Doctor/Winemaker is certainly an interesting blend. They bring their own brand of creativity to the craft. Thomas Fogarty prints beautiful bottle labels with special facts printed in gold like “distance to ocean” for his Santa Cruz Mountain appellation wines.

I bet you’re thinking “isn’t Thomas Fogarty too far north to be in the Santa Cruz Mountains?” The appellation actually spans across Woodside, where this winery is located. The drive there is so far off the 280 Interstate and through twisting winding roads, you feel like you could be in Santa Cruz by the time you arrive. But the view and wine is worth the trip.

For starters, their estate Chardonnay has great balance of citrus and apple with a hint of earth. It was thirst quenching after a long warm drive. Robert Parker enjoyed its character as well. Their “orange” Chardonnay is a bit darker in color due to 21 days on its skins. This gave it more body and richness. Their Pinot Noir was big and bold with lots of earth. If you’re not usually a Malbec lover, theirs is a great starter. It has brilliant cherry berry with interesting mocha layers and a hint of chocolate mint. They finish with a Cabernet Franc that only has about 4% Merlot but that’s all it needed to balance Cab Franc’s full bodied structure, spice, and blue fruit with dark cherries and cocoa.