffs. Along with its stunning views and pleasant owner, the winery sports a solid Tempranillo.
Willamette Valley
I'm not sure if Willamette Valley pinot just appeals to a different taste than mine or if the people of Oregon are getting ripped off. We've spent the last few days touring vineyards and tasting rooms across the Willamette Valley and expected more than what we experienced.
Red, Red Wine
Ah, Santa Barbara! Sure, I could say we visited for the cute downtown but who would we be kidding? It was all for the pinot noir. Though our wine tasting travails were limited, they were quite fruitful. It was for this reason, and this alone, that we had packed two coolers. One is for ice and food. The other is for wine.