Wine Tasting at Pech Merle in Geyserville

If you're taking a trip to California's Wine Country, designate some time to stop by the small town of Geyserville. When I say small, I mean small. With a population of a little over 1,000 residents, Geyserville's downtown spans about 100 yards on a two-lane road, and consists of two restaurants, a couple boutiques, and a bar. There are also a couple wine tasting rooms, including a favorite of mine, Pech Merle; a family run, boutique winery dedicated to producing limited quantity wines in Sonoma County.

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The tasting room at Pech Merle Winery is rustic yet classy, with exposed brick, plush leather couches and vintage inspired artwork and accent furniture. There are several seating areas to choose from, including an enclosed outdoor patio covered with ivy and other vines, equipped with picnic tables and chairs, twinkly lights, and red umbrellas. Whether you want to take a seat inside at the bar, at one of their leather couches, or outside in the fresh Sonoma County air, Pech Merle is the charming tasting room you'll be glad you visited.

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Pech Merle has a wine for everyone! Personal favorites were their 2017 Viognier, with grapes sourced from Dry Creek Salem Vineyards, and their 2015 Bella Luna Pinot Noir (which I am currently sipping on as I write this). Some other selections that you shouldn't miss are their Sauvignon Blanc (described as a "vacation in a bottle" by our lovely host, Jenna), and their Old Vine Reserve Carignan, with fruit sourced from the Mendocino Valley.

If you're looking to sample some wine that perfectly encapsulates what Sonoma County has to offer, come to Pech Merle Winery. John Pepe, the head wine maker at Pech Merle, has over 33 vintages under his belt, and has worked with local winery giants like Kendall-Jackson and Beringer Vineyards. John has been working for Pech Merle for over 5 years now and you can taste his dedication and experience to making the best wines and really highlighting what the fruit has to offer.

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• Classic Pech Merle Tasting: $15 per person

• Private Tasting Accompanied by Diavola Cheese and Charcuterie: $25 per person

• Reserve Single Vineyard Black Label Patio Tasting with Burrata from Catelli's: $35 per person

Pech Merle accepts walk-ins at their tasting room in Geyserville, however I highly recommend making a reservation ahead of time. If you make a reservation for a private tasting, you'll get a personalized experience with your wine educator (ask for Jenna, she's awesome!), and you'll also get to dive into a huge cheese and charcuterie board delivered from Diavola Restaurant, or a buratta and arugula plate from further down the road at Catelli's.

That's another reason why you should definitely take the time to visit Geyserville. The camaraderie between the business owners in this tiny town is very apparent. They're very proud of the little community they have established here and everyone is so supportive of each other. Diavola Restaurant is one of two restaurants in downtown Geyserville and offers great artisinal pizzas, pastas, and of course this charcuterie board (pictured below). The other restaurant located just down the way that specializes in delicious Italian food is called Catelli's. You can sample their Burrata plate complete with arugula and prosciutto if you make a reservation for the "reserve single vineyard black label" private tasting on the patio at Pech Merle.

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We made a private tasting reservation at Pech Merle Winery for four people and I can honestly say that all four of us really enjoyed our time here. We all have different levels of wine knowledge and Jenna, our wine educator for our tasting, was so knowledgeable and enjoyable to talk with while we were learning about the wine we were sipping on. She easily maneuvered between talking to those of us who work in the wine industry, to those in our group who are total newbies to tasting and experiencing wine.

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You can definitely tell that Pech Merle Winery cares deeply about their wine product and wants to share it with wine enthusiasts of all experience levels. Too often do I find that some places in wine country can get a little intimidating and feel a little stuffy when you're tasting at their locations. This is not the case for Pech Merle Winery. They believe that wine should be shared and enjoyed and talked about no matter your level of wine knowledge. I can say without hesitation that I cannot wait to come back here and share it with some more of my friends and family.

If this blog post has inspired to to take a trip up to Geyserville and do a tasting at Pech Merle Winery, let me know in the comments and tell me your thoughts! Cheers!

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*PIN FOR LATER*

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