The proprietors of Gwinllan Estate Vineyard and Winery decided to honor their roots in Wales by choosing this name for their delightful winery. It is a small family owned and operated institution; their son is a UC Davis graduate in Viticulture and Enology and is responsible for making their intensely flavored wines. Their practices are also impressive; stressing the vines ensures they can extract more flavor and produce highly concentrated wines with elegance and character.
Their Chardonnay, which begins the tasting flight, has a nutmeg quality most likely achieved by a combination of stainless steel and French oak aging. But their combo goes both ways; I mean the aging process starts in stainless steel tanks, then moves to oak barrels and they return to stainless steel to finish. Their Winemaker Selection has big rich Grenache with lots of body and a brazen blackberry finish. It is delightful for the nose, mouth, and body. Their Petite Sirah has dark meaty cherry and berry with lots of chocolate and elegant mellow tannins. Bravo!
For those of us who do not speak Welsh, gwinllan means vineyard. It’s like those peeps in Wales have a different word for everything! And you didn’t think you’d expand your language skills reading a California wine blog!?
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