Olivet Road Wine Trail | Russian River Valley
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Olivet Road is a three-mile long road that is home
to several excellent wineries. This easy tour makes for a great day of wine
tasting. Each of the wineries on Olivet Road is uniquely different.
You are certain to find something special about each one of these
wineries. Since Olivet Road is off the beaten path, the wineries
are less crowded.
To get to Olivet Road, take the River Road exit from Highway 101.
Travel west for approximately three miles and turn left onto Olivet
Road
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Vineyards on Olivet Road
Winery
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Winery Descriptions, Driving directions, Tasting Room Hours
Harvest Moon Winery
The Harvest Moon winery is a new winery with its first vintage in 2001. Randy
Pitts is the winegrower and winemaker at this small family-owned winery. The
winery sits on 12 acres of vineyards and only 2000 cases of wine are produced
annually. The flagship wine is the Pitts Home Ranch Zinfandel. The estate vines
for this wine are carefully managed to provide the best possible fruit for
this lovely-tasting Zinfandel. Harvest Moon also produces a very nice dry and
an off dry Gewurztraminer and two delicious dessert wines. The Harvest Moon
winery sells its wines from the tasting room or Web site only. The prices of
the wines are quite reasonable. To get to Harvest Moon, drive down Olivet Road
one mile from River Road. The Harvest Moon entrance is on the left.
Tasting Room daily, 10:30 am. to 4:30.
Phone: (707) 573-8711, email: info@harvestmoonwinery.com, Harvest
Moon
Inspiration Vineyards & Winery
From Harvest Moon, continue down Olivet Road a short distance.
Watch for the yellow house on the left.
Jon Phillips and his wife Barbara own this winery. Case production
is currently at 700 cases which makes it the smallest winery in the
area. For now, all the wines are made in a very small barn structure
across from their home, the yellow house. Here is where Jon and Barbara
will pour their wines. 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. It's great fun to be able to talk to the winemaker in a
relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
Tasting Room open by appointment only.
Phone: (707) 237 4980, email:gotwine@inspirationvineyards.com, Inspiration
Vineyards
Pellegrini Family Winery
Across from Inspiration is West Olivet Rd. Take this narrow
and beautiful country road to Pellegrini Family Winery.
The Pellegrini family has been making wine since the early 1930’s and
is now in its 3rd generation of family ownership. Today the winery owns and
cultivates over 100 acres of vineyards in the Olivet Lane area and the Alexander
Valley about 15 miles north. The winery produces a wide range of quality wines
under three different labels. The Tuscan style winery is a new facility. Surprisingly,
the old winery facilities were located in San Francisco. With a new facility
and new winemaking philosophy, the Pellegrini Family is producing an excellent
line of wines. We found all their wines to be very good and priced quite reasonably.
Tasting Room open Thursday to Monday, 10:30 am to 4:30 or by appointment during
the week.
Phone: (800) 891-0244, email: info@pellegrinisonoma.com, Pellegrini
Sunce Winery
Sunce winery is just down the road from Inspiration on the opposite side of
the road. Dr. France Franicevic, who is a native of Croatia, owns the Sunce
Winery. His family has a long history of winemaking and this knowledge and
experience is evident in the excellent wines produced at Sunce. The winery
produces 5000 cases of wine per year, yet it produces a wide range of labels.
Some of the wines are produced in very small amounts and these wines sell
out quickly. We are amazed at the number of wines available in the tasting
room. Don’t
pass up the Pinot Noir wines, they are very good. The visitor will certainly
find one or two wines to match their palate.
Tasting Room Hours: Open Daily 10:00 am - 4:30.
Phone: (707)-526-WINE (9463), email:info@suncewinery.com, Sunce
De Loach Vineyards
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. To accomplish this goal,
the winery has hired one of the top Pinot Noir winemakers in California, Greg
La Follette. The winery has also purchased 15 wooden open-top oak fermenting
tanks. Here the Pinot Noir grapes will ferment and the technique of punching
down the “cap” will be accomplished by hand in the old-style Burgandy
tradition. The winery is also transitioning to Biodynamic farming practices.
The tasting room has been remodeled and visitors can choose from a variety
of ways to taste and enjoy the De Loach wines. 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.
Tasting room open Thursday thru Monday, 10 am to 4:30, tours offered,
see Website for details.
Phone: (707) 526-9111, email: winestore@deloachvineyards.com, Deloach
Vineyards
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