Bob is amazing! I hate to write this review because I want this place to myself. Bob's palette…read moreis spot on and he makes wines he wants to drink. If you want wonderful, unique wines, where everyone is great in the bunch, then come here. But don't, cause he has limited supplies. So stay away!

Sign on the street says welcome...the host however was not welcoming at all. Winery owner was at a…read morelarge table doing a tasting for another group. We sat down and were completely ignored for over 10 minutes. Didn't even have the decency to look at us or let us know that he apparently was stopping tastings that day. Another person visiting informed me. Unbelievably rude.

Avanguardia was that rare experience when visiting a smaller wine region where you not only enjoy a…read morerelaxing afternoon with countryside views but the wines themselves are amazing and creative even for serious wine lovers and collectors. The winemaker-owner himself hosted us and had great stories to tell about the rare Italian varietals he works with plus wines including hybrid varieties from UC Davis' wine program. Other red blends combined better known Italian varietals like Barbera, Dolcetto and Montepuliciano with small amounts of those lesser known grapes. From Grass Valley drive in from Main Street and scenic Newton Road (rather than the unmaintained, high clearance gravel road that connects to Highway 49 on Google Maps). Or you can also enjoy their wines at a tasting room right on Mill Street pedestrian area in Grass Valley itself. As a wine lover myself I can't recommend them enough!

Love everything about this winery. Owner Rob Chrisman gave us some excellent tutelage on the…read morevarietal wines they offer. We tried 10 different wines-including white, red and sparkling-they were all excellent. Highly recommend visiting this winery-completely unique experience and wines in the area!

Shopping for another wine club... Love supporting the…read morelocals. Quality/Quantity - What a great find. I am a red drinker, you would know if you are following. I liked all three of their available reds; all of which had a fruity sweet flavor. Even the port was light and sweet; it did not have a strong alcohol taste. Atmosphere - Beautiful views!! And you can see as far as Tahoe. 13.5 miles off of 80, and you have to drive through some "back roads;" not an easy place to find. Good thing for 4-wheel drive and GPS. One of the few wineries in this area that is open 7 days a week from noon to 5pm; Thank you! Plenty of parking. You can also bring your own picnic baskets. :) It is so nice that you also host weddings here - 8 just last year! Service - Linda Clough (founder) is amazing. As we did not know our schedule today, we did not make an appointment, but I wanted to drive and check out the winery anyway. They let us in with no problems. :) The friendly employee greeted us as we entered the gate and called Linda to meet us at the tasting room. What service! Linda gave us a tasting, then suggested we get a glass while touring the vineyard. Then we relaxed on the patio overlooking the vineyards towards Lake Tahoe. What a great place to take a break from our road trips. We talked about our kids and that they both lived in Southern CA; I will be in Santa Monica in April, so hope to run into you there. :) Oh, and there is a friendly family dog who ended up joining us on the patio. Price - See pictures of the menu. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 2000, I am sure we will see each other again.

Really cute winery way up on the hillside near Grass Valley. My partner surprised me with a stop…read morehere on our last mini-vacay to Nevada City. A reservation was made in advance. The roads are slightly windy and mostly uphill to get here, if you get car sick you may want to take some dramamine beforehand. There is also a tasting room in downtown Grass Valley. There is a small tasting room and office across from the production area in the cul-de-sac entry. Linda was there to greet us upon arrival and gave us a background on each of the wines we tasted. We purchased a glass to enjoy in their beautiful picnic area and brought a lovely meal with us. We also had our two dogs with us, they thoroughly enjoyed themselves on the winery property (on-leash only, of course). The views from the picnic area are breathtaking! It was crystal clear on the day we visited, you can see all the way to Tahoe. Lots of tables to choose from on a large wooden platform surrounded by trees and vines, it was very peaceful and romantic. We enjoyed all of the wines we tried and bought a bottle of Cab Franc to take home. The sparkling Rosé was also really delicious and refreshing. Details -Open: Noon - 5 pm daily -$10 tasting fee/person -Make a reservation -Tasting fee reimbursed with bottle purchase -Dog friendly -Intimate and unique

My wife and I stopped in on a late Friday afternoon and the place was empty. The tasting room,…read morewhich is located in downtown Grass Valley, is very small and simple, but inviting. Our server was knowledgeable, friendly and offered some suggestions on places to eat in and around town. Then, there was the wine.....which did nothing for either of us. Its not bad, it is just not what we like or appreciate. The majority of what they pour are blends of unusual and uncommon grape varietals, so its hard to compare or judge the wines to others in the region. The tasting fee is $10 a person for five samples, however, from the list of wines you have to choose from, there were many unavailable because they were sold out. That situation left us feeling like we only got to taste what nobody else wanted. Overall it was just "OK", but we probably won't return.

