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+--- Thread: Calaveras County, CA? (/thread-15207.html)
- NorCalGirl - 05-07-2003
All set to visit Calaveras County wineries this Saturday (south of El Dorado and Amador but still in the foothills) and in looking over the wine association website realize that I haven't seen or tasted much of these wines. If someone out there has even tasted any please let me know your thoughts or suggestions.
Here are the wineries in the area: Domaine Becquet, French Hill, Chatom Vineyards, Gerber Vineyards/Laraine Wines, Ironstone Vineyards (only one I am familiar with!), Millaire Winery, Malvadino Vineyards, Zucca Mountain, Black Sheep Winery, Stevenot Winery.
If nothing else - I'll report back my experience...probably won't hit more than four.
- NorCalGirl - 05-12-2003
Either nobody else is familiar or nobody else is interested :-) Just in case though, I will make a few notes on my weekend in Calaveras County - And quick stop on the way home in Lodi to stock up a bit....
Was not the driver so I was at the mercy of others who bypassed a few stops I wanted to make. However, made it first to Chatom Vineyards where I tasted their selections of whites and reds but ultimately decided that I needed to go home with their Gitano (Sangiovese), a very light pleasant everyday drinking wine and the 99 Zinfandel - very representative of the sierra foothills zins...a lot of fruit a little peppery and just my style :-)
Next stop was Stevenot - up a one-lane winding road outside of Murphys that was quite busy considering the locale including a whole lot of people that never moved off their post holding up the tasting bar and didn't seem concerned that nobody else was having an easy time getting their pours! Anyhow - they have a HUGE variety of wine to taste. I bypassed the whites in the interest of time and still tasted 6-7 reds. Nothing that was overly interesting to me although they did have a Tempranillo that has apparently won 5 gold medals. However, if the room had not been so hot and the other visitors not so bothersome, I probably would have stayed awhile and found something I liked enough to take home.
Made the obligatory stop at Ironstone. Didn't taste - the wines are widely available here but the scenery is unbelieveable.
Unfortunately didn't have time to get to some others. If anyone else is going, the little main street of downtown Murphys has a number of tasting rooms mixed with galleries and shops but the Harley Davidson fun day on Saturday made it un-fun for anyone else to find a parking space in town while we where there and we had to miss them this time....
Had a glass of the Black Sheep Zinfandel at the golf club bar that afternoon (Saddle Creek - beautiful accomodations and golfing!) which was pleasant and a glass of Millaire Merlot which I thought was wonderful with my steak dinner. Lots of fruit with a nice chocolate taste on the finish.
On the way home yesterday, stopped in Lodi - which by the way is doing an OUTSTANDING job of putting together a nice wine-related tourist destination. Peirano is right on Hwy 99 and we love their Old Vine Zin and were down to the last bottle. They now have an entire line of Reserve wines that they are tasting in addition to their other wines, but once again this weekend, in the interest of time, couldn't get to them. Did, however, try their three zins to confirm our choice. They have a Primo zin which is very fruit forward, the 98 Old Vine Zin which has alot more spice to it and our old friend the 97 Old Vine Zin which seems to be the perfect blend of fruit and spice. We took more home....
Wanted to make a quick stop at Jesse's Grove in Lodi. I picked up one bottle of their Chardonnay in December at their open house and have been wanting more since I drank it! They were already closed, but Lodi has a Wine & Visitors Center (attached to a lovely hotel - Wine & Roses) that sells pretty much everything that is made or grown in the Lodi area so was able to locate the Chardonnay anyhow....
Would definately recommend either of these areas to anyone nearby or just "passing through". Lodi is much more of a cohesive, easy to travel area, but the surroundings in Calaveras county are too beautiful to pass up.
- Innkeeper - 05-12-2003
Sounds great.