VINEYARD & WINERY
MONTOLIVA
Latest news
Winter Hours
We will be open Saturday and Sunday 11am to 5pm (last pouring starting at 4:30pm).
Northern Italy in the Sierra Foothills. A review by Washington Post wine writer, Dave McIntyre
Can American Wineries do Justice to Italian Varietals?
By Paul Gregutt, December 3, 2022
Winter Hours
We will be open Saturday and Sunday 11am to 5pm (last pouring starting at 4:30pm).
A New Year Arrives!
And with it a new growing season, new wines and new events. Speaking of events, first up is something new for us:
1pm, Saturday, January 18th, 2025
Wine & Bacon? That’s Right, Wine & Bacon!
Does wine pair up well with bacon? I was asked this question about a month ago. I actually have no idea. I love wine, I love bacon, let’s see what happens when we get them together. We’ll be matching up three different bacons, with three different wines. No charge, no reservations required.
This is will be a fun and intriguing matchup
Northern Italy in the Sierra Foothills. A review by Washington Post wine writer, Dave McIntyre
Can American Wineries do Justice to Italian Varietals?
By Paul Gregutt, December 3, 2022
https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/24965410
We are currently pouring some very interesting and compelling wines, come visit us this weekend! No reservations required. Cheers, Mark Henry
Mark Henry is the owner, vineyardist and winemaker. Julianne Henry’s official title is “Wine Muse”, a designation that belies her efforts at keeping things under control. Together, they welcome the opportunity to walk you through the vineyards, fountains, “go-ahead, pick some” herb garden and, of course, the winery.
A true Garagiste, the estate home and winery are one-in-the-same. In the winery, Mark takes his cue from the esteemed wines of Montalcino, Tuscany. Long, slow fermentations using special Tuscan yeasts, extended macerations and barrel aging all play to the strengths of Sangiovese and Aglianico grapes.
Join the Chicago
Park Wine Society
The Chicago Park Wine Society is a special release club, offering exclusive opportunities to sample and purchase pre-release and limited release wines.
Club Members also receive a 20% discount on all of our other wines – this means you are paying $13.50 for our multiple-award-winning Sierra Bella!
Your commitment is 2 bottles each of two different wines, four times a year. Join the club and enjoy wines nobody else makes, or can obtain.
Join the Club
Learn More
“Great wines. Wonderful owner. Mark takes the extra time to make sure the customers understand the variety and styles of wines he makes”.
Rob P., February 2016
“Entertaining and Informative.”
tastingroomreview.com
Montoliva is “Putting Us On The Map.”
Rod Byers, The Grass Valley Union, March 2015
“Epic”
Sarah Miller, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 July 2015
“Mark Henry is a courageous winemaker”
Dan Berger, Vintage Experiences, 2010
“the wines are not only very well made, but do taste like they should, as they have impressive varietal character”
Forbes Magazine May 2023
“exceptional values”..and “highly recommended”
Paul Gregutt, writer for Seattle Times December 2022
“his wines are delicious. Montoliva’s 2019 Negroamaro is the best I’ve tasted from the United States”.
Dave McIntyre, wine writer for the Washington Post April 2023
“Mark Henry has his own opera resounding through the small but historic Nevada County enclave of Chicago Park.”
Mike Dunne, Signature Wines of Superior California
We’d Love to Have you Visit Us Soon!
Tasting Room days & hours
- Friday – Currently closed
- 11am – 5pm (Last Pouring Starting At 4:30pm)
- 11am – 5pm (Last Pouring Starting At 4:30pm)
Our WINES & TASTINGS
As anyone who has ever visited us will tell you, sampling wine at Montoliva is a unique experience, as we go into a great deal of detail about the grapes we grow and the wines we make. This takes some time, and for this reason, we cannot begin a pouring session after 4:30pm (otherwise we are wrapping up at close to 6, which cuts into family time). We are pouring:
2023 Vermentino (Wabash Ave Vineyard)
2020 Estate Sangiovese
2020 Estate Negroamaro
2020 Nero d’Avola (Wabash Ave Vineyard)
2020 Estate Primitivo
2019 Aglianico (Wabash Ave Vineyard)
2019 Teroldego (Wabash Ave Vineyard)
2021 Sierra Bella
2020 Barbera
2020 Rubato (a late harvest blend of Barbera/Aleatico)
Whew, that’s a lot of wine!
More weekends than not, we also open something we’ve found in our case storage, usually something we’ve forgotten about, and maybe have a case or two of. This upcoming weekend, that is likely to be either our 2012 Sinistra (a Teroldego/Barbera blend), or our 2013 Aglianico. We only open one each weekend, so it may not be available for sampling by Sunday afternoon.