Taste Route 116 recently hosted this amazing event for wine club members of any of their wineries in the West County of Sonoma County. We were able to enjoy the membership perks, benefits, and discounts at ALL Taste Route 116 wineries for just $10. You could choose to go on Saturday and/or Sunday. My husband, mom, and I decided to do four wineries on just Saturday (that’s still a good amount of wine tasting!) We went to two of our wine club wineries – we had wine to pick up – and two that were new to us. Follow along below as we tasted Route 116!

Stop 1: Ektimo

My mom and I are wine club members at Ektimo and it’s one of our favorite wineries. It’s small and off the beaten path; plus the wine is great (and affordable!) and the hospitality is top-notch. Julius – the manager – is one of my favorite people.

While at Ektimo, we got to try six wines – including a 2017 Cabernet that is still in barrel – and Julius served delicious sandwiches. We ended up ordering a “futures” case of the Cabernet! (Buying Futures is when you order a case of wine that hasn’t been bottled yet.) Julius also writes the BEST wine descriptions. Make sure to read them when you head to Ektimo.

Stop 2: Furthermore

Furthermore Wines is SO cute. A nice little tasting room, but then the outdoor picnic area – right up next to the vines and underneath a towering redwood tree – is picturesque Sonoma County. There is also a bocce ball court, and award-winning wines. Their 2019 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir actually won Best Red Wine at the 2021 Sonoma Harvest Fair Wine Competition! Cheers to that!

Stop 3: Bowman Cellars

Another winery where we are wine club members and had a shipment to pick up, Bowman Cellars is run by a husband and wife team and it specializes in Russian River Valley Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sierra Foothills Estate Zinfandel. It is hands down some of my favorite Pinot Noir, but we love their other wines, too.

The tasting room and outdoor patio area right in Downtown Graton is adorable and Katie Bowman is so nice – always there with a smile. They also have an airstream trailer parked in the outdoor area where they host popups so they can pair their amazing wines with some delicious local foods. You gotta check it out!

Stop 4: Taft Street

Taft Street was somewhat new to us – we’d been there once a few years ago – and we’re so glad we went back! All of the wines were very delicious, the winery has a cute picnic space and a bocce ball court, and the hospitality was top notch.

Though all the wine was enjoyable, the notable wine here is the 2021 Nouveau Pinot Noir. According to the Taft Street website, this is their rendition of an old French tradition (Beaujolais Nouveau) and the winery’s second vintage. Made from 100% Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, the grapes were picked late August. They then followed the traditional French whole grape cluster carbonic maceration method to make this bright, young, and fruity Beaujolais style wine. Just bottled on November 4th, this is a wine meant to be opened and enjoyed immediately, which we totally did. We bought two bottles and drank both of them during Thanksgiving dinner! We definitely won’t wait years before returning again. In fact, we may have to return ASAP to get a few more bottles of Pinot Nour Nouveau to savor through the rest of the holiday season!

What’s your favorite West County winery?

Cheers!