Tim and Kandy were friendly and knowledgeable hosts who clearly knew a ton about winemaking and…read moregrape growing. Theirs is an artisanal operation and their fine wines are only available directly on site. Check it out!

Our visit to BobDog winery began with a beautiful and scenic drive guided by explicit directions to…read morethe winery's 2000ish feet elevation location above Cloverdale. Tim welcomed us to the winery and laid the framework described as wine "sensing" (vs tasting) we would be shown. He walked us through the process with a blind tasting of three wines, where we discussed our observations at each step. We left with a reinvigorated passion for evaluating our preferences in wines, vice the process we had devolved into over the years. We will definitely return!

May 6, 2025 - Cloverdale…read more This was our second visit to this winery, and it was just as lovely as our first visit. It's a family-owned winery, and very down to earth. Dog-friendly. Upon arrival, we were immediately greeted by Tilley, a rescued Aussie Cattle Dog. I LOVE that they list her as one of the team members on their website. There is a large tasting room, and an outdoor covered patio on a terrace overlooking the vineyard with amazing views. Once we chose where we wanted to sit, our host, Christy, gave us a complementary taste of rose'. The tasting fee is $20 per person, waived with a two-bottle purchase. The tasting menu is mostly reds, but started with a Viognier. We were then offered the chance to try any white that they had open. Such a relaxing and, really, a perfect wine tasting experience. Christy is friendly and knowledgeable. And then Jim Rickards (owner) came over and talked to us for a while. He is very personable, and had some wonderful stories. We shared conversation with him for quite a while. We enjoyed all the wines. We bought the rose' and the merlot. Prices range from $30-$39 for the whites, and from $35-$63 for the reds.

Had the absolute best wine tasting here today! Not only are the wines very good but the views are…read morespectacular. Christine was a wonderful host and Jim was a plethora of information. I feel like we could have spent the entire day here. Be sure to check them out and say hello to the wine dog, Tilly!

Icaria Winery, Cloverdale, CA - September 1, 2023 This was…read morethe second and final winery of the day for us. We had tasted earlier in the day and were ready for one more tasting adventure. Tastings here are by appointment only. I learned that texting in my appointment request worked very well. We were able to get a 3 pm appointment. Due to its location, you'll get a text explaining how to get to the location and what to do when you get there for parking. This is a pretty small scale family-run winery operated out of the basement of a house that is at the top of a hill not far out of town. There are about 50 acres of wine grapes grown down below. The tasting fee is reasonable - $20/person, compared to other wineries in the Alexander Valley area that have $40+/person tasting fees. Our host was family member Helen, who was charming and knowledgeable and she poured our wines and explained a little about each one. We also got to meet and talk to her husband and winemaker, Greg, We got to taste their Chardonnay, Zinfandel, a couple of their cabs, and a very recently (that morning) bottled Pinot Noir. Everything was very delicious as we sipped our wine overlooking the vineyard below. All the wines were very reasonably priced I thought, considering their outstanding quality $35 - $65. We bought a bottle of the Cab. Sauvignon and the Pinot Noir. We have every expectation they'll be delicious when we open them.

The total definition of a hidden gem! Who would have known that this beautiful tasting room was…read moretucked away in the hills of Alexander Valley?! Came here with a friend during a wine tasting event, and we were both blown away by the aesthetics and the Cabernet! This was hands down some of the best Cab Sauv that I have ever tasted in my life. That kind of Cab that makes your eyes roll to the back of your head with each and every sip. Yeeep... like that. 'Twas extraordinary and I lived to tell it. Upon entering their estate, there's a long windy one way road. It was our first time there and we didn't realize that it was a one way road until we got closer to their grounds. It's pretty gnarly! We didn't realize that they have a shuttle bus that transports guests up to their estate. Whoops! Make sure you don't make the same mistake we did and park at the bottom of the hill and wait for that shuttle. Trying to turn around to go back down that one way street is scary, but we made it work. From first glance, the estate looks like a charming old house on the hill. In fact it is, but you'd never expect what's hiding in the backyard. A full on patio tasting area with jaw dropping views of the valley beneath. Our eyes instantly lit up when we made it to the back patio of their estate. Is this even real?! It was stunning and extremely intimate. We were only one of three groups (one group left shortly after we arrived). It felt like we almost had the place to ourselves. The owner/winemaker (Jeff Smith) and his wife (Helen Smith) are so down to earth and hospitable. They poured us our wines and told us about what we were tasting. I love visiting and supporting small family owned wineries like this. It's such a special and intimate experience. Every wine that we tried was exceptional. Their Cabs are just friggin' mouthwatering, and this is coming from a gal who doesn't drink Cab all too often. But let me tell you; their cabs are so damn smooth. It's literally like silk. Still bold like a Cab should be but extremely balanced. Boldness without the super tannins. When it hits the back of your throat, it just opens up with so much complexity. These are Cabs that don't need food to bring out their flavors; they can be enjoyed all by themselves in completely delightfulness. But, I KNOW that they would be amazing when they are being paired. Just exceptional Cabs. I'm actually so grateful that we came across Icaria during the wine tasting event because I'm not sure if I would have discovered them otherwise. If you're looking to taste in the Cloverdale area, Icaria should be at the top of your list of wineries to try.

Was excited to come here (second attempt) but it's closed yet again. Unfortunately I can't give a…read morefair review, let alone recommend a business, that I haven't truly experienced despite my best efforts, so the current low star ranking are based on the following: Site looks awesome and is in a great downtown location, but sadly they don't adhere to their own advertised hours ie. Website says 6 and it's not even 5, but they are closed & Sign on the door says closed till the 24th, but it's the 25th, still closed. Interesting business strategy. Hopefully can give an improved review someday.