Lovely wine tasting experience! The hostess was very welcoming and informative. The wines had some…read moreunusual varieties and very tasty. We especially enjoyed the Cristallo, apparently from an ancient Greek grape variety, and the Montepulciano, an Italian red wine variety.

An enjoyable tasting experience, with tasty estate wines. The facility is beautiful & the…read moreowner/winemaker is very personable. Definitely worth checking out, you won't be disappointed.

We had a fabulous time tasting wines at this little winery in the Sierra Foothills, right in our…read moreown backyard. The owner Guy was very knowledgeable, friendly, and quite fun to be around. He also makes delicious red wines, my favorite was his Cab Franc

Double Oak makes some phenomenal wines at affordable prices. They could easily charge double for…read moretheir product based on how they compare with other wineries in the area. They are an example for what wine drinking should be--Simple, inexpensive and local with a complex and delicious taste. Their Zin is superb and their cabernet and merlot are smooth and a great everyday wines. The $10-$15 prices range for their bottles makes it even better. Before even seeing the prices I was sold on their wines. I buy from them every year at the Auburn Wine fest and you can find their wines at Raleys and Total Wine. I have not made it to their tasting room yet but look forward to checking it out. The only thing I would ding them for is their label. People judge wines by their labels and theirs is boring. A graphic artist could really design something cool for them.

This is one of North San Juan Ridge's true gems! If you are a wine afficianado you will not want…read moreto miss visiting Double Oak for a tasting. The owners, Bob & Ginny, are kind and informative, and it feels like you are a guest when drinking in their delicious wines and generosity. Especially on a hot summer day, coming into their cool and welcoming tasting room feels like an oasis. There is also some local artwork displayed, and they have a friendly dog to greet you. My favorite is their Zinfandels, but the Chardonnay and Rose are also amazing.

I would recommend the wine bar downtown for Lucchesi, not the actual winery which is literally in…read morethe mountains . The picture of this location is a tad deceiving but the view from up top was absolutely stunning ! I'm sure back then it was awesome but it needs some major renovations & some major cleaning. My husband suggested this winery which was our 1st time visit w/ family. I think we were all a bit taken back by the tasting room which was run down , the only organized room was the wine on the racks , the bathroom was dirty & eeeeek :/ & very cold ! Our wine host was not present when we arrived & we did have a reservation. I can't remember his name but he was genuinely nice but he came in from the vineyard & wasn't like your typical wine host you find in Napa, Plymouth or Livermore or Auburn/Newcastle, Paseo Robles . I will simply say that if you're a wine snob this is definitely not the place to venture too. Once again if you're a wine snob the wines will probably not be appealing to your palate. The wines are decent, we did purchase a sparkling which was the best out of all the ones we tasted. I don't like sparkling wines & this one was fairly decent. Remember your 1st impression is also your last impression upon entering the impression has been made & your mind has already been made up ! I didn't take picture of the inside, Please visit the wine bar not the actual vineyard .

5 stars to the young lady serving us. She was personable and very informative…read more I just felt bad...Cuz the wine was... not great. Which makes me sad and such because Amador/Jackson is nearby and they are an old favorite Zin haunt for me... I mean well over a decade now. Anyway, the wine is... Not to my taste. Just.... No depth, no big CA kick, just... just what it is. Which isn't super great. I really wanted to like it. I mean you got some pool time drinking wine. But nothing to pour and curl up with. Nothing to to serve and romance with. Sigh. Tasting room was nice and had some live music. Instrumental type, background goodness. Nice staff. I actually feel bad because the wine was just truly not as it should be. Cost was ok for a taste and an experience.

