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We Can Still See The Barn!
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It's A Brave, New World
September 29th, 2020 Update A question I'm being asked a lot right now involves how the fires throughout northern California are effecting us. We are fortunate that we have had no fires in our area. The jury is still out on whether we will be effected by the smoke that has settled into our area in the last couple of weeks. I am still optimistic that the effect will be minimal. In July of 2008, the last time we were impacted by regional fires, there were a few days that I could not see our barn. So when someone asks today, I just look out the over the South Vineyard...yup, I can still see the barn! Because we are doing all seating outdoors, and Nevada County is not on the state "watch list", we will be open this weekend. We are hopeful the air quality will improve throughout the upcoming week. Saturday, October 3rd noon-5pm Sunday, October 4th noon-5pm Please note that this is a fluid situation because of potential public health restrictions. If the state orders us to close, we will be complying. If our electricity is cut off by PGE for public safety reasons, we likely will not open. Scroll down to see how you can get wine in the event that we do have to close back up. Safety Protocols: 1) we will be limiting the total number of guests allowed at any given time to 30. This means we will be requesting (but not requiring) reservations. 530-346-6577. That's the number to call. If we have hit our limit, and you do not have a reservation, you will need to wait a bit until you can enter the tasting area. I promise to try to make this as pleasant as possible. 2) in the interest of your health, and the health of the Montoliva staff, all tasting will be done outdoors. Only one person/group will be allowed in to the winery at a time, and for the safety of all involved, we must insist that face coverings be worn by anyone who enters the winery. I and the Montoliva staff will be covered when we approach tables. We will leave to you to decide if you wish to be masked while seated; we are not requiring it. 3) Primary parking will be in the field parking (there will be signs). At the entrance to the winery there will be a large 3ft x 4 ft sign with requested protocol. This is both our winery, vineyard, and our home. We ask that you respect the protocols. 4) Social Distancing will be the norm, with 8 acres of space, we have plenty of room to spread out. If you just want to get some wine, we have options, here they are: 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 2016 Primitivo, 2015 Estate Sangiovese, a yummy 2016 Barbera. 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 and Nevada (sorry Andy). Only valid with purchase of 6 or more bottles. Not valid with any other specials, including our $140/case Sierra Bella 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 4 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. I have designated Thursday to be the "Down the Hill" delivery day. 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 at the Nevada City SPD. Unfortunately most of the chains have gone "local" only as a marketing ploy. They stopped supporting local wineries years ago. |
So, now that we are allowed to have guests again, why should you come visit us? "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: 2019 Sierra Donna, a blend of Falanghina, Vermentino & Sauv Blanc 2017 Aglianico (Silver Medal, 2020 Sunset Magazine Wine Competition), 2016 Nebbiolo (Gold Medal, 92 Pts, 2020 Sommelier Challenge Intl) 2017 Dolcetto, 2016 Primitivo, 2015 Sangiovese (Gold Medal, 2019 Orange County Fair), 2018 Sierra Bella, our "vino tavola" blend (Silver Medal, 2020 WCWC), 2016 Teroldego (Silver Medal, 2020 Sunset Magazine Wine Competition), 2017 Barbera (Silver Medal, 2020 West Coast Wine Competition) 2016 Late Harvest Barbera. 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 2017 Sierra Bella (a Sangio/Barbera/Teroldego/Primitivo blend), 2015 Estate Sangiovese, 2017 Mark's Magia (a Primitivo/Negroamaro blend) 2016 Late Harvest Barbera, 2015 Nebbiolo, 2015 Teroldego,(a Teroldego/Barbera blend) 2015 Sinistra 2016 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. |