Sonoma - Ram's Gate Winery

As promised, here is my review of Ram's Gate Winery! This past Sunday on a gorgeous sunny day, we drove out to Sonoma to visit Ram's Gate. It is only half an hour from the city and is simply beautiful! Ram's Gate is the first winery you will hit when coming into Sonoma Valley. This winery is just four months old and is already getting a lot of attention.  They took over the old Roche Family winery vineyard (see review HERE) and inherited some Pinot Noir grapes in the process. The Pinot is absolutely delicious!!!

We arrived at the winery with our 15 month old baby and were not sure what to expect since it looked more "posh", "hip" from the website. We were relieved to see another family sitting on couches with babies. (plural) and around the bend was a nice looking husband and wife with their 2.5 year old daughter and 14 month old son. So it is family friendly and a great way to get out of the city, enjoy some awesome food and wine. Truth be told it became a bit of an adult romper room by the end of it. The 2.5 year old girl, Julia, took a liking to our daughter, Cali and they were crawling around squealing with glee.  That is not to say that everyone was okay with this. Some of the staff was super loving and others glared with disgust. Patrons didn't seem to notice or mind. (well the odd one gave our sweet girl the stink eye but that comes with the territory) We had a great time, made some friends with that other family, took in some sun on the vineyard, wines and cheese.

The great thing about this winery is they offer wines by the glass, a tasting flight for $20 and they have food!!! Real food that is really really good. Small plates that can pair with the wines. The menu offers codes beside each dish which indicate which wine they are suggested with. More information on the food and executive chef, Jason Rose, HERE.

The other great thing is that is so beautiful and the decor is gorgeous. It is modern and brand new and there are fireplaces and heat lamps everywhere.

Along with beautiful views.

Here is a picture of the entrance way when you first walk into the winery.

And looking the other way towards the parking lot:

There are mainly three different areas to sit, along with a VIP members only area as well.

We sat here:

This was a covered, windowed terrace. The great thing about it, is the ceiling is open air slats. So you get that nice breeze and there are heat lamps in case you get chilly. They also offer blankets. Here is another shot of the hall we were sitting in: 

The outdoor seating on the other side was filled up. There are less than a dozen chairs on that side so they go fast. Here is a picture: 

And if you wanted to sit inside, they have a bar setting with a fireplace and some tables looking to the outside area (open to the outdoors so yo get the breeze also.) Here is a picture: 

They also offer all kinds of different options, including picnics. Click HERE for more information.

I decided to do the $20 tasting flight and my husband ordered a glass of Pinot Noir. The tasting flight comes with the Sparkling Brut, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon (which at $68 dollars/bottle I noticed they pour a particularly small measure) and the Late Harvest Zinfandel dessert wine. We also ordered the warm olives, cheese plate and beet salad with goat cheese. 

The food was amazing. 10/10. The wine was also excellent. My favorites were the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. 

My husband adored the Pinot Noir and I did as well. It a dark ruby red and was spicy and smooth. They describe it as having Black Pine notes.

The Chardonnay was crisp with caramel hints. Really delicious. We took a bottle home. :)

Their wines are fairly young since it is a new winery, with the exception of the Pinot Noir since they inherited those grapes from the Roche vineyards. Here is a LIST of all the wines they offer.

MY RATING: 

I give this winery 4 stars. Great atmosphere, delicious food, excellent wine. 

It would have been 5/5 if did without the few dirty looks. ;)

Here are their hours and more INFORMATION.

Happy Sipping!
xoxo
Caroline

CELLAR 360 WINE CLUB

I went for a walk yesterday in San Francisco with my 14.5 month old daughter.
It was a beautiful, sunny, crisp day and we jogged along the Marina and looked at the boats and then over to Fort Mason and up through the park and looked at the stunning view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay. We walked along to Ghirardelli Square where I planned to check out Peekadoodle classes/membership for my daughter. We went into the adorable little shops in the square and I finally caved and bought my girl a large Elmo stuffed animal. The minute we entered the store she spotted him. Squealed and pointed at him. She has two small Elmos ( which I have not seen lately ) and wants the bigger one to hug. :) So we left with some Valentine's cards, a valentine hello kitty and an Elmo.
There is a sweet little tea shop in the square where you can get high tea. Colorful and cute. It is called Crown and Crumpet.

