Striking, award-winning architectural design greets visitors to this winery, which is run by a “fun-loving group with a slightly irreverent attitude.” The wines are red, bold, and -- like the staff -- have plenty of personality.

As you walk under the vine-covered arbor toward the tasting room, you can peek into the open-air production facility and get a sense that things are a bit different here. The tasting room is a glass pavilion with a bank of windows framing an impressive view of the Alexander Valley. Many wineries seem to give their best views to their hard-working staffs, but here it’s all about the visitors. The long, crescent-shaped tasting bar has a concrete base and a wooden counter top. This “room with a view” also has a large window that looks down into the barrel room to spy on the inner workings of the winery.

The winery uses traditional methods of production to craft their wines, making many in small lots; some bottlings are as small as 100 cases. The grapes come from their own vineyard as well the Napa Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley, Knights Valley and Rockpile. The concentration is on red wines, especially blends and Zinfandel. They strive to make “clean, balanced wines that are fully extracted, rich in complexity and comprise a depth of character.” Currently wines are available only in the tasting room, through their wine club and on-line.