Chouinard Vineyards, Castro Valley

Hegui and I decided to go to Chouinard as part of our recent Livermore Valley wine tasting meet-up. They got an excellent review on ChowHound and they produce Rhône varieties, which we adore.

charming Chouinard Vineyards

welcome to Chouinard Vineyards

Even though we’ve been, I still don’t quite know how to situate them on the map. Many of their grapes are grown in other locations, like Paso Robles, Lodi or Monterey. Is Chouinard part of Livermore Valley, the San Francisco Bay or what?

Well, whatever it is, they’re worth a look.

Compared to Concannon, the place we visited after this, Chouinard is tiny and sort of mom-and-pop style. Only about five or six miles off Interstate 580 in Castro Valley, nevertheless, it seems like light-years from the Bay Area. They’re nestled in a charming little valley between several mountains. There’s even a little creek running through the property. The drive itself from the freeway to the winery is full of stunning mountain views, corkscrew turns and adventure. That may be a liability after the tasting on your drive out, so use caution.

We tried the sparkling, the whites, the apple wine, and reds but couldn’t drink more when it came to the sweet wines and their versions of port. The tasting room was small, informal and friendly. The wines are all quite affordable and many were very good.

tiny creek running through Chouinard Vineyards

Unfortunately, the Chouinard wine price list didn’t always indicate the vintage, if any, or the region from which the grapes were harvested. I asked but my notes are inconsistent.

California Champagne: This is from chardonnay grown on the estate. It was pale yellow with the aroma of green apple. It tasted apple-y and refreshing.

2009 Chardonnay, Livermore: Pale yellow with mineral on the nose, not that much fruit. Not too oaky, it was more creamy than buttery with mineral notes and tropical fruit.

Viognier (is this 2009?), from Lodi: This was quite pale with lovely floral and pear on the nose. It had a subtle flavor with some mineral hints and an earthy finish. We both liked. It would be especially welcome on a hot day.

2009 Chenin Blanc, Monterey: Very pale yellow with hints of rose, papaya, butterscotch, and apricot with some sour cherry. It seemed mildly sweet. Pleasant.

NV Granny Smith Apple wine, from Hog Canyon Orchard: This is a novelty! It was a transparent pale yellow that smelled of apple pie and rust. It tasted very apple-y but didn’t shock like cider might. It had 10% alcohol.

Chouinard red: This is a blend of petite sirah, zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon and malbec. Translucent pale purple with hints of tar, cedar, hot embers and clay. We detected red fruit with tar and mineral. It had crisp acidity and a long finish.

2006 Alicante Bouchet, Lodi: This was an inky dark red with a nose of wood chips, freshly cut trees, garrigue, cedar, vanilla and V-8 juice. It opened slowly but became exuberant with lots of earthy flavors, black coffee, bitter notes, nail polish and fresh blood.

2009 Old Vine Zinfandel, Lodi: This was brownish red with a nose of cigarettes and tobacco, red fruit and honey. Surprisingly it tasted of plum. Medium body.

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, San Francisco Bay, Palomares Canyon Vineyard: This was a dark purple red with a nose of freshly turned dirt, forest floor and wet moss. A medium body supported by supple tannins revealed mineral and some fruit.

2005 Petite Sirah, Livermore: This was an opaque black with scents reminiscent of stewed tomatoes and metal. It had noticeable chewy tannins that made it thick. This one needs a bit more time. We felt it was the most French in style.

2007 Malbec, Paso Robles: Purple to black in color, we detected spice box, Mexican cinnamon, green pepper. It started out powerfully then tapered off to a smooth vanilla and oaky finish. This was less forceful than an Argentine malbec. Good.

Chouinard Vineyards has won lots of medals and ribbons for their wines