Wine Tasting in Livermore Valley Wine Country: Part 2

WooHoo!! We made it to the weekend! If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, then you know I was in Livermore earlier this week. I went exploring a few more wineries. I was there last year and checked out a couple of places. This is quickly becoming a fun place to go wine tasting! I love how cute, quaint and charming this Wine Country is. One of the things I love about wine tasting is finding smaller, boutique style wineries. The wines are good, and I love that they aren’t your standards you find everywhere. This trip to Livermore included the two oldest wineries in the valley and a cute place in between!

Concannon

This was the first stop of the day. This place is so pretty you guys! From the gates to the drive up, to the gorgeous grounds for tasting and picnicking outside. It’s so pretty and there are some fun sculptured bushes around that are fun to check out. So a little bit about Concannon.

• It’s been around since 1880’s and was one of the first to craft Bordeaux-style wines in California.
• Concannon also survived prohibition times by providing sacramental wine for the church.
• An estimated 80% of California’s Cabernet Sauvignon is planted with Concannon Clones because they were resistant to a virus that knocked out a huge amount of vines in the 60’s.
• First to release Petite Sirah as a standalone varietal wine from his 1961 vintage.

SO  many fun facts about this winery. But, on to the wines. We tasted a great variety of wines from vines that are on site. We tried one white and te rest reds. I was pleasantly surprised by the white, Reserve Assemblage Blanc, it was clean and crisp and definitely made it home with me. I also bought bottles of the 2014 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Mother Vine and 2013 Petit Sirah, Polo Field Vineyard.

This is definitely a spot you could hang out all day. Grab the kids, a picnic basket and some games to hangout, enjoy the wine and spend a great day outside! Also want to know they have some fun events and classes coming up. Be sure to check them out, would be perfect for a date or girls night out!

Mitchell Katz

This was our second stop of the day. It’s pretty much next door to Concannon, making it so easy to get to the next place. This is the cutest little spot. It’s referred to as tasting in the barn. You guys, we are usually in and out of placed within an hour, hour 15 at the absolute longest. But, we were here for OVER TWO HOURS! We had the sweetest gal pouring our wine and chatting with us. Mitchell Katz has a tasting menu for during the week, and a second one that’s only available on the weekends. We were able to try some wines from both menus and had so many great wines…I came home with FIVE bottles you guys…FIVE!!

There were just so many good options to choose from, but I had to limit myself. So here is a little bit about Mitchell Katz:

• Dedicated to producing only single-vineyard wines
• Founded in 1998 in memory of his grandfather, who passed
• When he startedcreating wines , the goal was to make wines that were affordable. Something that everyone could afford.

So many great wines options. One fun thing they are currently doing this year is featuring a different wine each month and offering it for $20 in honor of the 20th anniversary of the winery! Here’s what I bought: Mitchell Katz Sparkling Wine, Corvino Petite Sirah, Clark’s Corner Syrah, Falling Star Petite Sirah, and the Wesley’s Blend.

Wente

This is also one of the oldest wineries in Livermore, 135 years to be exact. We went to the tasting room that is just down the street from out other stops. Wente is so pretty. Again a lot of different sitting areas to enjoy your wine and the outdoors. We tasted ate the Estate Winery , but there is also their Studio Tastin room on site as well. We just ran out of time for the day and couldn’t check these wines out. However, it’s such a destination location that we will head back. It’s another perfect place to grab the family, some activities and enjoy some wine and food from the Wente Restaurant food truck on site.

Here is a little about Wente:

• 1883 47 acres purchased and built the winery, currently about 3,000 acres.
• Released the nations first varietally labeled Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillion.
• Has two different tasting room locations
• Majority of all California Chardonnay is derived from the Wente Clone

The wines were good and there are lots of options to please any palette. Here is what came home with me Small Lot Pinot Noir Rose and Charles Wetmore Cabernet Sauvignon.

If you’re in the Bay Area and want an easy to get to, fun wine tasting expereince then head to Livermore Valley. There are so many great wineries, both big and small. Here is a look at my previous visit. I can’t wait to share more wineries from this region with you throughout the rest of this year!

Have you been to Livermore? If so, what are your favorite places to taste, comment below so I know where to head to next!

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your Easter Weekend!

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