Talk about far out! Esterlina is also far up. Their vineyard is quite a journey off the 128 main highway where most other wineries are in Anderson Valley. But, as you can imagine, the view rewards those who journey.

Here, you feast on old vines right in front of their tasting deck with waves and waves of redwoods in the distance. Like most family wineries, the wines are all hand crafted with care. Back in the day, big daddy even invited you in for a 3-4 hour tasting with big pours and even bigger stories, I’m sure. It’s all about personality! They are probably the only winery serving Cheetos with their wines. But what doesn’t go with cheesy salty snacks.

These days you can taste wines made from the smallest appellation in North America. Cole Ranch is an AVA (American Viticulture Area) with only 189 acres but before you go thinkin’ bigger is better, consider this: the tiny ranch has a climate unlike its neighbors with more rain and less warmth, increasing hang time (that’s wine geek talk for longer ripening time on the vine). What does that mean in your glass? The grapes maintain optimum acidity and wines have elegant bright fruit with incredible balance.