• 2024-07-13
• tasting-notes
• tasting-wine
• gardens
• wineries
• calistoga
• tasting-rooms
• wine
• Hans Fahden Vineyards
• 13 July 2024

The Scoop on Hans Fahden Vineyards #

Region: Hans Fahden Vineyards is right on the border of Sonoma and Napa counties, close to Calistoga in the Mayacama Mountains range.

Website
Phone: 707-942-6760

This beautiful winery is nestled between some of the most fun tourist landmarks in California’s wine country: the Petrified Forest and Old Faithful. As neat as those are to explore, so is the beautifully tended garden of this winery and their exceptional wines. Tastings are available on the patio and in their wine caves—one in the tasting room and one located elsewhere on the grounds.

Hans Fahden Vineyards was bought by German immigrants, the Fahden family, in 1912. There are three vineyards on the property, benefiting from the great volcanic soil to yield small quantities of delicious wine.

My Take on a Hans Fahden Vineyards Tasting #

The Vibe: I don’t know if it’s because I had the place nearly all to myself at 11:30am on a weekday, but I loved this winery visit. The winery itself has a welcoming grand hall, and it was had to resist traipsing straight into the cellar within it. All the staff I encountered were super friendly, and my tasting host had perfect time, letting me be with my thoughts as I tasted, with more time for enjoying the view from the beautiful patio.

Let’s talk about that patio—you may be tempted to go for a cellar or wine cave tasting instead, but this felt like being in a luxury treehouse. Whimsical white ball lamps were strung about in different sizes, and similar orbs were hung around the rails. The view of their garden, so green for summer in California, just made it a wonderful experience.

The Wine: I tasted six wines on this visit, which included a bonus pour. The 2020 Sauvignon Blanc smelled like peach candy that had been dipped in lemon sugar. It tasted bold and made me think of pairing it with lobster and drawn butter, a hearty bowl of mussels, or lemon meringue.

The 2020 Viognier had a lush, creamy tropical nose with notes of guava, coconut, and pineapple. It reminded me of eating a pastry with a tropical jam. So many flavors were present in each sip.

The 2018 Chardonnay was light-bodied but showed off great depth of flavor. Golden and Granny Smith apples, cream, finger limes, gooseberry, and watered grass all came to mind.

Switching to reds, I tasted the 2018 Pinot Noir first. Wet clay on the nose with a good, long finish. Notes of majoram, tarragon, tobacco, and extra ripe strawberries with their seeds.

The 2018 Zinfandel drank like a treasure hunt. Ripe strawberry and bright red cherries ledd, but rhubarb and bay leaves gave chase to the finish.

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon was rich, but knew not to flaunt it. Charcoal and red ripe cherry in the nose. In the glass, notes of licorice, cherry, and olive oil soaking up bitter herbs. Like all the wines, it was very well-blended.

I loved the illustrations for each bottle, which complimented the manicured beauty of the gardens and soothing relaxation of the late morning.

The Gardens: All through my tasting, I looked forward to exploring the gardens after, and I had a lovely time discovering their secrets. The central draw was a goregeous pond covered by giant lily pads, but there were tons of little nooks and beautiful plants throughout. Give yourself a good 20 minutes to explore, at least.

Would I Go Back for a $45 tasting? Surprisingly, I would! That is higher than what I normally want to pay for a wine tasting, but the wines, the view, the garden, and the overall peacefulness of the experience made it worthwhile. Maybe I’d plan for sunset to see both the porch lit up well and get an impressive view. But also, they offer to waive the tasting fee with the purchase of two bottles, and that’s always an enticing deal to me.

Visited September 2021.