Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln, Loomis, Granite Bay - Placer County, California - Real Estate Blog - Souza Realty

Sogno Winery in Shingle Springs, CA (El Dorado County, California)

Sogno Winery is the best-kept secret in the Greater Sacramento Area ("Sogno" means "dream" in Italian and is pronounced "sewn-yo".) I would rank them as the #1 Northern California Winery outside of Napa/Sonoma Wine Country because they not only make an extensive selection of wines...but they really know how to make exceptional bottles of wine!

A visit to the Sogno Winery in Shingle Springs is a delightful way to spend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. It is located between El Dorado Hills and Placerville on Highway 50, just before Red Hawk Casino. Sogno Winery offers a large wrap-around patio with lots of seating that overlooks their vineyards.

Just to give you an idea, here are the wines I enjoyed enough to take home during my two visits to Sogno Winery in Shingle Springs, California (the ones in bold are my favorites among my favorites):

1. 2004 Giocchino
2. 2004 Port
3. 2004 Primitivo
4. 2004 Sangiovese
5. 2004 Syrah
6. 2004 Tempranillo
7. 2004 Vermiglio
8. 2005 Barbera
9. 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
10. 2005 Merlot
11. 2005 Zinfandel
12. 2006 Orange Muscat

In addition to their fabulous wines, did you know that they also do corporate events and weddings for up to 250 people?

Sogno Winery - 3046 Ponderosa Road - Shingle Springs, CA 95682 - (530) 672-6968

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Starmont Winery (Merryvale) - Napa / Carneros, CA

Starmont Winery (although not open to the public) was open to Carneros Harvest Passport Experience ticket holders last Saturday (10/17/2009) and that was where we started our Carneros region winery tour. Starmont Winery is located on Stanly Lane, right off the Carneros Hwy at Highway 29 in Napa. Starmont and Merryvale wines were being poured at the Carneros location by Starmont Winery's Vineyard Manager, Remi Cohen.

Starmont Winery in the Carneros region of Napa had a cheese platter, figs, strawberries and goodies from Whole Foods Market for us...yummy! We tasted five different Merryvale and/or Starmont wines from the Napa Valley and Carneros regions:

- 2008 Starmont Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($18)

- 2007 Merryvale Carneros Chardonnay ($35)

- 2008 Merryvale Carneros Pinot Noir ($35)

- 2007 Merryvale Napa Valley Syrah ($35)

- 2006 Merryvale Napa Valley Profile ($135)

I thoroughly enjoyed Merryvale's Sauvignon Blanc and the Chardonnay, but the real winner was the Profile, a Bordeaux blend (80% Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc) that ended up being my absolute favorite wine of the Carneros Harvest Passport Experience!

Starmont Winery - NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
1451 Stanly Lane
Napa, CA 94559
merryvale.com

Carneros Harvest Passport Experience - Napa/Sonoma Wine Country, California (Carneros Region, CA)

The Carneros Wine Alliance (CWA) is hosting the first Carneros Harvest Passport Experience this Saturday...and some wineries will be pouring to the public for the first time!

What: The First Carneros Harvest Passport Experience

When: October 17, 2009 (10 am - 4 pm)

Where: Carneros region (Sonoma and Napa counties)

Admission: $49/advance, $59/at the door

Info: Carneros Wine Alliance, 707-253-2678

Admission includes a Carneros Passport wine glass, wristband and a map of all the wineries participating in this event.

Here is a list of all the CWA wineries that are participating in the Carneros Harvest Passport:

