Open: 10am-4:30pm
Appt required? No
Last barlinwine.com visit: 2012 (April 15, 2012 Itinerary)
Directions:
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Tasting:
We stopped at Hook & Ladder on the advice of a fellow taster at Joseph Swan. The room is open 7 days per week and no appointment is required.
Upon entering the tasting room, your eye is immediately drawn to the rafters, where dozens of firefighter t-shirts hang representing different fire departments. Hook & Ladder’s owner and founder, Cecil De Loach, was a San Francisco fireman for 16 years before moving into the wine business in 1982. But once you’re a member of the firefighters’ brotherhood, you’re a member for life, and Cecil chose the name Hook & Ladder to honor that part of his life.
We were warmly greeted and bellied up to the long tasting bar. Our hostess suggested we limit our tasting to 5 of the 11 wines that were offered. We elected to bypass the four whites (Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Early Harvest Gewurztraminer, and Late Harvest Gewurztraminer) and begin with a pour of the 2009 Pinot Noir. This wine was light and delicious, and turned out to be our favorite of the visit. Taste #2 was a very average Estate Zinfandel. We skipped the “Station 10” Zinfandel Blend after not loving the Zin and moved on the “The Tillerman” and estate-grown Bordeaux blend. At $17, this was a decent wine and a good bargain. We skipped the Merlot and finished the tasting with a sip of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet.
The wines were not fantastic at Hook & Ladder, but the atmosphere was friendly and the prices unbeatable for the area. Wines ranged in price from $16 to a max of $26, and for the money I think the wine was a pretty good buy.
Upon entering the tasting room, your eye is immediately drawn to the rafters, where dozens of firefighter t-shirts hang representing different fire departments. Hook & Ladder’s owner and founder, Cecil De Loach, was a San Francisco fireman for 16 years before moving into the wine business in 1982. But once you’re a member of the firefighters’ brotherhood, you’re a member for life, and Cecil chose the name Hook & Ladder to honor that part of his life.
The wines were not fantastic at Hook & Ladder, but the atmosphere was friendly and the prices unbeatable for the area. Wines ranged in price from $16 to a max of $26, and for the money I think the wine was a pretty good buy.
Recommended wine: My favorite was the 2009 Pinot Noir, but otherwise nothing was particularly memorable.
Ratings (out of 5):
 WINE | 3.25 |  TASTING ROOM | 4.00 |
 ATMOSPHERE | 4.25 |  VALUE | 4.50 |
 OVERALL | 4.00 | ||
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