We were recently surprised to find wineries in what was once one of our favorite fine art galleries in Yountville in the Napa Valley.  The gallery moved out for whatever reason and Cornerstone and Page moved in.

The Page Cellars tasting room in Yountville near the restaurant Jeanty.

Page has some very nice wine.  We just finished their Revolver brand 2006 Napa Valley Cab Franc.  It is full of life from the initial nose through the finish.  It held up very well over several days and was a treat each time we tasted it.  We love full-bodied wines with lots of nose and long finishes.  This wine meets those high standards.

Page is really into rock with some guitars from the stars and other memorabilia to peruse.  The tasting room music is soft so it doesn’t interfere with tasting.  I’ve heard a rumor that Carlos Santana hangs out in this tasting room.  If you are near Yountville check out the decor and ambiance at Page Cellars.

- jim

The less than attractive exterior of Domenico’s industrial building in San Carlos about 20 minutes south of SFO masks a nice interior and hospitality.  You taste their wines in a large warehouse but it has been decorated for events and of course wine barrels supply a warm ambiance.

Domenico has a rather large wine list that makes a trip there worthwhile.  I was impressed with their Super Tuscan among others.  This 2005 Amador blend of Sangiovese, Merlot, and Cab Sauv has a delicate but interesting nose, medium body, and a mild finish that still has flavors.  All the wines we tried were very good but we found the wines a bit soft for us.  That means that pretty much everyone else will love them

- Jim

Urban wineries, this one near Oakland, lack the incredible ambiance of say Dry Creek Valley.  That doesn’t mean they aren’t interesting to visit.  Periscope is in an old submarine plant near the San Francisco Bay in Emeryville just west of Oakland and Berkeley.  They make less than 5,000 cases with a focus on blended red wines and grapes from small family growers.

We brought home their 2006 Cab Sauv and tasted a little each of three days. It held up beautifully during that time.  We loved the oak, long finish, and light tannin.  This Cab is a blend of two Sierra Foothills grapes; 75% Cab and 25% Petite Verdot.

If you’re exploring SF Bay wineries we suggest Periscope for good wine at great prices plus hospitality.

- jim

Bonny Doon Vineyard had a tasting room in the mountains in the town of Bonny Doon.   A few years ago Randall Grahm moved his tasting room and winery to northern Santa Cruz.  The large tasting room doubles as a gourmet restaurant with private booths in large wine vats / barrels and a counter bar with a view of the kitchen activity.

Bonny Doon restaurant within the tasting room. Counter bar with a view of the kitchen action in the distance.

The menu is outstanding and interesting but we found that this place is not a well-kept secret.  In the evenings you should have reservations.  The ambiance is unusual but the metal barn is warmed up with a creative use of wine barrel decor and hospitality.

We just finished the Bonny Doon 2006 San Benito County Sangiovese.  It nicely meets our favorite taste profile of great nose, robust body, and long tasty finish. The label describes it as an “explosively delicious cherry bomb” and we agree.  It is a delight to explore.

I find that San Benito wines tend to be a bit more flavorful than other regions. This little county about 40 minutes south of San Jose has few wineries that are open to the public but wineries in the local regions create some great wines from the grapes.

The area around the winery is loaded with other fine wineries.  While the buildings are basic light industrial they are designed with more style than usual.  The attractiveness of the property gives you more ambiance than you would normally expect.  Definitely worth a visit!

- jim

We recently visited little family-owned Pinder Winery in an industrial building in Campbell, CA next to San Jose.  Sure, an industrial building isn’t our first choice for ambiance but Pinder is an excellent choice for wine and hospitality.

Pinder sources their grapes from a variety of vineyards from Temecula to Lodi and the nearby Santa Cruz Mountains.  This strategy gives tasters an interesting taste variety.  We enjoyed all of their wines and particularly the 2003 Lodi Merlot.  It is full of flavor, well-balanced nose, and an enjoyable and lingering finish. Prices are excellent for a winery with less than 500 case production.  If you are in the South Bay this winery is one of the most convenient and worth a visit.

- jim

Stage Left is a tiny winery in an Oakland industrial area that is only open the first Saturday of the month, usually.  While I wouldn’t make this a destination for winery ambiance it is perfect for a quickie day trip and a friendly tasting room.

They do all their harvesting and winemaking by hand and love experimenting. Don’t expect their wines to be predictable. Do expect them to be interesting.

Stage Left's Oakland tasting room. Not much ambiance but friendly.

We were mapping San Francisco East Bay and dropped in for a short visit and tasting. We found the wines to be rich, flavorful, and interesting to explore.  For this blog I brought home a bottle of their 2007 Paso Robles Syrah.

This is a top Syrah. It is an inky rich full-bodied wine that made us smile with delight with every sip. It was soft enough not to bite on the way down but hearty enough for the taste to linger will into the finish.

We intend to go back someday and more fully explore their selection.  We were in a hurry to finish mapping East Bay wineries and had to move right along.

- jim

Katya and I recently visited and mapped 7 wineries in the East San Francisco Bay cities of Emeryville, Oakland, and Alameda.  All are in declining industrial areas that offer the advantage of cheap space and proximity to a large population.  While Sonoma or Napa style ambiance is lacking in these wineries, the neighborhoods are no Dry Creek Valley, some of them fixed up their tasting rooms a bit.  All are in working wineries.

