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Open: 10:00am-4:30pm
Appt required? No
Last barlinwine.com visit: 2009
Directions:
View Sonoma in a larger map or Get Directions
Tasting:
What a hike it is to get to Matanzas Creek! Coming from Napa, there is no easy way to reach the winery, and so a series of winding roads get you over the mountains and eventually to the property. The tasting room is nestled on a hillside and surround by lavender gardens. Visitors walk up a gravel-strewn path that acts as a drawbridge across the moat the purple bushes.
Tasting at Matanzas Creek is straightforward. They make the varietals most commonly found in Northern California: Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah, PInot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay. Their wines are attractively priced -- nothing is over $40 -- but the wines are also not overly memorable. On our visit, my longtime friend Elisa was pouring in the tasting room, and so it's hard to judge what a regular walk-in tasting would be like, but the vibe in the tasting room was generally relaxed. Picnic tables are available for shaded lunches overlooking the beautiful grounds.
Overall, my advice would be to head to Matanzas Creek if you're a) coming from Santa Rosa (it's too hard to get to from Napa), b) tasting with people new to wine tasting that will appreciate the grounds, or c) just looking for a nice, out-of-the-way place to have a standard tasting and a relaxing picnic lunch. For the deeper connoisseurs, the wine is not exciting enough to make this a regular stop.
Tasting at Matanzas Creek is straightforward. They make the varietals most commonly found in Northern California: Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah, PInot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay. Their wines are attractively priced -- nothing is over $40 -- but the wines are also not overly memorable. On our visit, my longtime friend Elisa was pouring in the tasting room, and so it's hard to judge what a regular walk-in tasting would be like, but the vibe in the tasting room was generally relaxed. Picnic tables are available for shaded lunches overlooking the beautiful grounds.
Overall, my advice would be to head to Matanzas Creek if you're a) coming from Santa Rosa (it's too hard to get to from Napa), b) tasting with people new to wine tasting that will appreciate the grounds, or c) just looking for a nice, out-of-the-way place to have a standard tasting and a relaxing picnic lunch. For the deeper connoisseurs, the wine is not exciting enough to make this a regular stop.
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Recommended wine: The Chardonnay and Syrah were my favorites, but not overly memorable.
Ratings (out of 5):
 WINE | 3.25 |  TASTING ROOM | 4.75 |
 ATMOSPHERE | 4.50 |  VALUE | 4.25 |
 OVERALL | 4.19 | ||
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