Very nice winemaker at this winery. Our group was here for the Wine Road barrel tasting weekend and…read moredecided to stop here. They had free goodie bags with popcorn and chips for customers. The wines were ok but I can see it being a nice place to visit and chill with the winemaker with a glass of wine.

Taste Route 116, November 2022…read more This was our last stop after two days, having visited 10 out of 11 wineries. Truth be told, it was our tour guide's (second) least favorite, so it really wasn't even on the itinerary. What a fun surprise and excellent experience it turned out to be. We arrived without reservations but were fortunate to have been greeted and quickly seated by our absolutely engaging host, Julius. He was perfect for our group because he was knowledgeable for those that had all the questions and entertaining for those of us who were just enjoying the experience. I was with industry folk who speak the language and technical jargon, but I just know if I like the wines or not... and I enjoyed Ektimo's wines overall. To the end I have a (shared) case of Pinot Noir futures coming next month as well as a couple bottles purchased for Thanksgiving. Casual, outside patio was perfect for this lovely NorCal weekend. And do you know who purchased the other half of that shared case? Yes, indeed...our guide! Ektimo will definitely be on our itinerary going forward.

Another hidden gem. We were served by John, the owner and wine maker. He makes some lovely…read morewines,, particularly a Bordeaux blend we very much enjoyed. The scenery is lovely and it was an excellent experience - thanks so much.

This is a hidden gem. If you live in the Bay Area, you must visit these smaller wineries that only…read moremake a few hundred cases each year. The wines are amazing and the surrounding area is so beautiful and peaceful away from the hustle bustle of tourists. The father daughter duo are great host! Abbie and her dad really gives their all to ensure everyone that stops by has the fullest experience at this winery. The winemaker moved to CA to make wind because he loves drinking them so why not learn to do it himself and live the dream! I really liked the Five Vines, which is a Bordeaux style grape. It tasted full and robust. So so so delicious that I could just drink wine all day and sit out in the sun. Heck, I would even work at this winery in exchange for free wine!

If you appreciate big Zins and Cabs do yourself a favor and reserve a tasting here. The tasting fee…read moreis most reasonable at $25 per person. A Rafanelli has been on my winery bucket since the first time I experienced one of their Cabs. This is a beautiful winery in the dry creek valley. If you are driving from Napa give yourself some extra time due to traffic on 29 and going through St Helena. We had a wonderful tasting, barrel room, and cave experience. Our consierge made sure we had ample time to sample and savor each tasting. We were the only ones at this tasting so we felt like A-listers! Of course their Zins and Cabs are unbelievably good but their Merlot offering was a big surprise. There Merlot opened up beautifully and we ended up with taking home a bottle plus others. There is a great story how this winery came to be and you can read about it on their website but there is more to the story so no spoiler here.

Called to arrange for the purchase wine. It was a busy day with bottling going on. But the…read morerepresentative said she would come to the tasing house to help me with my purchase. The grounds are beautiful and the entire staff is friendly and accommodating. I highly recommend this wine and this winery.

Ever since trying Radio's wines at Hazel in Occidental many years ago, we've been huge fans ever…read moresince. Without a public tasting room we rely on restaurants carrying their wines, online sales or one of their open houses, usually hosted twice a year, for our Radio-Coteau cravings. During their most recent open house (sign up for announcements on their website) we sampled some of their latest offerings including Chardonnay, Syrah, and of course their amazingly delicious Pinot Noir's. La Neblina (our favorite) was the first Pinot we tried from Radio and have loved each vintage. While their latest releases are young, we usually just commit to a couple bottles of each, one to drink now and another to lay down for a while. We're not collectors of wine, were drinkers of wine so a year is about a long as we let anything lay about. Radio also offers a lesser priced wine by the brand County Line. We bought a case of their County Line 2016 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir as our "Tuesday night" wine. At $28 a bottle, this is a well priced and approachable wine, but don't take my word for it, go get some. Just head to the County Line website, sign up for an account and order away.

