Tagged: Wine Tasting

Just in Time for the Weekend: Carmel Valley Village Tasting Room Update!

As I started to write my first blog posts, I realized, if I am going to do a Real Wine Blog, that I need a lot more photos. It’s been kind of overcast and cool in Pacific Grove, day after day. Last weekend, I decided I would drive out to Carmel Valley Village where I would be sure to find some warmth and sunshine and could take some pictures of the tasting rooms. I was able to check out their outdoor wine tasting venues, as that’s what’s permitted here in Monterey County as of this writing. A nice warm sunny day, lots of wine flowing everywhere. Except to me – I was on a mission!

I parked in front of the former location of Mercy’s tasting room and set out on foot.  (I miss Mercy so much.) The tasting rooms in Carmel Valley Village are easily walk-able, unless you are intending to buy a lot of wine!  As you go through this list, please remember we are living in a very fluid situation right now.  If you are planning a wine tasting visit, the best option is to review the winery’s web page to see if they are open and if you need a reservation. Safety is the most important feature of each of these venues.

I began my trip with Massa Estate, 69 W. Carmel Valley Road, as it was where we started our Monterey County wine exploration way back when. It is the first tasting room as you enter the village. The owner, Laurie Massa, welcomed me in, showed me their tasting list, and allowed me to take photos of their outdoor space.  Massa has an incredible outdoor space to not only taste wine, but also for food. Local Chef Michael Jones is here with a very special menu – you can taste the wines and order a meal – or carry one out.  So many cute, outdoor tables with umbrellas – it’s just adorable here. In addition, there’s croquet in the front lawn so you can come, play, and relax. Open Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Massa Estate has a cute, fun, yet elegant outdoor space.

The next winery I went to was Georis, 1 Pilot Road. We’ve always had a fondness for the brand, as Gaston Georis (Walter’s brother) once taught my husband French!  Their indoors wine tasting bar and room is very large (for better times). Their outdoor spaces are incredible for significantly socially distance tables for any sized party, even a larger, private event, as appropriate. I would feel very comfortable coming to Georis to do winetasting of primarily his great Merlots. Open daily, 11:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Georis has the largest outdoor space with distanced tables, and a vineyard setting.

Then I walked over to Seabold, 2 Pilot Road. I am not yet familiar with Seabold, so it was a good way to meet them and see their outdoor spaces.  They have smaller outdoor tables as well as big picnic benches and the occasional late afternoon music. Open Thursday-Sunday 12-5 p.m. 

Seabold: Great space and some music, too!

Cowgirl Winery, 26 Pilot Road, has incredible outdoor space for wine tasting and fun – open 11:30-5 daily.  (Sorry, I didn’t make it there to get pictures.)

Even though their wines come from elsewhere, I include Twisted Roots in my blog because of their tasting room location at 12 Del Fino Place (oh, and we enjoy their great wines).  They also have a nice outdoor setup on the side of their building open Thursday-Sunday 12-5 p.m.  Reservations suggested.

Twisted Roots has an excellent, quiet outdoor space for wine tasting!

I walked by Bunter Spring at 9 Del Fino Place, which is not doing public tastings until further notice.  Mark Bunter told me he is doing pickups by appointment, free local delivery, 20% off any six bottles, 25% off twelve bottles, and half-price shipping to CA, DC and FL only.

Bunter Spring is closed for tastings and Idle Hour is moving down the street!

Idle Hour right next door had a big sign saying they were moving in with Big Sur Vineyard’s tasting room at the end of the street.  That was welcome news to me, as collocation with Big Sur will probably result in a more constant presence than the out-of-town Idle Hour could always provide.

Big Sur Vineyards at 1 Del Fino Place was setting up as I dropped by.  Owner Lenora Carey showed me something really cool they are using for their outdoor wine tastings – wine vials that look like big test tubes called “taste tubes!”  Customers receive the flight of wines in a tube rack and pour their own when ready, improving social distancing during the tasting. Open Thursday-Sunday 12-6 p.m.

Big Sur Vineyards is using these cool “Taste Tubes” for a more touch-free experience!

Joullian, 2 Village Drive, is open daily 12-4 p.m. – reservations required.  They had a couple of small tables visible on their front patio.

Bernardus is still closed for in-person wine experiences due to their current focus on wine production and some virtual wine tastings.

Boekenoogen, 24 W. Carmel Valley Road, has an incredible outdoor patio, so their transition to outdoor operations was very easy.  They are open daily, 12-5 p.m.

The lovely patio was occupied, so photos will have to wait.

I’d been talking to Rombi Wines, 1 Center Street, which, like the rest of the wineries, had just set it all up for indoor operations when the order came down to move things outside.  Sal Rombi was able to create a relaxing, quiet spot to taste his big wines just in front of his tasting room.   Open Saturday-Sunday 12-5 p.m.

Rombi’s first outdoor tasting guests!

Joyce, 1 E. Carmel Valley Road, has a nice outdoor space and some great wine sales.   Reservations preferred; weekends also first come, first served.  Wednesday-Friday 12-5 p.m.  Saturday-Sunday 12-6 p.m.

