A trip to Starfield Vineyards makes any day blissful. Entering the estate adorned with beautiful flowers surrounded by lush vineyards makes you want to stay all afternoon. A quick look at the lunch menu and my mouth watered. Then, the wine was equally impressive. It was an experience for the eyes, palate, and soul.

The property has plentiful hiking trails that take you past the vineyards, an outdoor terraced amphitheater, and lake. We recommend showing up early for your appointment if you want to take a walk a round (yes, they require reservations). Your eyes will enjoy the adventure.

Their vermentino was tart and crisp with a broad mouthfeel, a great match to their Thai Chicken Salad with peanut-lime vinaigrette. It had a hint of orange blossom on the nose and body like a marsanne that elongated the experience. We had to take a bottle home for more research. Definitely make a reservation to enjoy an exquisite lunch on their patio.

Their soil is a ripe bounty to grow unique varietals. We also had to get a red blend of a few favorites like grenache, tempranillo, and petite sirah yet were also impressed to see rare grapes like anglianico and cinsault. They could have easily planted syrah and zin like everybody else but branched out to show off this bountiful terroir.

• +Robust and refined wines
• +Beautiful views
• +Delicious food too
• -Paying for the reservation before hand ruined the experience
• -More rules than a public swimming pool. For example, if you pay in advanced for 4 people yet only 3 show up, they don’t refund you for that friend that couldn’t make it.
• -Difficult to book same-day reservations

More discoveries from my time in this region.