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De Loach Vineyards | Inspiration Vineyards | Harvest
Moon
Our Wine Country Getaway to Olivet Road in the Russian
River Appellation
Our one-day wine country getaway takes us to
Olivet Road located in the Russian River wine region in Sonoma
County. Olivet Road is a beautiful and quiet three-mile backcountry
road in the heart of the Russian River Valley wine appellation.
From the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, it takes about
one hour to get to the River Road Exit on Highway 101. From there
it is just a short drive west to Olivet Road.
We have an appointment for a tour at De Loach Vineyards, which
is the last winery on Olivet Road from this direction. We will
head to De Loach and then work our way back to Inspiration Vineyards
and Harvest Moon Vineyards.
De Loach Vineyards
Some very exciting things are happening
at this winery. In 2003, the Boisset Family of France purchased
De Loach and its 22 acres of vineyards. The Boisset family intends
to carry on its Burgundy tradition at De Loach and produce the
finest Pinot Noir wines possible. At our visit here, it appears
that the winery is sparing no expense to accomplish this lofty
goal. Last year, the winery hired one of California’s most
esteemed winemakers, Greg La Follette. For twenty years, Greg has
been making fabulous wine, especially Pinot Noir. Most notably,
Greg was the winemaker at Flowers, a winery that has received a
lot of recognition for its Pinot Noir. With the Boisset connection
in France, Greg plans on importing the finest Pinot
Noir cuttings available from Burgundy. These
will be planted in the fields just outside the tasting room. This
land is now barren, having been recently plowed. Because the winery
has adopted biodynamic farming, these fields must sit, while the
soil rejuvenates itself. The winery has also purchased 15
wooden open-top oak fermenting tanks. Here the grapes will ferment
and the technique of punching down the “cap” will be
accomplished by hand. While most wineries use stainless steel fermenting
tanks and mechanical means for punchdown, De Loach has decided
on the more traditional Burgundian approach to making Pinot Noir.
The tasting room has been remodeled and visitors can choose from a variety
of ways to taste and enjoy the De Loach wines. We are very impressed with the
staff and its goal to make fine wines. We do a barrel tasting of three Pinot
Noirs that will be bottled in the next few months. These Pinots are fabulous
now. We can’t wait to taste them when they are released.
There are three labels of wines produced. The bulk of the production is devoted
to the De Loach wines commonly found in supermarkets and fine wine shops. The
OFS (Our Finest Selection) label, and single vineyard label, are made in small
quantities and are available only at the winery, online, or at fine restaurants. De
Loach Vineyards
Inspiration Vineyards & Winery
Jon Philiips
Owner, Winemaker
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Just up the road from De Loach
is Inspiration Vineyards & Winery.
Watch for the yellow house on the right heading north. Jon Phillips and
his wife Barbara own the winery. Their first vintage was
in 2002. Case production is currently at 700 cases with
plans to eventually get to the 2000 case range. For now,
all the wines are made in a very small barn structure across
from their home. There is no official tasting room, but
Jon will eagerly provide visitors a taste of his wines.
Perhaps it is the rustic surroundings, but we were not expecting
to taste wines of such quality. To our pleasant surprise,
we find the wines to be quite polished and delicious..
Currently available is a Chardonnay, a Pinot Noir, and two
Zinfandels. The Chardonnay is quite fruity for Chardonnay
and not overbearing with oak. This is a very food-friendly
wine. At $18 a bottle, this Chardonnay is a great value.
During the week, Jon and Barbara have full-time jobs. If
you plan to visit, call ahead to make an appointment so
that Jon or Barbara can arrange to meet with you.
Inspiration
Vineyards & Winery
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Harvest Moon Estate & Winery
Winegrower and Winemaker
Randy Pitts
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Continuing on from Inspiration
we head up Olivet Road to the Harvest Moon Vineyards & Winery.
We meet up with Randy Pitts, the owner, vineyard manager,
and winemaker. Randy has just completed the construction
of a new tasting room that is open daily for wine tasting.
The Harvest Moon wines are delightful and reasonably priced,
considering the quality of the wines. The specialty here
is Zinfandel with three types produced. |
Randy leads us out to the Zinfandel
vineyard. As we walk this vineyard, Randy pulls off a few
shoots from the vines, curls others around the trellis, and
drops some of the smaller grape bunches. Randy explains that
proper farming of the vineyards is the key to making great
wines. The wine produced from this vineyard is bottled as
the Russian River Valley Pitts Home Ranch Zinfandel. This
wine has just received a resounding 92-point rating from
the Wine Enthusiast. Another
favorite wine of ours is the estate Gewurztraminer. It
is the driest Gewurztraminer we have tasted. The Pinot Noir
is light and fruity and a bargain at $18. Harvest
Moon Vineyards & Winery
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It is time for lunch. While we usually enjoy picnicking in the
vineyards, on this day we are heading to the tiny town of Graton,
home to two fine restaurants. One is the Underwood Cafe & Bar
and, directly across the street,is the Willow Wood Market. Both
restaurants are under the same ownership. The Underwood is quite
fancy, while the Willow Wood Market is a bit on the funky side.
We choose to eat at the Willow Wood Market. They have a great menu
of soups, salads, and delicious sandwiches. They also have an extensive
wine list. This is a popular spot around the
lunch hour. We rate the Willow Wood a 4.25 on our 5-point rating
scale.
More Information for Travelers
Other wineries on this road are Suance and Pellegrini. See our
Russian River Wine Trail for complete details.
Top Restaurants in the Area
Top Lodging in the Area
Top Delis in the Area
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