We were invited to an open house here and it was such a treat! I had never heard of Radio-Coteau…read morewines so the open house was a wonderful way to get introduced to their winery and the wines they make. The winery is not anything like other wineries I have been to. The set-up is more like a warehouse, standing room only. Everyone there was casually dressed and not pretentious like some other wineries I've been to. The open house allowed us to roam around and sample the many wine varietals they were pouring that day. We tried Albariño, Chardonnay, Pinot, Zinfandel and Syrah. There was also a few tables full of delicious fresh sliced bread to eat with our wines. One bread that had cheese and shiitake mushrooms in it was so good, we had to ask one of the workers where it was from. I really enjoyed the wines and definitely didn't leave empty-handed. I spent more than I expected but got some nice bottles for upcoming holiday get-togethers.

I haven't been here in quite awhile and miss their wines! Went recently for a tasting which…read moreincluded some lovely "bites". I love love their Pinot's - bought some and plan to share with others at Thanksgiving. Highly highly recommended.

The absolute best russian river and humbult county pinot noirs. A gem of a winery with a most…read morebrilliant staff...

Marimar Estate was one of the wineries we visited when we first moved to the Bay Area and…read moreabsolutely loved our experience. We had their tapas and wine tasting and wow was it delicious. We loved it so much we became wine members. Although we are no longer wine members, I highly recommend Marimar Estate! It has a friendly, family atmosphere that makes you feel so welcomed each time you visit. From relaxing in on the patio on a warm day to chilling in the main hall, it's definitely worth a visit. We actually got engaged at Marimar Estate and the team was so incredible in helping my fiance make it happen. We even flew a bottle of 2023 Godello (the year we got engaged) with us to Hawaii so we could drink that during our wedding toasts.

Good wine, but really need to waive the tasting fee for bottle purchase. What are we doing here??read more

Went to Porter Creek during the Wine Road Barrel Tastings weekend in Sonoma. We were greeted at the…read moreparking lot by their two friendly dogs Poppy and Paco. We followed the little hosts (dogs) up the road to where they had set up the tent for the barrel tasting. It was rainy and cold but there were heaters to keep us warm. The barrel tasting of pinot noirs were pretty good. After that we went into the tasting room and tried the current pinot noirs. So good! We bought a few bottles to go.

Great winery in Sonoma County. Go learn a lot about wine making and revel in the fact that from the…read moretasting site, you can actually view most of the grapes that'll eventually be turned into your drink. The staff are super helpful and friendly and even gave us recommendations on where to go next. Their wines are also delicious!

This place came recommended by wine friends, since we were in the area decided to stop by without a…read morereservation. Place was empty aside from one other party so they were able to accommodate the walk in. The tasting room itself is nicely decorated, clean, spacious, with a more private room in the back and several tables outside. Reason from giving this place a 5 stars is we felt this place was very transactional and not personable like many other wineries in the Sonoma area. Once the tasting flight is done they ask you to either join the club for the comp, buy two bottles, or pay the $35 tasting fee - no offer to revisit any wines or pour something extra they have in inventory. I was curious to try their Sonoma cost Syrah but they didn't have any bottles open. Wines themselves were fine - enjoyed the Pinot rose and Chardonnay (made in Chablis style so more minerality), but their Pinot noirs were quite different from the typical Sonoma coast ones I've had (e.g Williams seylem, Kosta browne, Rochiolli, Arista, etc). These were much darker and less aromatic, no tannins and fuller bodied with some spice notes but short finish. The gentleman pouring for us said these are good to pair with foods, which I could imagine is true. Their estate syrah is similar in style, so similar to their Pinot noir actually, a lighter bodies and ABV Syrah that doesn't have the depth and complexity as syrahs from Paso region that I personally enjoy. But anyways, these are personal preference - when I mentioned a specific tasting note, our host basically said I was wrong. I laughed it off and went along with it, but it didn't sit well.

My best friend took a wine class during the pandemic that featured Red Car's rose and she…read moreimmediately became a member. Since then I have enjoyed some incredible wine club release parties and experiences as her +1. The folks at Red Car are not only serious about making great Chardonnay, Rose, Pinot Noir, and Syrah but they also take pride in the relationships they build with their members. Yesterday was my third rose release party and it was so great to reconnect with familiar faces and their winemaker Tanner. They always support a local business that provides catering (tacos, BBQ, pizza), have a great live band, and other local artisans selling their products. I would recommend a stop at this tasting room and a visit to the Barlow (nearby) for a perfect day out.