1. Acacia - 2750 Las Amigas Road, Napa, CA
2. Adastra - 2545 Las Amigas Road, Napa, CA
3. Bouchaine Vineyards - 1075 Buchli Station Road, Napa, CA
4. Buena Vista Carneros - 18000 Old Winery Road, Sonoma, CA
5. Ceja Vineyards - 1019 Las Amigas Road, Napa, CA
6. Clos du Val (pouring @ Carneros Vineyard) - Old Sonoma Road & Buhman Avenue, Napa, CA
7. Cuvaison Carneros Estate Wines (pouring @ Carneros Tasting Room) - 1221 Duhig Road, Napa, CA
8. Crazy Flower Wines (pouring @ Merryvale Starmont/Carneros) - 1451 Stanly Lane, Napa, CA
9. Donum Estate (pouring at the Ramal Road Vineyard) - 24520 Ramal Road, Sonoma, CA
10. Etude Wines - 1250 Cuttings Wharf Road, Napa, CA
11. Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards - 21355 Carneros Highway 121, Sonoma, CA
12. Highway 12 - 498 First Street East (@ Sonoma Plaza), Sonoma, CA
13. Macrostie Winery - 21481 Eighth Street East, Ste 25, Sonoma, CA
14. Merryvale/Starmont (pouring @ Starmont/Carneros) - 1451 Stanly Lane, Napa, CA
15. Nicholson Ranch - 4200 Napa Road, Sonoma, CA
16. Patz & Hall (pouring @ Sonoma Winery) - 21684 Eighth Street East, Bldg C, Ste 200, Sonoma, CA
17. Saintsbury - 1500 Los Carneros Avenue, Napa, CA
18. Schug Carneros Estate Wines - 602 Bonneau Road, Sonoma, CA

1st Annual Barrel Tasting Event - Livermore Wine Country, California (Alameda County, CA)

Livermore Valley Wine Country celebrated its first annual barrel tasting event the weekend of March 28-29, 2009. This was the first time we tasted wine from the barrel and it was not only educational but also quite entertaining! We visited 16 different Livermore wineries in two days:

1. Deer Ridge Vineyards
2. Livermore Valley Cellars
3. Steven Kent Winery
4. Cuda Ridge Wines
5. Wood Family Vineyards
6. El Sol Winery
7. Garre Vineyard & Winery
8. Murrieta's Well
9. Bent Creek Winery
10. White Crane Winery
11. Charles R Vineyard
12. Big White House
13. McGrail Vineyards & Winery
14. Eagle Ridge Vineyard
15. Concannon Vineyard
16. Fenestra Winery

Our favorite wineries of the weekend: Deer Ridge Vineyards, Bent Creek Winery, Concannon Vineyard and Fenestra Winery.

For full winery reviews with photos and links to each winery's website (if available), I invite you to visit my review blog at LeilaniSouza.com.

Sonoma Valley CRUSH Harvest Celebration - Glen Ellen and Kenwood, California (Sonoma County, CA)

Bob and I had a spectacular wine tasting weekend at the Sonoma Valley CRUSH Harvest Celebration! This special event was hosted by the Heart of Sonoma Valley Association and there were 21 participating wineries in Kenwood and Glen Ellen, located in Sonoma county, California.

The wineries we had a chance to visit this weekend were:

1. Valley of the Moon Winery
2. Eric Ross Winery
3. Audelssa Estate Winery
4. Imagery Estate Winery
5. Kunde Estate Winery & Vineyards
6. Kenwood Vineyards
7. Chateau St. Jean Winery
8. Paradise Ridge Winery
9. Enkidu Wine
10. Muscardini Cellars & Ty Caton Vineyards
11. VJB Vineyards & Cellars

The wines we couldn't resist taking home with us were:

1. 2006 Cuvee de la Luna - Valley of the Moon
2. 2005 Sonoma County Port - Valley of the Moon
3. 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon - Audelssa
4. 2007 Petite Sirah Port - Imagery
5. 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon - Kenwood
6. Rosso Family Blend - VJB
7. 2005 V Estate Cabernet Sauvignon - VJB
8. 2007 Chardonnay Port - VJB

During the two days of wine tasting in Glen Ellen and Kenwood, we stopped to eat at a couple of local favorite eateries: Glen Ellen Village Market and Doce Lunas Restaurant.

One more thing...somehow, a dreamy-licious Cabernet Chocolate Sauce from Audelssa and a yummy-licious Caramel Port Sauce from VJB Cellars found their way to our home. Ooooooh, I think some vanilla bean ice cream will pop up in our freezer soon! ;)