BY APPOINTMENT ONLY to visit this winery

Stone Edge Farm Winery has a few location, but the only one you will be visit is not the one that the address listed here on Yelp. Their official tasting room is located here:

The Silver Cloud Vineyard

5700 Cavedale Road, Glen Ellen, CA 95442

It’s bout 30 minutes from the Square in Sonoma, if you are coming from Silicon Valley and using WAZE GPS, it’s most likely will take you pass Yountville on highway 29, drive through the mountain, a serious stiff drive, think of HWY 1 and Santa Cruz HWY 17 combine, and 1 lane with 2 ways traffic, we drove up in our little Prius C, we got a little anxiety by the time we arrived.

  However, it’s the landscape that glistens at this 160-acre property, had been remodeled and expanding plans in place. It’s such a beautiful place, peaceful, and charming,  It’s also linked to one of America’s most famous adventurers Jack London. Silver Cloud Vineyard is surely a hidden gem of Sonoma Valley history.

  The property is set on the eastern slope of Mount Vedeer above Sonoma Valley, about 5 miles from Glen Ellen downtown.

They only offer a few appointment per day. If you got lucky enough to get in, either Frenchman Philippe or Sonoma local Dorothe will host you. They are both simply the best of what they do. We got Dorothe this time. She is beautiful, humbled, warm and made us feel as we were VIP.

She toured us the property, explained everything and since she came on board 4 years ago, Stone Edge Farm Winery produced only 1 red, now in 2015, they produced multiple red, specializes in BORDEAUX blend, and a bright and crisp Sauvignon Blanc. We heard that they also plan to produce white Bordeaux with Semillon varietal in the near future, this is a fantastic news, because we don’t see it much here in the Sonoma Wine Country.

I enjoyed the 2010 Stone Edge Farm Surround Bordeaux Blend Sonoma Valley, 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 1% Malbec, 22 months in tight-grained 225 liter French oak barrels, 60% new. Winemaker Jeff Baker surely knows what he is dong and he has been master his craft for many decades here.

  This full bodied Bordeaux Blend has aromas of cassis, black pepper, coffee, and a hint of dark chocolate. The flavors are lively and focused with powerful layers of black plum, cherry, and tobacco. It is deep red in color, with soft rich tannins, and a persistent finish. For only $55 per bottle, this is probably 1 of the best CAB Bordeaux style that you can ever have. A beautiful, voluptuous wine that you don’t have to break your bank like typical Napa Valley Cab.

The Stone Edge Farm Cabernet Sauvignon, 30 months in French oak barrels, this is some of the longest barrel that I’ve heard. Think of Barolo in Italy for 35 months barrel aging, and even with this long, their current release vintage 2010 is only $85. This wine is cellar worthy for you collectors out there. Their 2009 vintage got 96 points from Robert Parker.

  Don’t forget to check out their beautiful award winning cookbook by chef John McReynolds, the book contains more than a hundred recipes. It also includes essays on gardening by Colby Eierman, a winemaking essay by Jeff Baker, and a vineyard essay and poem by our viticulturist, Phil Coturri. The book concludes with a lively extended conversation on pairing food and wine among McReynolds, Baker, and our proprietor, Mac McQuown.

Sitting on the deck wines tasting, with cheese and charcuteri to snack on, looking at this gorgeous vineyard and a breathtaking view on a lazy afternoon in March at 75 degree, with cool breeze, this wine country living can’t get better than this.

  Thank you Dorothe for an impeccable service. She’s 1 of the reasons why I love wines. She shares with us beautiful story about this winery. She has so much passion for what she does and it shows. We would come back to visit soon even with this rough drive to the wood, just to to visit her, and of course, the delicious wines too!

Stone Edge Farm Winery at Silver Cloud Vineyard is absolutely worth the drive. A must visit if you are in Sonoma County, please plan extra 30 minutes on driving just in case you get lost.
Absolutely NO CELL SERVICE when you drive through the wood, so pay attention to the road.

Website info for their wine clubs: stoneedgefarm.com
Follow them on Twitter: twitter.com/stoneedgefarm

by Manda Bear @1MandaBear