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Well, Ok then. That was an interesting week. It's better to be lucky than to be good. And we were definitely lucky. At 3:30pm on Wednesday, August 4th I was fairly certain that the River Fire was going to take everything I had spent decades working to build. Initially the wildfire was following the Bear River canyon, just under a mile away, and I was feeling optimistic that we would not be directly effected. Then the wind shifted from W to SW and drove the fire directly towards us. At about 4:30pm, as the fire was approaching the south vineyard, the wind shifted back to W and pushed the fire away from us. Thank you to everyone who offered us thoughts, prayers and their homes. We are back home, have the place mostly cleaned up and are ready to get back to it. Please note: phone service has not yet been restored. Please direct any questions to mark@montoliva.com Yes, we are open! Saturday & Sunday, noon-5pm. No reservations required. No mask required when seated outdoors. We are back to requiring masking when inside the winery, and limiting access to the winery. We are pouring lots of terrific wines, including our Gold Medal winning 2016 Sangiovese and 2018 Due Baci. See you this weekend! We will still continue to offer other various methods of getting tasty Montoliva wine, including: Option #1 Free shipping on all purchases of 6 or more bottles of wine. 6 bottles of wine or more..less than you are actually going to need. It's safe, secure, takes just a few minutes, and in a couple of days, you'll have wine. We've got some really nice wines available including our Silver Medal winning 2016 Sinistra, 2018 Barbera and 2019 Sierra Bella (89 points, Wine Enthusiast Magazine). Just fill your cart with at least 6 bottles of tasty Montoliva wine, use the promo code SHIPFREE , and get yourself some wine! And now for the fine print: Only valid with delivery addresses in California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona and Idaho (sorry Andy). Only valid with purchase of 6 or more bottles. Not valid with any other specials, including our $140/case Sierra Bella and Sierra Donna special. Option #2 "Curbside" Pickup. Actually, it will be "front of the gate" pickup. Call me at 530-346-6577 or email me at mark@montoliva.com, let me know when you are coming by. I'll have your wine ready for you. This applies to wine club members picking up their latest release, or on-line orders. Please note: You will have to make advance arrangements. Option #3 In-Person, Right to Your Porch Delivery. That's right, if you order at least 6 bottles, and live either within 20 miles of the winery or close to the I-80 corridor between Colfax and Roseville, I will personally deliver your on-line order. Grass Valley/Nevada City typically delivered on Mondays, down the hill depends upon my schedule. Option #4 Support Our Local Partners You can find our Sierra Bella, Barbera and Sangiovese at The Chicago Park Store, The Briar Patch Community Market and our locally owned/operated SPD Markets (both Grass Valley and Nevada City). Unfortunately most of the chains have gone "local" only as a marketing ploy. They stopped supporting local wineries years ago. |
Upcoming Events Saturday Night Movies in the Vineyard - 28 August 2021 (more info below) 14th Annual "Ship in a Bottle" Sale - September 18th, 2021 More information on all upcoming events can be found here. Please note: phone service has not yet been restored. Please direct any questions to mark@montoliva.com 
Definitely our most popular activity here at Montoliva Vineyard & Winery is Saturday Night Movies in the Vineyard. We've been doing this for 12 years now, it is often imitated, never replicated. We simply have too good of a set up for enjoying an outdoor evening in the vineyard. Warm Evenings, ending with just a nip of chill in the air? Check A natural amphitheater type setting? Check A carefully curated selection of movies? Check Amazing wine? and Check Mate! First the remaining schedule, and then the fine print. FINAL MOVIE OF THE YEAR! Saturday, August 28th - French Kiss. Our favorite "date night" movie. Ok, the fine print: As many of you may remember, in the past we had a pizza component to our Saturday Night Movies in the Vineyard. Alas, last year, just before the lockdown, I ran afoul of the county Dept of Environment Health. So, we're laying low for a while in hopes of a sea change at county. We will still provide popcorn! And wine! You are, by the way, welcome to bring your own food. Gates open at 7pm, bring your own seating (low back lawn chairs work best), it can still get a bit chilly by 10pm, so you'll want to prepare appropriately. Movie starts at dusk, in mid-August that's around 8:15pm. The cost for the flick, a glass of wine and popcorn is $15 (what a deal!). Only $12 if you are a Chicago Park Wine Society member. Of course, additional wine is available for sale by the bottle or the glass throughout the evening. "Over the past decade, Montoliva has developed a fiercely loyal following. Henry likes richness and mass in his wines, but also freshness and buoyancy. One of his few white wines, the 2014 Falanghina, is richly textured and fruity, not far removed from gewürztraminer or riesling in its floral aroma, but it is light on its feet. His 2011 Nebbiolo is sweetly fruity and leanly built, without the grippy tannins often associated with the variety. His proprietary blends show careful attention to mutually flattering compatibility and balance. The 2013 Mark’s Magia is a dark, juicy and anise-laced blend of Primitivo and Negroamaro, while the 2012 Sierra Bella is a fully grown and solidly structured mix of Sangiovese, Teroldego, Barbera and Nebbiolo." ~ Mike Dunn, Sacramento Bee, 12 January 2016 "I’m very glad that I decided to stop at Montoliva Winery, unquestionably the highlight of my first day of northern Sierra Foothills wine tasting. Mark did a great job of engaging his audience out on the patio. The wines were good across the board, with some real standouts – my favorites were the 2015 Falanghina, 2014 Nebbiolo, 2013 “Sinistra,” 2014 Aglianico, and 2014 “Due Baci.” Although the Montoliva reds receive a fair amount of barrel aging, it seemed to work much better for them than for many of the wines at other producers I visited that day." ~ Ken Zinn, SF-based Wine & Travel Writer "The 2019 Montoliva Sierra Donna, an unusual combination of Sauvignon Blanc, Falanghina and Vermentino delivers terrific weight, fruit and flavor. It is my new favorite dry summer white." ~Certified Wine Educator Rod Byers, The Union, May 2020 Want to sample some really interesting, obscure Italian varietals grown in California? Here is what we are pouring this weekend: 2020 Sierra Donna, (blend of Falanghina, Vermentino & Sauv Blanc) 2016 Sinistra (a proprietary blend of Barbera and Teroldego) 2020 Falanghina, 2017 Dolcetto, 2017 Primitivo 2016 Estate Sangiovese (Gold Medal, 2021 SF Chronicle Wine Competition) 2018 Due Baci (a Sangiovese/Aglianico blend, Gold Medal, 2021 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition) 2018 Negroamaro (Silver Medal, 2020 Sunset Magazine), 2019 Sierra Bella, our "vino tavola" blend (Silver Medal, 2020 WCWC), 2016 Teroldego (Silver Medal, 2020 Sunset Magazine Wine Competition), 2018 Barbera (Silver Medal, 2020 West Coast Wine Competition) Whew...that's a lot of wine! |
"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
"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
Tasting Room Dates
Friday - currently closedwith last pouring starting at 4:30 pm
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Saturday - Noon to 5pm with last pouring starting at 4:30 pm
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Sunday - Noon to 5pm with last pouring starting at 4:30
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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 2019 Sierra Donna (Sauv Blanc, Falanghina, Vermentino blend) 2018 Sierra Bella (a Sangio/Barbera/Teroldego/Primitivo blend), 2018 Dolcetto 2016 Estate Sangiovese, 2018 Late Harvest Barbera, 2016 Nebbiolo, 2016 Teroldego, 2018 Negroamaro, 2017 Barbera. 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. |