Having spent his childhood growing up in Alexander and Chalk Hill Valleys, surrounded by grapevines has proven to work to our (wine consumers) advantage. This is where Jacob Hawkes grew up. His father, Stephen, moved here in the early 70’s and was one of the pioneers in planting grapes. Even though being an experienced grower does not guarantee a great glass of wine will result, Jacob has figured out how to take quality grapes and produce great wines. The Hawkes Chardonnay is outstanding; bright, crisp, a little creamy and a whole bunch of fruit. This area produces, arguably some of the best Cabernet in the world and the Hawkes 04 (100% Cab.) is a must try, representing Alexander Valley at its best. This is a big complex wine and is going to continue to improve with age!

Perhaps growing up in the Valleys has something to do with it, but the Hawkes are personable, down to earth and all around super people. Coupled with producing great wines, I think Hawkes is going to be here for many years to come and for us to enjoy. Located at 6734 Hwy 128, be sure to stop in and taste with Jeremy, Laura, and Jacob on your next tour through wine country.

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Having a four year old daughter has its virtues in many ways. One is that you get to meet the parents of other 4 year olds and this is how we found Michall and Jeannine Pendleton. Owners of Pendleton Estate Vineyards & Winery, located in the hills of northern Alexander Valley, Mike is crafting outstanding wines. Mike’s care and passion seems to reach from each and every grape as it comes off the vine to the appreciation of the finished wine as it is enjoyed from the glass. His wines are really well balanced, drinkable now, full of fruit and complex. If you have plans to be traveling along the 128 in route to Mendocino County, be sure to give Mike a call for a tasting of some of the best handcrafted small-lot wines from Sonoma County.

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Wines and Makers is very pleased to be able to represent and sell MoniClaire Vineyards wines. Peter and Mary Beth Smiderle’s home and vineyards set on 10 acres of beautiful benchland just off of Lytton Springs Road in the Dry Creek Valley. For the most part, their vineyards are sloping west which, some suggest, lends itself to a certain voluptuousness-big ripe fruit-characteristic in the wine. This certainly proved true after tasting the MoniClaire Petite Sirah-this wine has great fruit and spice nuances and is not, in my opinion, overly tannic. Peter and Mary Beth also produce a classic, ageworthy Dry Creek Zinfandel and a crisp, citrus nuanced Sauvignon Blanc (sold out). Total production for these three wines is around 300 cases. The Smiderles have all the passion in the world for MoniClaire (named for their two daughters, Monica and Claire) and it shows in their wines. Peter has been around winemaking all his life and is now fulfilling a dream, while Mary Beth’s eyes sparkle whenever she is speaking of MoniClaire.

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Recently Andrea and I visited Iron Horse Vineyards located in the Green Valley appellation of the Russian River Valley here in Sonoma County. We were greeted by Winemaker David Munksgard and Corral Club Director Kevin Vanderhoff. Given a tour of the vineyards we settled on a beautiful knoll overlooking the winery to visit with David about his experiences making wine dating back to his college days at California State University, Fresno. I hope you enjoy the video as much as we did shooting it. While David’s demeanor is easy going, he and his team at Iron Horse are meticulous in all phases of making world-class Sparkling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The sweeping rolling hills of the 300 acre ranch (160 to vine), the outdoor tasting room (Shirley has been pouring wines since the seventies and is a great host) and the outstanding wines make Iron Horse a must visit on any winery tour. There is even a chance, on an occasional Friday, you will find David passing through the tasting room and he may take you on your own vineyard tour. An unforgettable experience!

See our Iron Horse wines here.

John Hawley moved to Healdsburg, California in 1980 after graduating from UC Davis. Recently I went for a drive through the beautiful Dry Creek Valley and drove in the direction of Bradford Mountain on my way to John Hawleys Winery. Driving up the hillside I got a sense that I was in a very special place. Arriving at the winery I found that it is a totally unpretentious, functional, practical, and ecologically balanced estate. In all ways, in my opinion, a reflection of John Hawley himself. Here is a man who has had a huge impact on making the fine wine industry what it is today, overseeing the production of millions of cases of wine, and now appears perfectly content making a few thousand cases of quality fine wine. John is extremely knowledgeable in the science of grape growing and the art of winemaking and it shows in each bottle of wine he produces. Johns two sons, Paul and Austin, are now working to carry on the tradition started by their father. They could not have a better teacher.

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