On the top of the hill just off Union Road you can spot a winery and a stone-sided, Burgundian tasting room. An elegant fountain first greets you as you enter the building. The heavy Old World styled wooden doors open to a grand European inspired room. Stained glass windows, Italian ceramics, original artwork, a fireplace, piano and unique merchandise fill the large space. At the far end is a hand-carved wooden tasting bar with a black marble counter top.

 

Owners Shannon or Maureen O'Neil are usually on hand to serve their estate bottled wines. The lively yellow interior makes the room bright and airy. On their expansive patio is a second tasting bar surrounded by tables and chairs, a lush green lawn and views to the west. A breezeway separates the tasting room from the winery operation. 

 

The vineyard was established in 1982 and has provided fruit to Napa and Sonoma county wineries for years. The Irish-named winemaker, Shannon O’Neil, is also half Italian and creates a number of wines, some of which are based on the wines from his mother’s hometown of Gioi in south central Italy. He also produces enormous, inky black Syrah’s, huge Zinfandels, big concentrated Cal-Ital & Bordeaux-Style blends and numerous other wines. Maloy O'Neill Vineyards is also known for producing multiple lots of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot and Italian and Bordeaux style blends. The resulting wines have different characteristics due to the diversity of vine ages, clones, microclimates and growing techniques.

  

Maloy O' Neill currently have seven Cabernet Sauvignons, five Syrah’s, a Pinot Noir, Malbec, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Franc, Primitivo, Tempranillo, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, a late harvest Muscat and a number of blends. Most of the lots are fewer than 300 cases; some are fewer than 300 hundred bottles. This is a wonderful chance to taste the same grape from different vineyards or a different vineyard block, or take the opportunity to try some new wines you have yet to experience.