Twomey Cellars, Russian River, July 2, 2014

Winery - 8 / Wines - 7
Range:  1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Modern beautiful tasting room with great vineyard views.  Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Merlot.
www.twomey.com

Twomey Cellars operates two tasting rooms: one in Calistoga in Napa Valley, and this one in the Russian River Valley.  The Calistoga location is designed after a classic farmhouse, while the Russian River location is a modern design with a curving room and sweeping, panoramic view of the vineyards just outside.  The Russian River Valley tasting room was acquired by Twomey when they purchased the Roshambo Winery operations (in 2006).  My first visit was in 2007 and I quickly fell in love with the place.  I have returned nearly every other year since then to explore their amazing Pinot Noir wines.  Depending upon when you visit, you may have an opportunity to explore as many as four different Pinot Noir growing regions side-by-side.  Twomey produces Pinots from Santa Barbara County, the Sonoma Coast, Anderson Valley, and the Russian River Valley, allowing the taster to learn the influences each region may have on the wine from the same grapes.  And, yes, there is a noticeable difference between them.

The courtyard entry to Twomey Cellars

Driving up the Westside Road that hosts most of the wineries along the Russian River, it is easy to miss the Twomey Cellars tasting room, so watch carefully for the driveway entrance (which is well marked).  The winery building is on the downside of a small hill and easily missed, but certainly worth the extra effort to find it.  There is a courtyard leading to the front door with a handsome fountain sporting the winery’s name.  The exterior (and interior) is modern, finished in concrete with neutral warm tones and large walls of glass facing the vineyards.  Inside, the tasting room is a long, high space with a gently arching ceiling finished in in rich wood planks.  The flooring is a glossy dark brown with off-white walls along the interior.  Floor-to-ceiling glass lines most of the tasting room offering view onto the vineyards just outside.  I large patio sits just outside the tasting room and is furnished with a number of elegant patio tables fitted with umbrellas, which is where you really should be tasting in this glorious weather that the Russian River offers most days.

Walls of glass bring the outside in at Twomey Cellars.

My tasting flight began with the 2013 Sauvignon Blanc, a crisp version of this wine.  (I am starting to miss the beautiful 2012 Sauvignon Blancs as they were truly magnificent.)  Next I enjoyed a side-by-side comparison of the 2012 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir and the 2012 Russian River Pinot Noir, both of which were delicious.  This was followed by the 2009 Merlot.  As luck would have it, they had a 2007 Merlot open from earlier that was tasting deliciously, with a subtle richness to it.  My favorites were the two Pinots, and I brought home a bottle of each.

Based on this experience, I would rate the winery as an 8 and the wines offered as a 7.  This is consistent with my prior visits.