Small Vines Wines

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 5/5

  • QPR: 4/5

  • Main varietals: Chardonnay and Pinot

  • Tasting fee: $100

There’s nothing I love more than finding a hidden gem winery and Small Vines is one of them! I’ve been hearing about this winery from others in the wine & hospitality industry and was so excited to finally visit. They are a small production family owned winery, but can be found in high-end restaurants like French Laundry!

Tasting room overlooks their estate vineyard and the entire property/ground was beautiful. It almost felt like I was at a winery resort with cute red barn chairs, wine barrels, and a tree swing. I tasted through their 2018 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, 2017 TBH Chardonnay, 2019 TBH Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, 2018 Estate Cuvée Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, and 2015 Baranoff Russian River Valley Pinot Noir and they were all great.

What was more impressive and fun was hearing more about their farming practice while looking at their vineyard and drinking the wine from the same vineyard. They plant their vines close to each other, which decreases yield but increase concentration, and strictly maintain high quality fruits by keeping 2 clusters and 15 leaves per shoot. At the end of the visit, we even got to meet the owner/winemaker Paul (perks of visiting a small winery) and got a sneak peak of their sparkling wines yet to be released.

If you like private visits with great wines and vineyard views, highly recommend!

More about Small Vines : Website

Square-Peg Wine

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 4/5

  • QPR: 4/5, average price $30-80

  • Main varietals: Chardonnay, Pinot

  • Tasting fee: $40 to taste, waived with 2 bottle purchase

  • Average wine rating on Vivino: 4.3

Tasting experience at Square Peg was a great combination of good Pinot & Chardonnay, art, and vineyard views. Intimate private indoor tasting room is filled with art and overlooks their dry farmed vineyard. They also have an outdoor are that overlooks the vineyard if the weather is nice! Their Rosé was one of the bests I’ve had and loved trying different types of Chardonnays and Pinots side by side. Tasting is hosted by the owner family and was so friendly and informative. They also have a great canned sparkling rosé, which I bought a box of :) Great stop for Pinot and rosé lovers!

More about Square Peg: Website, Yelp , IG

Porter-Bass Winery

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 3/5

  • QPR: 5/5, average price $18-50

  • Main varietals: Chardonnay, Pinot, Zin, Cab

  • Tasting fee: $25 to taste, waived with a bottle purchase

  • Average wine rating on Vivino: 4.2

Porter-bass is one of the most chill and relaxed tasting experience. You feel like you are visiting a friend’s vineyard home and tasting through their favorite wines. a bit of a drive out from the main Sebastopol town but worth the drive and you are rewarded with views of the vineyard and great quality to price wines. $35 for a bottle of Cab in Sonoma/Napa? Sign me up!

More about Porter-Bass: Website, Yelp , IG

Iron Horse Vineyards

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 4/5

  • QPR: 4/5, average price $50-90

  • Main varietals: Sparkling, Chardonay, Pinot

  • Tasting fee: $30, waived with 2 bottle purchase

  • Average wine rating on Vivino: 4.1

It’s always fun to find wineries with a line up of sparkling wines in Napa or Sonoma, as the region is mostly known for Cabs, Pinot, and Chardonnay. Iron Horse was a great find in Sebastopol with options to choose between still or sparkling flight. You can taste at a casual outdoor tasting bar with an amazing view of the vineyard up on the hill or reserve a seated experience in the Gazebo. I didn’t get to try their Pinots or Chardonnay but I enjoyed all the sparkling wines on the flight. I was lucky enough to taste next to club members and got to taste one of their sparkling magnums, which was the best!!

More about Iron Horse: Website, Yelp , IG