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You are here: Home / Archives for Carneros

Las Amigas Road in Carneros

September 11, 2017 by Joe Becerra

View of Carneros

View of Carneros Vineyards on Las Amigas Road

Los Amigas Road in Carneros – cool climate land of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay

Carneros is all about growing cool climate grapes especially Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This wine country photo was taken on a secret back road in Carneros. The road is Las Amigas Road. Read more about this beautiful and hidden back road. See how to get there and a few wineries you can visit for tasting delicious Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Filed Under: Wine Photo of the Day Tagged With: Carneros, wine country photgraphy

Secret Winery in Carneros, Truchard Vineyards

November 20, 2014 by Joe Becerra

secret winery Truchard

The wine cave at Truchard Vineyards built into the Carneros Vineyard

Secret Winery in Carneros, Truchard Vineyards

Why is Truchard Vineyards a secret winery in Carneros? The Truchard winery is off the beaten path located on Old Sonoma Road. Most travelers have no reason to venture along this backroad that leads from the Carneros Highway into the town of Napa. Secondly, the winery produces 20,000 cases of wine and most of that goes to fine wine shops, restaurants, and wine club members. Thirdly, Truchard takes visitors by appointment only, no drop-ins. They do not have a big staff, but give a very casual and intimate tour and tasting for $30 a person. You will never find a huge crowd of tourists here, and that is one important factor we enjoy when visiting a winery. We visited Truchard last week with a total of six in our party and very much enjoyed our tasting and tour that lasted about an hour and  a half.

Truchard Vineyards is a family-run winery owned by Anthony Truchard and his wife Jo Ann. How the Truchards founded the vineyards and winery is one of the great untold stories of the Napa Valley and Carneros region. Anthony Truchard, or Tony as he likes to be called, was raised on a ranch in Texas and loved farming. Tony was stationed during the Korean war as a medical commander near Nevada. At the end of his tour, he took a trip to the Napa Valley and became enchanted with the vineyards. Even back in the early 1970’s land was expensive in the Napa Valley, but just to the south there was the Carneros region where land was much less expensive. At this point in time, there were no vineyards planted in Carneros. Tony, a meticulous individual according to his son Anthony, worked with soil engineers to research the potential for growing grapes in Carneros. The outlook was  favorable, so Tony purchased land and was the first to grow grapes in Carneros. Shortly after, with his military stint over, he returned to Texas and moved his family out west so he could farm his vineyards in Carneros. The problem was, the closest spot for setting up a solid medical practice was the Reno, Nevada, area. For eleven years, each weekend he and Jo Ann would make the round trip with their children, five at one point, to their farm to work on the vineyards. That is above and beyond dedication. I clearly remember the long car trips we took with our three boys; we thought that was tough sledding, but five?

For many years the Truchards worked the vineyards and sold the grapes to a variety of wineries in the Napa Valley. In 1989 they began making their own wine. The Truchards still sell most of their grapes but use a small percentage of the vines for their wines. There many big name wineries that buy fruit from these Carneros vineyards. Earlier this year the Truchards had a triple celebration, their 50th wedding anniversary, 40 years of growing grapes, and 25 years of making wine.

This was our second visit to the Truchard Vineyards and the winery. Son Anthony Truchard let the tour and tasting for our group. He is the only one among his siblings who decided to work for the winery. He told us that his parents encouraged all their children to find their own calling and pursue a variety of interests. Truchard makes several varieties of wine including some specialties, like a 100% Rousanne and a Tempranillo. But it is their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that are their flagship wines.  These are made more in a Bugundian style. This means less use of oak, thus show casing the fruit of the land. This has been the case since the winery began and this style has served them well.

Both Tony and Jo Ann Truchard continue to work throughout the vineyard and winery. Just a few years ago I shot this photo below of Tony working a harvest in his vineyards. As you can see, this man is still having fun!

Truchard winery

Tony Truchard enjoying the harvest

Filed Under: Napa Valley Tagged With: Carneros, Secret winery, Truchard Vineyards

Carneros for a quick wine country getaway

September 21, 2014 by Joe Becerra

Carneros quick wine country getaway

Jacuzzi Vineyards is less than an hour from San Francisco

Carneros is a quick wine country getaway

Carneros is a terrific wine country to visit. It is a quick and easy ride from San Francisco or Oakland. When traffic is light, you can be there in slightly less than one hour. Carneros wine country in some respects is lost in the shadow of the great Napa Valley and the Sonoma wine country. Because of this,  Carneros  is much less crowded than either Napa Valley or Sonoma Valley. The Carneros wine region spans two counties, Sonoma and Napa, and runs west to east along the San Pablo Bay. It is known for its cool climate and the late afternoon cooling winds that drift inland from the San Pablo Bay. What grows here are fabulous Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. How about the Spanish grape Albariño that grows near the Atlantic Ocean in Spain? Yes, it is grown successfully in Carneros and is used in wines that are just as tasty as the Albariño wines from Spain.  Merlot, Syrah, and a few other varieties are also grown in Carneros. One of the specialties of the Carneros wine country is sparkling wine. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are two of the common varieties that grow here in Carneros and are used in Sparkling wine. Chateau Domain Carneros on the Napa side of Carneros and Gloria Ferrer on the Sonoma side of Carneros are the two wineries that focus on sparkling wine.

On the Sonoma side of Carneros we like to visit Cline, Jacuzzi, (the same family owns both wineries), Robledo, and Larson Family Winery. On the Napa side we enjoy Truchard, Bouchaine, Cuvaison, and Domain Carneros. We also enjoy exploring the backroads of Carneros that run right to the edge of the waters of the San Pablo Bay. Additional Information on Carneros:

  • Carneros wine country map
  • Carneros lodging
  • Carneros Wine Routes

Filed Under: Wine Photo of the Day Tagged With: Bouchaine, Carneros, Cline, Cuvaison, Gloria Ferrer, Jacuzzi, Larson Family, quick wine excursion, Wine Country Photography

Black Friday in the Carneros Wine Country

November 13, 2012 by joe

Forget about spending the day after Thanksgiving at your local shopping mall. Give yourself and your family a chance to unwind by taking in the sights and sounds of the Carneros wine country. From San Francisco, Oakland, the Peninsula or anywhere else in the Bay Area, it is an easy day trip to the Carneros region and there are many wonderful wineries to visit and things to do

Here are some great ideas to make your Black Friday Carneros trip a success:

Read More »

Filed Under: Carneros, Tasting Rooms, Wine News Tagged With: Black Friday, Carneros, Carneros Backroads, Larson Family winery

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