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Monterey
County
A Taste of
Monterey (Tasting
Room)
700 Cannery Row,
Monterey / 831-646-5446
A Taste of Monterey
is a wine visitors' center overlooking Monterey
Bay in which one can some to sample and purchase
some of the wines from the Monterey area. Over
35 local wineries are represented in the
expansive, second-floor location. A $5.00 fee
(refundable with bottle purchase) allows one to
sample 6 wines out of a list of (typically) nine
wines. The available wines are changed daily.
Wines can be purchased by the glass and the
visitor can sip and relax with a prime view of
the bay. There is a large selection of wine
related gifts.
Wine Notes: The
most memorable wine on my last visit was a
Lockwood Vineyard (San Lucas /
800-753-1424) Chardonnay that exhibited flavors
of citrus and green apple with a buttery
finish.
Bargetto
Winery
3535 N. Main
Street, Soquel / 831-475-2258
700 Cannery Row, Monterey / 831-373-4053 (Tasting
Room Only)
Bargetto Winery,
founded in 1933, is Monterey's oldest winery.
Many visitors to Monterey's Cannery Row are
familiar with the Bargetto tasting room. The
Cannery Row tasting room is usually crowded and
offers a large selection of wine-related gifts.
The Bargetto Winery is located in a mainly
residential area in Soquel. The tasting room at
the winery offers a less crowded and more
intimate atmosphere, and if you're lucky, you
may get a glimpse of the winery and aging rooms.
Bargetto offers a wide variety of wines. Whites
consisted of two Gewurtztraminers (dry and
meduim-dry), Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, two
Chardonnays and a Pinot Blanc. Red wines
consisted of Pinot Noir, two Merlots and two
Cabernet Sauvignons. Bargetto also produces
dessert wines under the Chaucer's label:
Raspberry, Olallieberry and Mead (honey wine to
be served warm).
Wine Notes: The
Pinot Grigio was crisp, light and fruity, both
Chardonnays exhibited flavors of green apple and
citrus and the spicy Gewurtztraminer is a great
wine with Asian food. Both Merlots were plummy
and peppery while the Reserve Merlot offered
good aging potential. The California Cabernet is
a good value everyday wine and the Unfiltered
Reserve Cabernet is worthy of a special
occasion.
Baywood Cellars
Winery Tasting
Room
381 Cannery Row,
Suite C, Monterey / 831-645-9035
Bernardus
Winery
5 West Carmel
Valley Road, Carmel Valley /
831-659-1900
The Bernardus
tasting room is located at the edge of the
Carmel Valley Village on the main road. Although
they produce Sauvignon Blanc, an excellent
Chardonnay and an equally excellent Pinot Noir,
Holland-born owner Ben Pon's dream is to produce
a Carmel Valley red wine equal to the finest
from Bordeaux. His flagship wines, labeled
"Marinus," are Bordeaux blends that vary year to
year, and are a tribute to his dream-- some of
these are the best in the valley.
Chateau Julien
Wine Estate
8940 Carmel Valley
Road, Carmel Valley / 831-624-2600
The impressive
Chateau Julien winery is a replica of a chateau
on the French/Swiss border. Tastings are
conducted around a table centered below enormous
vaulted open-beam ceilings in the large,
comfortable visitor center. The white wines
consisted of several Chardonnays,
Gewurtztraminer, and Pinot Grigio. The reds
included several Merlots, Syrah, Sangiovese and
Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines were all of
excellent quality, most notably the rich and
tannic Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, with
plum flavors and a long, lasting finish. Chateau
Julien also produces a 9-grape Port and a Cream
Sherry. There are some gift items available in
this must-see visitor center.
Galante
Vineyards
Carmel-by-the-Sea /
831-624-3800
Galante's tasting
room is located in the heart of
Carmel-by-the-Sea on Dolores Ave. between Ocean
and Seventh, and since the accesss is via a
narrow alley, it is easy to miss. Galante
produces Sauvignon Blanc, Petite Syrah, Merlot,
several Cabernet Sauvignons and Pinot
Noir.
Hahn
Estates
See Smith &
Hook / Hahn Estates
Heller
Estate
69 W Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley /
800-625-8466
At first glance, the
Heller Estate visitor center looks like an
country cottage antique store. The wines are all
made from 100% organically grown grapes- one of
the few wineries in the state to boast this
fact. The wines consist of Chenin Blanc,
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet
Sauvignon, a Meritage and a Late Harvest
Riesling. My favorites were two Merlot vintages,
both with cherry-blackberry flavors and good
tannins, and the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon with
intense cassis and blackberry flavors. Guests
can roam throughout the extensive array of
eclectic gifts while sampling the wines.