Over to Albatross Ridge, 9 E. Carmel Valley Road, which showed me their outdoor space behind their tasting room – a lovely space with plenty of tables.  Sunday-Thursday 12-7 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 12-8 p.m. Reservations preferred.  They are open in Carmel-by-the-Sea, as well.

Finally, a very short walk over to the old White Oak shopping center at 19 E. Carmel Valley Road, where the rest of these tasting rooms can be found: 

We were invited several weeks ago by Parsonage to help them test-drive their indoor wine tasting procedures (they learned a lot from our visit, as we tasted EVERY wine!) – only to have to revamp their procedures and space for outdoor operations.  They have built a parklet and are able to serve several tables outdoors.  Reservation required.  Thursday-Monday 12-5 p.m.

Parklet photo courtesy of Parsonage – very clever!

Rexford Winery tasting room is closed.  For a limited time, they are offering complimentary shipping on new orders of 3 or more bottles.  Chesebro tasting room was likewise closed. 

Windy Oaks is using a couple of small tables in front of its tasting room for outdoor operations.  The staff is very welcoming.  According to their website, the Carmel Valley tasting room is open Friday-Tuesday 12-5:30 – reservations recommended. Their Carmel-by-the-Sea location is open for limited tastings Wednesday-Monday 12-6 p.m. by reservation.

 I Brand also has some small outdoor tables and is open Thursday-Sunday 12-6 and by reservation.  

These wineries are so happy to be sharing their wines with you.  I hope, if you get a chance, that you will get out to the valley and try some yourself.  Check to see if they require a reservation and confirm they are open.  It all looked good to me!  Come on out, give it a shot come out and support your local vintners.

How Did I Discover Monterey Wines?

A Lineup of Some Great Monterey County Wines

First and foremost, welcome to Decanting Monterey!  I thought I should start at the beginning and tell you how we first became familiar with Monterey County’s many fine wines.  For decades, we had been going to Napa and Sonoma to taste and buy wines.  We also spent time in Cambria, not far from the fine wines of Paso Robles.  Yet the main destination of those trips was always Pacific Grove, where my in-laws lived.  And when it was chilly and foggy in Pacific Grove, we could always go to Carmel Valley for warmth and sunshine.

We started visiting the tasting rooms in Carmel Valley in the late 1990’s.  Back then, we knew about Bernardus (the first tasting room to open in Carmel Valley!), Chateau Julien (now Folktale), Chateau Sinnet, Georis, Heller (formerly Durney and now Massa Estates), Joullian, and Talbott. We were fortunate at Heller to pick up some amazing half-bottles of Durney Cabernet Sauvignon from its estate in Cachagua, where some of the Carmel Valley AVA’s finest wines are grown. 

As the years went by, it seemed every time we went to Carmel Valley, we would find new tasting rooms and wines to explore.  We would ask, “What other wines should we check out?” and we were guided to new places to explore.  We asked this question at Joullian and its tasting room staff said, “Let me make a phone call.” He called up to Parsonage and asked if we could come up to taste their wines.  The winemaker there, asked if we were serious wine buyers and the answer was yes.  We headed up to the winery (before they had a tasting room) and discovered that Carmel Valley can produce the big reds we love.  They turned us on to their neighboring winery, Boëté, and later, Silvestri. 

Inside the Parsonage Winery

We saw more and more tasting rooms open every time we drove out to Carmel Valley Village.  Boekenoogen, Cima Collina, and the string of tasting rooms in the old White Oak shopping center – back then it was Parsonage, Holman Ranch, Chesebro, Chalone, Joyce, Marilyn Remark, and Dawn’s Dream.  Today, swap in Rexford and I Brand.  And along Pilot Road where Cowgirl and Talbott are, some wineries from elsewhere opened tasting rooms: Idle Hour, Twisted Roots and Bunter Spring.  And Rombi opened showcasing his huge Cabs and Merlots. 

We didn’t just taste wine in Carmel Valley – we also explored the many wineries in Carmel, including Blair, Figge, Galante, Hahn, Scheid, Silvestri, Wrath and more.  Plus a “research trip” drive down the Salinas Valley to the Arroyo Seco AVA to see first had some of my favorite vineyards including Zabala and Cedar Lane and back up to taste wines at Wrath, Hahn, Pessagno, Puma Road and Odonata.   Check out a current map of tasting rooms here.

Rolling Vineyards in Salinas Valley

Before we moved back to the Monterey area, I began to present Monterey wines as a volunteer wine educator at the Washington Wine and Cheese Seminar (WWCS) in Washington DC, where I had been a member since about 1999.  That’s when I learned about the Monterey Vintners & Growers Association  – the best place for authoritative information about Monterey wines.  Kim Stemler has been very helpful to me in getting information for my classes.  I have also presented Monterey Wines to the Northern Virginia American Wine Society chapter, as well as a class on Paicines AVA wines for WWCS. 

I started to be referred to as the Monterey wine expert.  I decided if I was going to have that label, I’d better get some official training.  I completed the Wine & Spirits Educational Trust Level 1 in January 2020.  I see this blog website as my next big step.  Now, let’s get onto some wine reviews!

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