Sebastopol
California
Located just 15 west of Santa Rosa, the large town of Sebastopol, situated in Central Sonoma County is a must visit community filled with incredible wineries, distilleries, restaurants, and so much more.
Originally an orchard town filled with groves of planted apples and plums, Sebastopol has been transformed today into a primarily grape growing region. Despite the switch to grape vines, Gravenstein apples, the regions original claim to fame can still be found there.
The region was founded in the 1960s by a group of hippies that declared Sebastopol a Nuclear Free Zone. While new wine tasting rooms and trendy farm to table restaurants continue to open, the original quirky little shops and vintage clothing stores still remain throughout the town.
Sebastopol has an elevation of 65 feet to 250 feet above sea level and is situated at the crossroads of Highway 116 and Highway 12. The Sebastopol wine tasting scene is concentrated in The Barlow, which was once comprised of old warehouses and a previous apple processing plant, but has since become a production and retail development
In Sebastopol, there is the popular Pax Mahle Wines in the Sebastopol Barlow wine district, which has a relaxed atmosphere, and is a hotspot for the “new California wine”. Occidental Road Cellars is another must stop winery in Sebastopol started by the Prather family. Here they grow incredible Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay, and estate Zinfandel. Fog Crest Vineyard is a handsome little villa known for its silky caramel scented Chardonnay and spicy supple Pinot Noir. Horse and Plow, was started by a husband and wife team, and pours all-organically grown Pinot Noir in their tasting room. Taft Street Winery is another that has had success with its Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel.
With a list that continues with Freeman Vineyards and Winery, Littorai Wines, Claypool Cellars and more, we can see that the Sebastopol wine country is highly regarded for their Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Zinfandel in particular. There is so much wine tasting in Sebastopol to be done, so if you ever find yourself out there, do your research and enjoy all the great things Sebastopol has to offer.
Wines from the Sebastopol region have been featured in Gold Wine Club and we're looking into featuring more. Stay tuned if you're a fan of this region.
