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UNCORKED WINE TRAVELS

Musings Along The Wine Trails

Windsor’s Notre Vue Estate’s Unabashed Views Are Worth The Drive

October 20, 2018 by Deborah Mines

Always up for an adventure, I was curious about the seemingly bold name for a winery, Notre Vue, (translates to Our View), an off-the-beaten path winery situated a few miles east of the town of Windsor.   My directions were vague at best, so I proceeded up the lone dirt road, passing through the gates of the old Windsor Oaks vineyards, veering to the left, careening to the right, for what seemed a few miles, all the way to the end of the road.

All I can say is that the name Notre Vue is an understatement.  The expansive Notre Vue Estate sits high atop a ridge, surrounded by over 350 acres of wild preserved open space, with panoramic views stretching from the Russian River Valley all the way east to the Mayacama Mountains, with St. Helena as a backdrop.

Over 250 acres are planted to Bordeaux, Rhone and Italian varietals, allowing for small lot production. Notre Vue varietals include Dolcetto, Viognier, Chardonnay, Muscat, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Malbec, Mouvedre, Petite Verdot, Petit Syrah, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot and Grenache.  A second label, Balverne, produces a reserve Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon.   [Read more…]

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Filed Under: California Wine Trail Tagged With: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Dolcetto, Grenache, Malbec, Merlot, Mouvedre, Muscat, Petit Syrah, Petite Verdot, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Windsor, Wine Tasting, Zinfandel

Paso Robles’ Niner Wine Estates is Actually a “Ten-er”!

April 29, 2015 by Deborah Mines Leave a Comment

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Driving down Highway 46 West outside of Paso Robles, it’s hard to miss the heart-shaped tree grove in the middle of the vineyard at Niner WIne Estates.  The Tuscan-styled stone building seems a little out of character for the sleepy Paso Robles AVA, but is worthy of a visit.

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Niner Wine Estates is the family-owned “dream child” of founder Richard Niner, a farmer from West Virginia.  Niner ventured west in the mid 1990s and followed his passion for wine, acquiring three separate vineyards ~ Bootjack Ranch, east of Paso Robles; Heart Hill Vineyard on the west side of Paso Robles and Jespersen Ranch in nearby Edna Valley.

NWE_tastingroom_interiorAll Niner Estate Wines are crafted from estate grapes from the three vineyards ~ Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Malbec, Petite Sirah, Barbara, Carmenere,  Syrah, Grenache, Cabernet Franc and smaller blocks of Petite Verdot, Merlot, Mourvedre, Semillion, Roussanne, and Grenache Blanc.  [Read more…]

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Filed Under: California Wine Trail Tagged With: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Grenache, Grenache Blanc, Malbec, Merlot, Mourvedre, Petite Sirah, Petite Verdot, Roussanne, Sangiovese, Semillion, Syrah

Paso Robles’ Fratelli Perata Winery Is Fantastico

April 12, 2014 by Deborah Mines 2 Comments

IMG_6705 Calling all Italophiles… For truly authentic Italian wines, head for Fratelli Perata Winery off West Highway 46 in Paso Robles.  Family run by brothers, Gino and Joe Perata, the craft of winemaking dates back to their paternal grandfather and great-uncle in Genoa, Italy.

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Fratelli Perata Winery (translates to Perata Brothers) graces 31 hilltop acres on the north end of Paso Robles.  Situated in the renown Templeton Wind Gap, the winds blow straight from the ocean across the vineyards, bathing and cooling the grapes with the perfect amount of moisture.  A long growing season with hot sunny days and cool nights make this the perfect place for the Italian varietal grapes.

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Fratelli Perata is dry-farmed, meaning no supplemental irrigation.  With the current drought conditions, the harvest crop size is expected to be half of the normal production for 2014.  Barbera, Sangiovese, Montepulciano D’Abruzzo, Malfalda, Charbono, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite Verdot, Petit Sirah and Cabernet Franc are all estate grown grapes at Fratelli Perata.  Each wine is handcrafted, aged in new oak barrels and is representative of a different region in Italy. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: California Wine Trail Tagged With: Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Charbono, dry-farmed, italian varietals, Italian wines, Malfalda, Merlot, Montepulciano, Montepulciano D'Abruzzo, Petit Sirah, Petite Verdot, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Templeton Wind Gap, Wine Tasting, Zinfandel

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A Little About Me

To many, I’m simply known as a wanderlust ~ a free-spirited adventuress with a passion for travel and a lover of great wines!Read more...

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  • Hidden Gem Alert ~ Dry Creek’s Unti Vineyards Is A “10” October 31, 2018
  • Windsor’s Notre Vue Estate’s Unabashed Views Are Worth The Drive October 20, 2018

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