Fort Ross Vineyard

“For the first time in three years of exploring California wines, we decided to order a home delivery—and that alone speaks volumes about how much we’ve fallen in love with your Pinot Noir. A special thank you to Tammy for the warm welcome during our first visit to your vineyard. The atmosphere, attention to detail, and genuine hospitality made the experience truly unforgettable. The ordering process and delivery exceeded all expectations: just two days, and a box of exceptional wine was already at our doorstep. Which means one thing—perfect weekends ahead. Thank you for your quality, service, and the emotions you create. Wishing your vineyard continued success and inspiration to craft many more outstanding wines!”

“For years we have camped at Salt Point State Park and driven past the Fort Ross Winery, but were deterred by the "appointment only" sign. Before our most recent trip, my fiancé and I booked the walking tour, and food/wine pairing. It was blazing hot for mid March, but totally worth it! Hank, our trail guide, gave us fascinating information about the region. We were the only people on the walking tour so it was super intimate. For the tasting, the staff was very accommodating for our well behaved dog, who was allowed to stay in the air conditioned tasting room while we had our food pairing and tasting on the much warmer (but not too warm) balcony with ocean view. We had a total of 8 wine tastings - the Chenin Blank, the Mother of Pearl Chardonnay, the Bicentennial Pinot Noir, 2 tastings of the Top of the Land Pinot Noir (by far our favorite), the Terraces Pinot Noir, the Pinotage, and the Late Harvest Chardonnay, a dessert wine. It was a very laid back, unhurried experience. John, our server, was super informed about all the wines. We ended up purchasing a six bottle set of the Pinotage at $25 a bottle. The food was excellent! Definitely not a full lunch, but we learned so much about the importance of pairing food with wine. Holly Carter, the chef, was approachable and very knowledgeable. We will be back!”

“Fort Ross Vineyard and Winery is a small producer located in a remote area a few miles from the coast in the southernmost part of the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA. We happen to love Sonoma Coast wines, so we were really looking forward to going to the only tasting room in this area. The tasting room itself is relatively small, but stylish and comfortable - think Restoration Hardware. Even though it was mid-April, it was still pretty cold (50F) when we arrived for our 10 AM tasting, so it was thoughtful of them to have the fireplace going. Wine tastings are by appointment only, so be aware of that before you go. We opted for the food and wine pairing tasting for $75 pp instead of the wine only tasting for $50 pp. The extra $25 was absolutely worth it. When we arrived, we were offered some 2022 Chenin Blanc which was a welcoming touch. For the tasting itself, we were served four wines - the 2019 Bicentennial Chard, the 2019 Fort Ross Vineyard Pinot, the 2018 Top of Land Pinot, and the 2018 Pinotage (the owners are South African and brought over some vines) - we were also served a tasting of the 2019 The Terraces Pinot as a bonus. Each of the four wines were paired with small bites to eat. Bicentennial Chard with “Fennel and Apple Salad, Herbed Mascarpone, Cardamom Crostini” Fort Ross Vineyard Pinot with “Maitake Yakitori, Cherry Teriyaki Sauce, Napa Cabbage Slaw, Macadamia Nuts” Top of Land Pinot with “Forbidden Rice Risotto, Oyster Mushroom, Roasted Cauliflower, Valley Ford Estero Gold Cheese” Pinotage with “Coffee and Ancho Seared Flank Steak, Broccoli Rabe, Cheesy Grits, Pinotage Glaze” (They have a vegetarian option for this one if you ask) The food was delicious on its own, but more importantly, each one paired very well with the matched wine. The entire tasting showcased the food-friendliness and versatility of Sonoma Coast wines. Really well done. Unfortunately, the day was overcast, so the view was limited, but the grounds are beautiful. Overall, it was a great, memorable experience. If you arrive in the area early, you can pass some time by walking the Vista Trail that is located near the intersection of Meyers Grade Road and Route 1. It has beautiful views of the coastline, it’s entirely paved, mostly flat, and takes maybe 15-20 minutes to do the entire loop. Lastly, there is no cell phone reception (at least for T-Mobile) in the area. None. Not even a hint of a bar. So take that into consideration by making sure you have downloaded maps onto your GPS so you can use it offline.”

“You won't just stumble upon Fort Ross Vineyard, it's remote, but totally worth it! The drive is spectacular with beautiful vistas around every turn! Reservations are required. The drive ends at the beautiful tasting room. This winery produces mainly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Equal to the quality of the wine was the tasting plate; the flavors stood on their own and complimented the wines so well. Wonderfully kind guide was very knowledgeable and helpful!”

“We were very excited about tasting Fort Ross wines based on the reviews that I read. The drive was fairly long and arduous but absolutely worth it as the setting is stunning. The tasting room is very nice with an excellent deck. We enjoyed the wines especially the pinotage, but overall the quality was not as high as I expected. Overall enjoyable and worth a trip to visit the Sonoma Coast, but not likely to visit again.”