Jekel
Vineyards
40155 Walnut Ave,
Greenfield / 831-674-5525
The tasting room is
strictly no-nonsense-- aside from a small table
of T-shirts and hats, the room consists of a
small tasting bar and cartons of wine. The
winery is part of the Brown-Forman group
(Fetzer, Korbel, Jack Daniels) with Rick Boyer
as winemaker. The wines consisted of two
Chardonnays, both exhibiting flavors of green
apple and pineapple, a semi-dry Riesling with
flavors of apple, apricot and lime, a Pinot Noir
having raspberry, black pepper and cinnamon
flavors (a great barbecue wine), a Cabernet
Sauvignon with characteristics of cassis,
blackberry and plum, and a Late Harvest Riesling
with apricao and honey flavors. My favorite was
a Merlot with plum and black cherry
characteristics, medium tannins, and is a great
wine with grilled meats.
Joullian
Vineyards
2 Village Drive, Suite A, Carmel Valley /
831-659-8100
Joullian is located
in the heart of Carmel Valley Village in a
classic stone building with a French provincial
interior. The winery produces Sauvignon Blanc,
Chardonnay, Zinfandel Rose, Merlot, Cabernet
Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Syrah and Muscat. The
Sauvignon Blanc ewas smooth and non-grassy and
the Chardonnay was floral with tropical fruit
and pear with a buttery finish. The reds were
typical of the varietals with a fruity Zinfandel
with a clean vanilla finish and the dark cherry
flavored Syrah with a vanilla and chocolate
finish being the standouts.
Paraiso Springs
Vineyards
38060 Paradiso
Springs Road, Soledad / 831-678-0300
If the tasting room
doesn't make you feel comfortable then the
friendly staff will. The tasting room resembles
a typical family den, complete with a toy chest
to occupy the children. And the wines at this
family-operated winery are very good. Whites
consist of a light and fruity Riesling that is a
great afternoon sipping wine, an apple/peach
flavored Pinot Blanc, a Chardonnay with apple,
butterscotch and pear flavors and a Cobblestone
Chardonnay with soft honeyed pineapple flavors.
A Pinot Noir consisted of jammy black cherry and
raspberry and soft pepper flavors, and there was
a light-bodied Syrah with robust currant and
plum flavors. Dessert wines consisted of a Late
Harvest Johannisberg Riesling, an excellent Late
Harvest Pinot Noir with strawberry and raspberry
flavors, and a rich, smooth Port. This winery
easily qualifies for my list of recommendations
(below).
Scheid
Vineyards
1972 Hobson Ave.,
Greenfield / 831-386-0316
Smith & Hook
/ Hahn Estates
37700 Foothill
Road, Soledad / 831-678-2132
The Smith &
Hook/Hahn tasting room is modern and large,
offering an impressively large selection of gift
and bottled food items, not to mention a great
view of the valley below. The winery, which was
founded in 1974, is owned and operated by Swiss
winemaker Nicolaus Hahn and his wife Gaby. Wines
bottled under the Hahn label are considered the
"popular" wines with today's tastes and are
crafted to be drinkable upon release. Wines
under the Smith & Hook label are premium
estate-bottled wines.
Hahn Estate wines consist
of a Chardonnay with tropical fruit, melon and
apple characteristics, a Merlot with flavors of
cherry, black pepper and plum, a Cabernet
Sauvignon with dark plum, cassis and tobacco
flavors. The Cabernet Franc had aromas and
flavors of black pepper and cinnamon and the
Meritage had aromas of black cherries and
boysenberries.
Smith & Hook Wines
consist of an apricot-flavored Viognier, a
Reserve Chardonnay, a medium-bodied Merlot with
blackberry and black cherry characteristics, a
Cabernet Sauvignon with nuances of cherries,
cassis, plum and cedar, and a Reserve Cabernet
Sauvignon.
Ventana
Vineyards Winery
2999 Monterey-Salinas Highway #10, Monterey /
831-372-7415
Ventana is located
in the historic Old Stonehouse, built in 1921,
approximately 10 minutes from downtown Monterey.
The tasting room is on the second floor,
accessed by a flight of stone steps which pass
an outside patio, much resembling an Italian
hillside villa. The small tasting room is
attractively decorated and offers a small
selection of gifts. White wines consisted of a
white table wine, a buttery Chardonay, a White
Meritage displaying flavors of peach, pear and
melon, a honeydew-flavored Dry Riesling, a
slightly dry and spicy Gewurtztraminer, Riesling
and Chenin Blanc. Reds consisted of a
Grenache/Syrah blend, a medium-bodied Cabernet
Franc with flavors of plum, black cherry, pepper
and smoke, a medium-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon
(which I consider a good barbecue wine), a Syrah
with black cherry, plum and black pepper
flavors, and a smoky and spicy Merlot. There are
some excellent wine values here, with several
specials under $10.00.
My
Recommendations:
Don't
Miss:
Chateau Julien Wine
Estate, Bargetto Winery and Paraiso Springs
Vineyards.
Best
Wine Values: Bargetto
Winery and Ventana Winery.
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