A few times each year we head up to El Dorado County to spend time with my wife's family. During our recent visit over Labor Day weekend, we decided to check out a few of the local wineries. Gold Country is considered a minor wine region, so I wasn't expecting Sonoma/Napa quality - but I was curious what the wine tasting experience would be like.
Saturday (Gold Hill)
David Girard Vineyard (free tasting)
'09 Coda Blanc (Roussanne, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc, Rolle, Viognier), '09 Rousanne, '09 Viognier-Roussanne, '08 Rosé (Grenache/Mourvedre), '09 Grenache, '09 Triptych (Syrah, Grenache, Counoise), '08 Riv d'Or (Cab/Merlot).
There is a very welcoming atmosphere at David Girard. There's a nice outside patio for the guests, a playground for kids, even a dog walk. It being Labor Day weekend, the tasting room was very busy - and the staff was a bit flustered by that, even with that they were very nice. I was not stoked at all about the wine. Everything felt out of balance. Wine was either oaky, artificial, too fruity, or flat.
Experience: B- / Wines: D
Sunday (Pleasant Valley)
Narrow Gate Vineyards ($3 reserve tasting, wines $18-$34)
'09 Chardonnay, '09 Reserve Chardonnay, '09 Viognier-Roussanne, '08 Grenache, '08 Syrah, '09 Primotivo, '08 Petit Sirah-Syrah, '08 Syrah-Viognier, '07 Dunamis (Grenache/Syrah), '07 Cabernet Sauvignon.
After our visit at David Girard, I was getting a bit worried that El Dorado County wine was not good. Narrow Gate put that fear to rest. I wouldn't say that their wine was excellent, but it was pretty good - especially the whites and the 'Dunamis.' The owners - Frank and Teena Hildebrand were working in the tasting room, and were more than excited to share their certified-biodynamic wines. It was a warm and friendly place. Every person that came was welcomed as if they were family.
Experience: B+ / Wines: B-
Holly's Hill Vineyards ($5 reserve tasting, wines $18-$25)
'09 Patriarche Blanc (Roussanne/Grenache Blanc/Viognier), '09 Roussanne, '10 Viognier, '10 Grenache Rosé, '10 Grenache, '09 Patriarche (Mourvedre/Syrah/Grenache/Counoise), '09 Petit Patriache (Grenache/Counoise), '09 Mourvedre, '09 Mourvedre Classique, '07 Hill Top Syrah, '08 Wylie-Fenaughty Syrah, '08 East Slope Syrah, '08 Cabernet-Syrah, '08 Petite Sirah, '09 Late Harvest Roussanne.
Yeah that's right, fifteen wines on the tasting list - eleven on the 'no charge' list. It was a crazy amount of wine - and the pours seemed to be considerably more than and normal tasting. But I'm pretty sure that my judgement wasn't clouded - Holly's Hill is a darn good winery. It's a beautiful space overlooking the foothills with picnic tables and a nice deck. They had perhaps the friendliest winery dog I've ever met. The wines were all at least pretty good and some were very good. Most had slight imbalance issues, but were overall enjoyable to drink, and were all reasonably priced. Holly's Hill is what I was hoping for in an El Dorado County winery: solid, unassuming, fun, and original.
Experience: A- / Wines: B+
Joining us for our winery visits was my father-in-law. He's aware of our wine infatuation but has been resolute that he's strictly a beer and whiskey man. We persuaded him to come out with us to the tastings, just to give it a shot. I was nervous that if the wineries were snobby, or if the wines were bad, he would have been unwilling to join us for future wine trips. Thankfully we found some solid and down-to-earth wineries in El Dorado County, and will likely have my father-in-law joining us in the future.
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