Wow, first off we were visiting Oregon House for the second time, excited to check out hiking…read moretrails and local wineries. However when we researched this winery it said "Open" to the public & till 9pm. Also had a phone number that no one answered. So we decided to drive over and check it out ourselves. A Irish lady at a booth, was rude at first then said would you like a card to her ex husband "John" whom I guess pours and "owns" the wine. We left and came back a second time. She was talking about the "local" wineries are private or you have to have an appointment!? Phone numbers do not work. And the only place to "taste" the wine is Clover Cafe? Very odd and not normal coming from the Bay Area/Napa. "Renaissance wine" what's up with that wine? And that vineyard? Weird vibes and the lady at the gate when protecting this vineyard told me to go to Clover Cafe and made us seem like we couldn't afford the wine at their "private" winery! Seems like a cult and the town. She said something about the "Fellowship" I saw a bunch of white people in hatch back cars driving in and out and realized a lot of them were locals. Very odd that this winery is only opened by appointment to the locals and there hasn't been a review of this establishment for 6-7 years. Everything is named after Greek Gods of Apollo. Which also seemed odd. Somethings not right about this place.

Distinctive. It is not always a word that springs to mind when tasting wine. Or visiting yet…read moreanother California tasting room, for that matter. All too often, the wines offered to visitors start to look and taste the same, as do the facilities and even the vineyards where the grapes are grown. Big, rich, and extracted. Ripe, lush, and decadent. Robert Mondavi's oak-soaked legacy lives on, in Napa Valley, and beyond. Not so at Renaissance. Your wine palate here will be reborn. Your senses will be heightened. You will see things differently. The usual "wine words" will not activate automatically in your brain. Your sensory wine tasting memories will search in vain for something similar with which to compare, to judge, to rank, to rate. In the end, you will give up trying to put this place in its proper wine country box, because, as you suddenly realize, that box does not even exist. You decide to reboot your system. You clear your mental cache of past tasting experiences. You clean the slate. You turn the page. You open up your mind wider perhaps than ever before. You choose to forget what a wine is supposed to taste like. You banish Robert Parker and the Wine Spectator from your overly cluttered and anxious mind. You willfully ignore what you were told to expect about this place in the Chronicle. You elect to begin again, like a child learning to read, by picking up an old book on your grandfather's shelf, opening its beautifully embossed, leather bound cover, and turning to page one. The first thing you will notice is that you are almost alone out here. The grounds are quiet and restful with a Zenlike calm emanating from the golden hillsides and green forests. The tour buses, bachelorette parties, and stretch limos are nowhere to be found. The wines are well aged, bottled in a previous century from a time when other people now retired and out of the spotlight commanded the White House or looked out at you from your television screen. A Cabernet Sauvignon 20 years old is not uncommon here. A 15 year old Bordeaux style red blend seems like an upstart teenager. A 10 year old Syrah is barely out of its diapers and is just starting to walk about on two legs like a young child. The grounds are filled with unseen mystery lurking behind the stately rows of palms and vineyard terraces on the hills where hundreds of acres of grapes once thrived. You know that this is a special place, but you are not exactly sure why. The wines in your glass suggest elegance, complexity, precision, passion, resilience, legacy, and strength. They speak of past lives and untold hours of human endeavor. They tell tales. They reflect the soils surrounding you and speak of the people who made them. They taste good, too. They are not merely of the mind, but also of heart and soul. "Wine country" wineries come and go. Ownership changes hands. Founders die, families fall apart, and corporations move in. Tasting rooms get remodeled to appeal to the tastes of millennial consumers using a new algorithm created by a Silicon Valley start up. Cult wines from coveted vineyards and accoladed AVAs that are bathed in new French oak and dialed in to precise alcohol levels are released. High scores and prestigious awards are bestowed. And yet, Renaissance wines endure. In myth. In memory. In the mouths of those who sip and savor them, one glass and bottle at a time. You will never be more present than at the very moment when the crumbling cork is removed, the bottle is gently tipped, and the contents starts to fill your glass. You stop to inhale. You pause. You lift the glass to your lips. You clear your mind. You close your eyes. And you taste as if you had never done this sort of thing before. Veritas in vino written with words you do not yet fully comprehend. But you continue to hope that, one day, probably when you least expect it, you will.