edible travel
WINE DISCOVERIES
Placer County harbors hidden treasures on roads less traveled.
WRITTEN BY MARNIE MCARTHUR
PHOTOS COURTESY OF LONE BUFFALO, VINA CASTELLANO, AND WISE VILLA VINEYARDS
Cruising along Highway 80 between Reno-Tahoe and the Bay Area, travelers often have one thing in mind — just getting there. But it’s not the destination; it’s the journey. A scenic detour leads to delightful surprises for wine lovers.
Near Auburn, Newcastle, and Loomis, the Placer County Wine Trail winds along country roads, leading to 20 small, family-owned vineyards and wineries. These hidden gems are no longer the best-kept secrets in the wine world.
“Twelve Placer County wineries recently brought home 52 medals at the California State Fair, a tribute to the area’s heritage as a viable California wine-producing region since the mid-1800s,” says Jocelyn Maddux, marketing consultant for the Placer County Vintners Association.
Foothills microclimates
A Mediterranean climate of warm summer days and cool evening breezes is ideally suited to Rhone varietals such as syrah, petite syrah, and viognier; Spanish tempranillo; and California favorites — zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon, and cabernet franc. Elevations ranging from 800 to 2,000 feet create many microclimates, enabling a winery such as Wise Villa to grow 13 different varietals.
“We strive for balance between a lighter European style and more fruit-forward California wines,” says Wise Villa Winery owner/winemaker Grover Lee.
The founder of American Health Care and a world traveler, Lee studied winemaking practices throughout Europe, took courses at the University of California, Davis and now spends most of his time at the winery.
Lee and associate winemaker Kevin Luther make more than a dozen award-winning wines from estate vineyards. A visit to the Tuscan-style winery perched on a hilltop overlooking the vineyards should include a stop for lunch in the beautiful bistro, where chef James Herzig pairs wines with dishes crafted from seasonal, organic ingredients grown on the estate.
A personal touch
With a few exceptions, estate-grown wines from vintners producing fewer than 2,000 cases are the norm in Placer County. Visitors likely will find the owners, family members, and winemakers in the tasting rooms.
At Lone Buffalo Vineyards, visitors are greeted in the rustic, western-style tasting room by owner/winemaker Phil Maddux, his wife Jill, and the winery dog Zoe, a friendly blue/gray Labradoodle. The family has many stories about how the endangered buffalo inspired the winery name.
“If you come to Lone Buffalo, we guarantee you will learn something,” Jill says.
Phil handcrafts his wines in small lots and gives them clever names such as the award-winning Rhone blend, Where the Buffalo Roam, Tatonka Tempranillo, and Noble Beast Cabernet Sauvignon.
“Cabernet from the foothills produces a lighter, less tannic, softer wine to drink now,” Phil says. “Tempranillo will age well, maybe 10 years.”
Tempranillo is the flagship wine at Vina Castellano, a beautiful family estate specializing in traditional Spanish and Rhone wines made in an Old World style.
“You have to be patient when making Old World wines,” says co-owner/winemaker Teena Wilkins. “Our wines are oak aged in barrels for three years and bottle aged for six months to one year before release.”
Visitors enjoy tasting in a stone barrel cave, and families are welcome to picnic and play croquet or bocce ball on grassy lawns. Bring your own picnic or purchase Spanish tapas to enjoy beside a small lake with an island wine bar.
Wilkins started the winery in 2000 with her late father, Gabriel Mendez. She is one of the prominent women of wine in Placer County, instrumental in starting the wine trail, along with Karen McGillivray, co-owner and vineyard manager at Dono dal Cielo.
McGillivray manages 11 acres of vineyards on a 30-acre estate and is devoted to cultivating the land in a responsible, sustainable way.
“We encourage visitors to tour the vineyards and learn how our grapes are grown,” she says.
Award-winning zinfandels are grown with organic compost on clones from Amador County’s famous Deaver Vineyards. Grapes are handpicked and sorted, and the wines, including a stunning dry zinfandel rosé, are crafted by McGillivray’s son, Hunter, who joined the family business in 2013 after completing wine studies at UC Davis.
The family greets visitors in a casual tasting room within the winery. Guests are welcome to picnic on expansive lawns and enjoy live music every Saturday afternoon.
Another delightful place to spend an afternoon is Le Casque tasting room on the grounds of the charming Flower Farm. Le Casque owner/winemaker Kevin Stevenson’s goal to make blended wines equal to the fine wines of the Rhone Valley in southern France is fully realized in clean, crisp roussanne and viognier.
In a departure from the majority of estate-grown wines in Placer County, Stevenson sources the majority of his grapes on short-term contracts with specially selected vineyards in Amador and El Dorado counties.
“It’s all about finding the best fruit,” he says.
A French military helmet, the Adrian Casque, hangs in the tasting room where Stevenson likes to share French history along with the story behind his label.
There is plenty of history along the Placer County Wine Trail, as well as friendly winery owners eager to tell their stories.
Lone Buffalo’s Jill Maddux says it best: “Personal touch is what Placer County is all about.”
Freelance writer Marnie McArthur has been drinking and writing about wine for more than 30 years. After a long career in wine and food public relations in the Bay Area, she lived for five years in North Lake Tahoe, where she wrote a monthly wine column for the North Lake Tahoe Bonanza. She now lives in Reno and travels to nearby wine regions as often as possible to discover new wineries and new wines. A tough job, but someone has to do it!
Extras
Before you go
The Auburn Wine & Food Festival, Saturday, Oct. 11, is an excellent introduction to many of the wineries, and it’s a good way to taste and decide which you’d like to visit.
Download a wine trail map from http://www.Placerwine.com or pick up a copy at Carpe Vino wine shop and wine bar in Auburn. The map is helpful, but the best tool for navigating country roads is GPS. Be sure to use it for stress-free touring!
The wine trail is more than you can do in one day. Spend a few hours or even a weekend. Along with many motels in the area, the Holiday Inn in Auburn offers Weekend Wine Packages. With the package, wineries on the trail waive tasting fees and offer 10 percent discounts on purchases. For a special getaway, The Flower Farm Inn has several charming cottages, a café, gardens with native plants, and locally grown produce.
Resources
http://www.Wisevillawinery.com
http://www.Lonebuffalovineyards.com