I'm a fan of their wines and hospitality. Such a charming cute tasting room in a great little town…read more My favorites are the Nuits de Young and the Rose. I recently tried one of their Zins and it was delicious too. And if any of you had the pleasure of knowing Kathleen, you would love this place even more. Thank you Erika and Maddie for always taking such wonderful care of me during the Wine Walk event.

Amazing wine!! A must try! Their best is their old vine Zin. Well rounded and enjoyable flavor that…read moreanyone would enjoy..

Their Old Vine Zinfandel is the best I've ever had, and that's saying A LOT! Speaking of lots, the…read moreproperty is gorgeous.

This place has been closed to the public for 15yrs and at one point in the 1950's, was the second…read moremost visited site here in CA second to Disneyland! I was able to step on the properly briefly due to a flat tire - gorgeous property and hop the Gallo family will re-open in the near future.

Per my previous review from January of this year, Souverain was moving north from their location on…read moreHealdsburg Square to this Asti Winery location in Cloverdale. I had never been to this Cloverdale location before as it had previously been closed to the public, but now that they have combined tasting rooms for Souverain and Cellar No. 8/Asti Winery, it is now open to everybody and today was the perfect opportunity. Upon arrival, I was very pleasantly surprised to discover that it was right by the freeway exit/onramp as I had fully been expecting to search for it along the long stretch of Asti Road. There is a lot of historical significance here as this was the site of the Italian Swiss Colony which was founded in 1881. I've heard that for decades, this had been quite a destination for tourists on vacation. I took a picture of the plaque I saw out front. The building which is now the main tasting room also served as a post office, so there is still a mail area just inside the door. Since it was the day after Memorial Day weekend, it was super empty in here, I'm sure a stark contrast to the absolute madhouse it must have been over the long holiday weekend, especially with all the great weather. Anyway, I took a bunch of pictures which I will post shortly. Sadly, true to his word, the cool guy that we met at the old Healdsburg Square location last time (Jim?) did not make it to the new tasting room and apparently did retire. Most likely, he is on the cruise that he had been telling us about or travelling around the world as he had planned. However, the person behind the counter...the pourer (is there a proper term?) today was named Charlene and she was really cool. We discovered that she was originally from Louisiana and she was very knowledgable with a similar passion for wines and history so we had a fantastic time talking to her about wines and wineries in general. As always, it's the people factor that really makes such a big difference in the overall experience. I'm a member of Cellar 360, so there was no charge for our tastings, but even if there had been, it wouldn't have been a big deal as they only charge a $5.00 tasting fee per person. Not bad at all! Anyway, we tasted the following today: Cellar No. 8 Sauvignon Blanc 2008, North Coast, $16 bottle Cellar No. 8 Chardonnay 2008, Sonoma County, $17 bottle Souverain Pinot Noir 2008, Caneros, $25 bottle Cellar No. 8 Petite Sirah 2006, North Coast, $20 bottle Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, Home Vineyard, $35 bottle As you can see, their prices were incredibly reasonable and we were fortunate enough to also sample a reserve chardonnay, a reserve merlot, and a reserve cabernet sauvignon. The regular chardonnay was okay, but the reserve one really raised some eyebrows, especially for the price. For me, this one was reminiscent of the chardonnay that I recently had at Chateau Montelena when I visited my friend Matt who recently started working there. Regretfully, I was so busy enjoying the wine that I forgot to catch the vintage or specific details. It was good though! As expected, the characteristics of their petite sirah was more conducive to pairing with food than for casual sipping, but I felt that with an appropriate pairing like wild game or perhaps venison, it could be a most pleasant pairing. After all the tastings, we walked around their gift store and then went outside to walk around the beautiful, but almost empty (well today anyway) grounds of the winery itself. The haunting emptiness of a Tuesday after a long holiday weekend, contrasted against the stunning scenery of the vines and calming serenity of the hillside was rather breathtaking...pretty spectacular without all those people to mess it all up. Darn humans...LOL. Anyway, walking around, saw a bunch of wild birds and even a lizard as it came up to look at us before it scurried away. I took a picture of him so if it came out, I'll be sure to include it with my photos for this winery. Just took a look and he looks fantastic! I don't remember the last time I enjoyed walking around a winery so much, but I'm guessing it's because it was so empty after the long holiday. This location is pretty far north and off the beaten path, so for me that is actually a plus. Nice winery...will definitely be back.

Food: - (can't rate this, I don't drink) Service: 5/5…read more Ambiance: 5/5 Hands down one of the best tasting experience I've ever had. They gave pretty PHAT pours, and 8 glasses of wine. I don't drink so I can't rate the wine. My friends all said it was good. Vibes of this space are on POINT! I would love to go back in Aug/Sep, our wine connoisseur told us we are able to taste the grapes that the wines are made out of during that duration. The view of this space are amazing. I hope the room on the second floor that looks out to the vineyard. There is also an abundant amount of wildlife here. Turkeys, Rabbits, Birds.

Our favorite Winery in California…read more Simply the best place to visit if you are looking for a gem, One on One tours and tasting in the most spectacular place. Stunning grounds, that will amaze you, photographs so awesome and Wine to die for ! Home of Baby Blue Blend, the handshake to the public, Blue Rock offers so much more variety and is their own produce. Take the personal tasting session in the main lounge and eat the platter, relax and unwind, unfortunately you won't want to leave. Everyone flocks to Coppola nearby but misses this, and what a miss, the drive around the grounds has so many picture opportunities. Stunning. Wine is amazing, I'm sure you will agree, and clearly this company is growing big with distribution now in 24 states. We are Ambassador members and bought a case today on top of our membership. Can't get enough of this. Definitely recommended if you enjoy a personal experience. Brilliant.