UNCORKED WINE TRAVELS

Musings Along The Wine Trails

Sunce Winery Exudes True Old World Charm

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Winter Wineland 2014 was the perfect venue to visit over 36 wineries in the Russian River Valley in January, plus another 100 or so wineries in Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley, Healdsburg, Geyserville and Santa Rosa.  My wine trek started along Olivet Road, my favorite stretch of vineyards  in the heart of the Russian River Valley, which led me to Sunce Winery.

IMG_6017Third generation Croatian-born winemaker, Frane Franicevic, has certainly perfected his love of winemaking over the years.  Frane released his first wines in 1990, created in a barn off Piner Road, later moving his winemaking operation to the current Sunce Winery site in the late 1990s.

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Sunce is a Serb-Croatian word for “sunshine”.  And, plenty of sun shines in the Russian River Valley in the peak growing season.  Sunce Winery is named after one of Frane’s daughters, Sunce, with another vineyard and a varietal wine blend named after his other two daughters, Zora and Zemlja. [Read more…]

Bottle Shock Movie Set ~ Chateau Montelena Winery

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Tucked ever so gently in the deeply wooded hillside in the fertile Napa Valley, lies the  stately Chateau Montelena Winery.  The 254 acre estate was established in 1882 by San Franciscan entrepreneur Alfred Tubbs.  Tubbs was convinced that the loose, stoney soil at the base of Mount Saint Helena near Calistoga was ideal for growing grapes.

IMG_6235A French wine maker was brought to the estate and Tubbs’ dream soon became a reality.  The château was built soon thereafter and was aptly named Chateau Montelena, which is actually a contraction of the name “Mount Saint Helena”, the nearby noble peak.

Chateau Montelena Winery prospered until the Prohibition Days.  In post-Prohibition days, Tubbs continued to grow and sell grapes to local family winemakers.  However, the vineyards  fell into disrepair over the following years and the property was sold in 1958.

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Chateau Montelena’s new owners were Yort and Jeanie Frank, who were merely seeking a quiet place to retire.  As a tribute to Frank’s homeland of China and to his wife Jeanie,  the beautiful Jade Lake was created.  Today, Chateau Montelena‘s Jade Lake is known as one of Napa Valley’s prettiest lakes, a wildlife refuge which is also available for private winery events.

In the early 1970’s,  the estate was purchased by Jim Barrett, who replanted the vineyards  and started the California wine industry as we know it today, showcasing California wines,  specifically Napa Valley wines. [Read more…]