We now have almost all of the SF Bay Area urban wineries that are regularly open to the public in our region map for the area.

I’ll share with you some of the wines that we bought and drank.  Urbano Cellars makes a great 2005 Solano County old vine Zin.  Plenty of fruit, medium body, and old vine softness.  Dashe Cellars has a 2007 Petite Sirah from Alexander Valley that is thick, inky dark color, rich, and framed in oak.

The lively and quaint Irish Monkey tasting room in action.

While we enjoyed the people and wine in all the tasting rooms we visited we had the best time in the Irish Monkey Cellars tasting room.  We arrived late so the tasters were happier than earlier in the day.  Contributing to that was the personality of the vintner and tasting room staff.   While creating ambiance in an old industrial warehouse is challenging these folks have done a more than decent job.

Irish Monkey has a larger selection of wines than most, see their WineQuesters.com profile or Website, and we found all of the wines to be excellent.  We especially enjoyed their Fume Blanc from the El Dorado County in the Sierra Foothills and a full-body Primitivo from Lovell Valley, Napa.

We have one tasting room remaining to visit and map.  Rock Wall is on the old Alameda Navel Air Station somewhere near Rosenblum.  Actually, it is a Rosenblum family winery.  They recently opened for tastings on the weekends but I didn’t know about it until the day we returned from that mapping trip.  We need a biz excuse to return to that area anyway.

For convenience to major cities and airports you can’t beat the SF Bay Area urban wineries.  The wines are a delight, the staff and vintners excited to see you, and you don’t have to dedicate a big budget and a day for the visits.

- jim

I’ve tasted at quiet little Vino Tabi a couple of times.  The tasting room is in a working winery in a spiffed up industrial building.  It is in a very nice neighborhood though.  On one side is Bonny Doon Vineyards’ tasting room and restaurant and on the other are Sones and Santa Cruz Mountains wineries.  Across the drive is Silver Mountain’s tasting room and Pelican Ranch.

Vino Tabi's winery in Santa Cruz, California

We just finished a bottle of their 2007 Syrah. It and their other wines are hardy fruit-forward treats that are interesting to explore and the finish sticks around on your palate.  The grapes are sourced on the Central Coast, not the Santa Cruz Mountains.

There is a $5 tasting fee refundable with purchase and wine prices range from $22 to $25 with one Pinot at $39.  They offer Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and a Bordeaux blend.

The tasting room has winery ambiance, yes, all that equipment and barrels, with a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

The surrounding area has 8 wineries within walking distance with 6 within steps of Vino Tabi in north Santa Cruz.  There are nearby motels for your recovery. 

- jim

Tom Kruse moved to California and started his winery west of Gilroy in the southern Santa Clara Valley in 1972.  I first tasted his wines in the tasting room in 1974.  Somehow he recruited volunteers for his first harvest and that has been in his business model ever since. This past harvest we were waiting to volunteer for his Cab harvest but he was over-subscribed before we knew the date and we missed the party.

Tom’s winery is now east of Gilroy.  You taste in the working winery and the tasting “bar” is often staffed by volunteers on the weekends. Tom is usually wandering around and often has time for impromptu tours.

Katya learns Merlot harvesting from Tom Kruse.

This is about as close to a do-it-yourself winery as there is. You can help with harvest, crush, and bottling.  The BYOB event with food and music is always popular.  Bring your own bottles or buy them there and fill a case.

We believe Tom’s full-bodied wines are some of the best we’ve had anywhere. His unoaked Chard is bright and fresh.   His Cabs are robust from the nose to the finish but the tannins won’t burn your throat.  His Zin is consistently full of fruit and dry.  Merlot tends to have a little more body and flavor than most Merlots and we taste lots of them.

Prices for Tom’s wines are some of the lowest in the state.  Case specials as low as $5 a bottle aren’t rare.  The best deals are buying a case or more of course but even the bottle purchases won’t hurt.

For an old-time winery adventure stop by and see Tom.

- jim

Recently we drove to Livermore for a photo-shoot at Tenuta’s winery, a favorite.  Since we were in the area we decided to explore Deer Ridge Vineyards, a newer winery with nice Tuscan architecture.

Deer Ridge winery, tasting room, and events area.

Besides the pleasent ambiance and very friendly staff they have a nice choice of wines available.  In the last few days we’ve worked over their 2004 Livermore Valley Cab and a killer “Chocolate Silk” Port from Madera grapes. Their Port is VERY addicting

Their Cabs work for us. We like decent nose, full body, and a long finish. Wines have been softened so much for the broader market that we struggle to find interesting reds.

We enjoyed all of their wines but especially the Cabs, Merlot, Zin, and a Pinot with great aroma.  The selection should please most tasters.

The staff is friendly and talkative.  The tasting bar is curved and comfortable.  There is a little art gallery in the hall and sometimes in the meeting hall during events.  Outside is a patio with a nice view of the mountains.

Adjacent to the winery is an early California style  2 bedroom guest house.  It is new, beautiful, has a great view, and a large oak shelters it.  $375 for the first night is probably competitive. We would love to hang out there for a week – with a good stock of Deer Ridge wine.

- jim