Raise the Barn

Photo by Ryan Opaz

Not yet in Napa – we stopped in Livermore, CA at a few places near my sis’s house. Napa was days away and we had to get to tasting. We’ve always gotten lucky stopping in Livermore. We did again even though it was New Year’s Eve and we only hit 2 places. That just leaves me more to try next time as I have another list already built and ready. You’re on our list Red Feather and Retzlaff.

Crooked Vine / Stony Ridge Winery

Nice place with some good wine. They’re right along the main road running through the Livermore wine region so easy to stop in and taste. I was more a fan of the Crooked Vine label which is their reserve side. But reserve at a decent price. They make a very nice Viognier/Chardonnay blend (bought it) and a nice jammy Zin. (bought it) We did like a port from the Stony Ridge label. (bought it)

Murrieta’s Well Winery – a Livermore surprise

Very nice grounds and tasting room. They were in a top 5 in Livermore list I found somewhere.
All the wines are ‘old world’ style and based on Iberian peninsula varietals – pretty unique. First time I’ve tasted a tempranillo at a winery. Nice! We liked their Tesoros Semmilon/Chard blend. As Jen said, “summer in a glass.” (bought it) And we loved their flagship wine, Murrieta’s Red Meritage – so smooth. (bought it) That one may not last through winter.

That was all we had time for in Livermore. Ben did great. His second time going to tasting rooms. We pulled out the “designated driver” comments and such. He actually fell asleep at Murrieta’s Well in Jen’s arms. So when she was tasting she had his head and I was cradling his butt. Pretty good at juggling our priorities.

Stay tuned for a larger post on our day in Napa next.