We recently visited the new winery location for Las Positas Vineyards in the former Deer Ridge Winery.  They remodeled the tasting room but left the grounds and architecture as it was.  Very nice mission style ambiance and extra friendly staff with a nice courtyard style picnic area and view.  Wines are excellent.  Las Positas has been in business for a few years and now have a full time tasting room.  When we arrived the owners were pouring which is a special treat.  Lots of info with the tasting.

We like vertical tastings of the same varietal from the same vineyard but different years so we purchased their 2008 and 2009 Livermore Chardonnays and tried them at home.   We paired them with thin sliced BBQ filet Mignon tacos and table grapes on our patio for a light lunch. There wasn’t a big difference in the wines considering the varied climate in those years.  Both were aged in French oak, the 2007 for 8 months and the 2008 for 10 months, so the 2007 had lighter oak flavor and aroma with the 2008 being medium.  Overall the 2007 was lighter but both had a good lingering finish, big vanilla nose with the usual apricot, apple and for me banana flavors.  We love the Burgundian style Chards and these are right in there with the top quality wines at $22 a bottle.

- Jim

I’ve blogged about Fenestra before and their very large wine selection, picnic area, and historical old barn winery. This winery isn’t to be missed! We just finished a bottle of their Lodi sourced Alvarelhao and I want to make a quick mention of it. This is a Portuguese wine that is rare in California. It has medium body with a light-medium nose and finish. I enjoyed the soft fruit and aromatic finish.

On its own it is interesting and enjoyable but we paired it with crab and shrimp and that makes this wine pop. I recommend dropping into Fenestra and trying this unusual wine. You may find it a treat.

- jim

We recently finished Tenuta’s 05 Livermore Syrah.  It is a full-bodied robust wine but doesn’t bite.  We found it interesting to explore from the nose through to the finish.  It oxidizes well and tasted great the second day the bottle was open.  Tenuta has some softer wines but big reds and the friendly tasting room staff are why we visit.

Tenuta Winery picnic area and tasting room

Tenuta’s cozy tasting room and long curved bar make an idea place for friends to gather to enjoy a tasting and conversation.

If the timing is right then catch Richard for his enthusiastic winery tour experience. OK, he gets pretty excited about the wines and the processes but he does calm down for questions.

Tenuta Vineyards was established in 2002 and today produces wines from a wide variety of  varietals such as Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet, Zinfandel, Primitivo, Syrah, Petite Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, and various blends. Tough to beat this great selection!

Tenuta  welcomes holiday parties, picnics, and other private events.  Live music often accompanies the public events.

- 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

Bent Creek Winery has a small tasting room and nice picnic areas at the end of a long driveway off a Livermore Valley, CA back road. The trouble with visiting Bent Creek is that it is wildly popular. The wines are good but it is also the romantic setting in a small canyon with an intimate and friendly tasting room that draws us, and so many others, to Bent Creek.

Katya and I recently visited a few Livermore Valley wineries with some popular wine Twitters. The tasting bar was crowded but the staff put our small group at a table on the back deck with a view of the little canyon and vineyards. I could have kicked back there all day. We were served a nice variety of their wines but for us one really stood out – their Cab / Syrah Red on Red blend.

I’m not sure where the subtle coffee comes from but we love it! Others in our group didn’t seem to enjoy it as much as we did. We tasted Red on Red again at home over the next few days and it remains interesting each day. It is definitely on our to buy list the next time we are in the Livermore Valley. We’ll enjoy a picnic lunch there on our next trip.

- jim