Soquel Vineyards makes a wide array of wines, both from estate-grown grapes and from fruit harvested elsewhere, and always with high standards for superior quality fruit.
During a recent visit to their welcoming tasting room, I tried a variety of wines—which run anywhere from $175 for their prestigious Consonante, a double gold winner at the California State Fair, and their marvelous Intreccio ($75), a tantalizing award-winning Bordeaux-style blend, to their affordable Trinity Rosso ($16) and Trinity Bianco ($12). There’s something for everybody at Soquel Vineyards.
After tasting many exceptional estate-grown wines that day, I found an impressive, well-made wine that won’t break the bank—Soquel Vineyards’ Santa Barbara County 2016 Pinot Noir ($25), which won a gold in this year’s San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Full-bodied with plenty of structure, this beautiful wine has all of the dark and fruity flavors that typify a good Pinot. Enticing aromas of strawberries and cherries are followed by earthy flavors of vanilla, spice and caramel, which Pinot-philes will surely love. With its bright acidity, Pinot pairs with many kinds of food. Easter dinner, maybe?
The Bargettos’ ties to Italy are strong: note the large Italian-made tapestry in the tasting room, and the handmade Italian roof tiles—both reminders of their ancestors’ homeland.
Soquel Vineyards’ wines continue to impress, thanks to the dedicated partnership of Peter and Paul Bargetto and Jon Morgan. Â
Soquel Vineyards is open for tasting Saturday and Sunday. 8063 Glen Haven Road, Soquel. 462-9045, soquelvineyards.com.
The Tasting Experience on St. Patrick’s Day
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at the Tasting Experience—a new tasting room with a wine and beer bar in Carmel Valley Village that specializes in California boutique wines and local craft beers. And, for animal lovers out there, Tasting Experience Wine Club will donate $20 to the BirchBark Foundation, which gives financial support to pets and owners in need in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties each time a customer mentions BirchBark when signing up for their wine club. The event is from 1-5 p.m. Saturday, March 17. Tasting Experience, 19 E. Carmel Valley Road, Suite 7, Carmel Valley. For more info call the tasting room at 601-5165 or email
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