El Dorado County -Wineries of Pleasant Valley
Old gas station where gas was showing at $.40 a gallon
We waddled out of Zachary Jacques and continued on Pleasant Valley Road. It was indeed a very pleasant valley. Shady pine trees line the road with an occasional redwood. Every so often we passed nice houses nestled amongst the trees or perched on small rises with pastures surrounding them. Goats and horses grazed in the fields.
We saw an old gas station on our right. Tom pulled in, unable to resist this photo op. While Tom pottered around the outside and even ventured inside the old building, I sat in the car with the windows down and studied my surroundings. Next door to the gas station is a property set some way back with a long drive leading to it. The sign at the roadside said ‘Four Seasons’. I watched as a quad bike, driven by a man with his small daughter sitting beside him, drove down from the house. There as a trailer attached with a re-cycling bin inside. The bike stopped and the man and his daughter opened their mail box and the little girl ran back to the vehicle clutching a pile of letters. All very pastoral and idyllic. When no cars drove past, I could hear muted birdsong around me. It was very pleasant sitting there, feeling the soft breeze blowing through the windows and enjoying the moment.
(click on the photos for larger versions)
We were in the El Dorado Wine Country and on the lookout for our first winery – Narrow Gate. Once past Newton Road,we looked for the sign and before too long we spotted it and turned right, through a gate and up a steep slope to the car park. There were a few other cars in the car park so we knew we weren’t the first. Inside the light was quite dim and we could see lots of wine barrels. Before we made our way to the counter we looked at the paintings and one photograph which were on sale.
We managed to find a space at the counter and the winemaker’s wife, Teena Hildebrand, greeted us. She was very friendly and soon we were tasting our first wine – Chardonnay El Dorado. Then we sampled the Mourverde, which was a varietal we had never heard of. Tom’s favorite was the 2007 Petite Curvee at $17 a bottle but we didn’t buy any. It was getting really crowded at the counter and twice we had to squeeze up to allow more people to sample the wine.
I do not have a head for wine at all so I just limited myself to one small mouthful of each wine. In the past I have been quite merry after trying just half a dozen wines. Also I prefer white so tend to stay away from the reds altogether. Note from Tom: The trick is to only take a small sip or two, slosh it around your mouth to get a good idea of what the wine is about and then dump the rest. Otherwise you’d be sloshed in a short time.
We moved on to our next winery. Studying the map we saw that there were two not far away on the same side road. We turned onto Leisure Lane and
A rose bush was planted at the beginning of each row.
drove about a mile. On the way we passed under a power cable and I noticed an owl perched on the wire. Unfortunately Tom didn’t catch sight of it. Maybe it will still be there on our way back.
Our second winery - Holly’s Hill - was in a beautiful setting. They were in the middle of building works and a sign apologized for the dust during the remodeling. A tent had been set up outside the tasting room and we found out when we went into the tasting room that they were holding their Patriarche Verital Tasting where, for $5, you could sample their flagship wine from 2002-2008. The 2007-2008 are not on sale yet but they could be bought as ‘futures’. The entrance fee also included appetizers.
The tasting room at Holly’s Hill was bright and uncluttered. Wine barrels supported the counter and,as it was not very crowded, there was plenty of space and we didn’t feel cramped at all. The two guys pouring the wines gave us a lot of information about the Rhone grapes grown in this area. It is a European grape originating from the Rhone region of France. We sampled the 2008 Viognier ($18), the 2005 Hill Top Syrah ($20), the 2007 Grenarche Noir ($20) and their 2006 Patriarche ($20). I particularly like the Viognier so we bought two bottles plus one bottle of 2006 Patriarche. We were recommended to leave the Patiarche for a couple of years in a cool dark place before we drank it.
Outside again, I went to the small picnic area and drank in the wonderful view over the Cosumnes River Canyons. I could have stayed there admiring the view but there were more wineries to visit.
A stone’s throw away is the Sierra Vista Vineyard and Winery which is at the top of a steep hill. They also had and tent and an event going on but this was called a Barrel Tasting. Entrance fee the same as Holly’s Hill. Once again we only went into the tasting room. Here was another counter supported by wine barrels behind which was a very nice lady who chatted away about the winery and the Barrel Tasting. There were over ten wines to taste but we restricted ourselves to only seven of them. I won’t list all the ones we tried but I will tell you that we bought three bottles – one of the 2006 Reeves Vineyard Zinfandel ($18), one of the 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($22) and a late harvest 2006 Viognier Doux. The last one was not on the tasting list and we can’t remember how much it cost – I just know it tasted great.
Vineyard at the Sierra Vista Vineyard and Winery
We spent some time outside where there was a lawn area complete with picnic tables. Another spectacular view greeted us – the Crystal Range of the Sierra Nevada Mountains as a backdrop, with rows of ripening grapes in the middle and flower beds in the foreground. It was very peaceful up there, sitting at a picnic table in the shade of an oak tree, writing my journal and breathing in the fresh air, listening to the drone of conversations from surrounding tables and enjoying the view. Tom, of course, was wandering round the vineyard taking photos.
The three wineries we have visited so far have been similar in many ways – small family run and friendly. We have learnt a lot about the Rhone grapes that are prevalent to this area and enjoyed tasting many different wines. I think we only have the stamina to try one more winery so we made our way back to the car and drove back down Leisure Lane. I did look out for the owl but he was gone. There was a Red Kite though sitting on the very same power cable.
Our fourth and last winery in Pleasant Valley was the Miraflores Winery on Four Springs Trail. There were quite a few people up at the counter so we were prepared to wait but there was a bench counter where we were invited to stand and sample the wines. The wines on offer were written up on a blackboard and once again there were a lot of them. By this time I was all wined out so declined to try any of them but Tom masterfully sampled eight of them. There were not that many up on the board but he was encouraged to taste some which were not listed. Tom liked the Syrah best of all and we added another two bottles to the six we have already bought – a 2005 Syrah ($30) and a 2005 Syrah ($25).
It was time to find our bed and breakfast accommodation for the night. We thoroughly enjoyed our day of wine tasting in Pleasant Valley and recommend everyone to visit this little gem in the El Dorado Wine Country.
August 17 2009 08:29 am | Special Places
MATRICIA on 08 Sep 2009 at 6:23 pm #
Hi, enjoyed reading your journal on the trips through out the foothills. I am the manager at Miraflores and I would like to invite you back for a full tasting of our wines. After tasting in several wineries I can see why you would be “all wined out” . Please come join us again when you are out and about tasting again, our wines are very well rated in the Spectator and the Enthusiat, I think you will really enjoy the tasting. Thanks Matricia, Manager Miraflores Winery.
Margaret and Tom on 08 Sep 2009 at 7:51 pm #
Thanks, Matricia, we had a great time in El Dorado County. Margaret was a little “wined out” but I really liked your wines. We bought two of the Syrah, a 2005 and a 2006. We put them down for while but I’m looking forward to that special occasion so we can enjoy them. We’ll certainly visit your lovely winery again.
Regards,
Tom