This was my second trip with Beau. the first one was for 12 women 4 years ago and this was a more intimate experience for just 4 of us (2 couples).
We originally started our booking with Lindsay who was great and very helpful. She was able to locate my driver from last time - Chris - and told me he was promoted and no longer driving, but they both took the extra step and Chris planned this intimate couples experience for us. He also found a great driver in Phil who knows the area very well and was able to give us a lot of help with history and answering questions we had about wine making in general.
We wanted an intimate experience at boutique family owned places, which is what we were given. One of our stops was also a food tasting, which was not our favorite part of the trip as the food wasn't enough for the day but we had been told it would be, only real hiccup.
Phil was a great driver over all. He called me several days ahead to confirm everything and make sure that nothing special was needed. He showed up early to our pick so that we could go over the plan for the day, see what he brought with (water and a cooler), and show us how everything in the car worked.
Our adventure started out where the first winery, Petroni, lost power right after we were picked up, but Phil and I decided that due to the gorgeous warm weather and the sunshine we could taste outside vs. in the cave and all turned out ok. I appreciated his enthusiasm and quick thinking. He also also told us that should it really be an issue when we got up the mountain, he would have a back up plan in place so we wouldn't lose out! We bought wine, joined the wine club and all were happy! The views at Petroni to start our day were also amazing as was the cave, and the WINE!
The next stop Mayo Reserve Room was where we ate and also tasted wine. The food was delicious and our host has been with the family for 10+ years. As I mentioned above the food was not enough and I have been to Mayo before at their tasting room at a different location, which I preferred.
Third stop was MacLeod and we very much enjoyed that experience. The owner told us about the history of the vineyard in the family, then took us into the vineyard to taste the wines hillside at a picnic table. She was very informative and we thoroughly enjoyed our time and the views! She also had extra galoshes for us ladies who were in open toed shoes and heels, so that we didn't ruin our shoes or fall!
Our last stop was Robledo and we were able to meet one of the sons who took us through the family history and several of the wines. He was very gracious to us, especially since we showed up 45 mins to closing time, but we were still able to taste all the wines and joined the wine club!
Take aways - bring some snacks on your tour and plan to eat a hearty sandwich. Beau will plan a stop off for you at a deli or market, but I've found the time is better spent tasting and buying wine and enjoying the views around you!
Give them a call, they will be more than gracious and happy to make sure that you have the experience you need to have! read more