But alas, on to the wine! As I made my way down to the Peekadoodle, I was told the elevators were inside Cellar 360. Oh how nice! A wine tasting room. My favorite! I contemplated stopping to taste some wine, but my baby had a runny nose and was growing impatient. I did, however, stop to talk to a very nice gentleman and get the details about the place. I was impressed! At Cellar 360 you can taste wine at the bar, buy wine and get deli sandwiches, heated up panini's and you can buy chilled champagne, white wine and salami.

The really cool thing about Cellar 360 is the Wine Club. It is free to join and it gives you access to the private tasting room that has views of the harbor, straight shot of Alcatraz and the water. Really neat. You can come with friends and taste wines in there if you're a part of the club. Also when you visit their wineries ( I will get to the list shortly ) up in Sonoma, Napa you get VIP access there as well. Sometimes you get complimentary reserve tasting, like at Beringer Vineyards. Here is a LIST of all the perks when you visit their wineries.

Local wineries that they represent in Sonoma and Napa are:

Beringer Vineyards

2000 Main Street, St. Helena, CA 94574
Phone: (707) 963-7115

Chateau St. Jean

8555 Sonoma Highway (Highway 12), Kenwood, CA 95452
Phone: (707) 833-4134

Etude

1250 Cuttings Wharf Road, Napa, CA 94559
Phone: (707) 257-5300

St. Clement

2867 St. Helena Highway North, St. Helena, CA 94574
Phone: 800-331-8266

Stags' Leap Winery

6150 Silverado Trail, Napa CA 94574
Phone: 800-640-LEAP

They also represent Meridian Vineyards in Paso Robles,CA and Souverain / Cellar No8 in Cloverdale, CA. They have some great Australian wineries under their name too including Penfolds and Wolf Blass!

The wine club works like this:

You can either join the World Club or the Cellar Club.

With the World Club you can get:

-  quarterly shipments of white if that is your choice for $59.99/6 bottle shipment. (around $10 a bottle)
OR
- quarterly shipments of mixed reds and whites for $69.99/6 bottle shipment (around $11 a bottle)
OR
- quarterly shipments of red for $79.99/ 6 bottle shipment (around $13 a bottle)

With the Cellar Club you can get wines that are hand selected and chosen for rarity, quality, vineyard designations and reserve status. These wines are designed for the connoisseur who is looking to enhance their cellar. These range from $119 to $169.99 per quarterly shipment. Click HERE for details and to choose a club.

And that is it! I am definitely going to join. Especially since I will be making a trip up to Beringer in the near future. And fun to use the tasting room when friends/family visit at Cellar 360.
I am going to do the World Club mixed reds and whites! :)

From their website their very own reasons to join the wineclub:

Five Reasons to Join Now:

1.	Six bottles from over 150 well-known wine labels from over 40 regions across four continents delivered go your door each February, May, August and November.
	2.	Receive 20% off all wines purchased, and 10% discount on merchandise in the San Francisco Tasting Room, and our wine discounts and complimentary tastings at our esteemed California wineries. (click here for specific winery discounts).
3.	Each shipment is hand selected and can be customized with red, white or mixed varietals and is a fixed price that never changes.
	4.	Wine Club Members are invited to exclusive Wine Club events at the San Francisco Tasting Room, and our esteemed California wineries.
5.	Access to professional Wine Consultants five days a week, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. PST toll-free at 877-774-WINE (877-774-9463).

Happy sipping!
xoxo
Caroline

http://crownandcrumpet.com/