DANCIN VINEYARDS
After
the craziness of the Memorial Day/Opening weekend, we ventured back
out to Dancin Vineyards with a group of friends.
They
stay open until 8pm on Fri & Sat, later than most vineyards, and
we made an evening of it. We sat on the patio that provides a great
view of the valley, but one of the day's frequent rain showers drove
us under the covered alcove by the front door. Offering table-side
service, we sat down to enjoy a few glasses of wine. The day's
flight had a great offering of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Malbac and
Malbec Rosé. Dancin is the
only tasting room I know that serves in the big, beautiful Pinot Noir
glass. Along side they have a small carafe in which they serve the 5
oz. glass pour. All in all, it is a wonderful presentation, classy
and very unique.
We
watched with great interest as a party left the wine cave. As
curiosity overcame us, we just had to go see what was in there.
Dan, one of
the owners (Cindy being the other) offered to show us the Cave. We expected a giant, deep cave
carved into the hillside. Instead we were treated to a beautiful,
intimate, tastefully appointed room with a gorgeous dark wood dining
table running down the middle that can seat 10 people. Dan informed
us that they could serve more with different configurations. At this
time, rental is based on food and wine sales, but Dan said they were
customizing the rates for each occasion. We were intrigued and look
forward to have a small party there in the near future.
As
some members of our group departed for further
adventures, Dan came
out an chatted with us, covering a wide range of topics from wine
making philosophy, Cave rental, tastings and fees, wine club, the use
of chickens, plans for music and more. Dan is the the wine grower
and assists Eric Weisinger in the winemaking. It is good to see Eric
back from New Zealand and being involved in this project.
Behind
the gorgeous Tuscan-style tasting room is a lovely lawn area shaded
by a Black Walnut and other big mature trees. Along side is an
unusual Chicken Condo, where they rotate chickens out to mobile Chicken coops, called tractors, in the vineyards. The tractors are large enough that the chickens
can move about, scratch up the weeds and their waste helps fertilize
the vineyard. The chickens seem to be a major hit, kids and adults
alike are fascinated by their antics.
Dan
told us, they they will be concentrating on making top flight Pinot
Noirs and Chardonnays, but are augmenting their line-up with Velocity
Cellars wines- Velocity, Malbec and the aforemention Malbec Rosé
(my drink of choice for the evening, that's right- Real Men Drink
Pink!). The also have a delicious Dana Campbell Viognier and there
are plans to add a Rosenblum Zinfandel. Love what they are doing,
there is a certain synergy to their offerings that works great.
In
addition to the wines, Dan's wife Cindy (Dan+Cindy= DanCin) runs a
stunning little food service with fresh baked artisan breads, thin
crust pizzas made in a wood-fired pizza oven, desserts, cheese and
deli plates and a host of other delectable delights. Their tasting
notes offering food pairings for each wine, so you can best
experience the tastes.
Dan
and Cindy have been together 17 years and have figured out what makes
them function best. Dan said that within the name DanCin, they are
"fine as long as they stay between the 'n & c'." In other
words, perfectly balanced right down the middle. This shows through
in their wines, food and atmosphere. It is a comfortable place with
attentive staff that really puts it best foot forward.
The logo
itself encompasses their winery. The seven dots along the top
represent the 7 Pinot Noir clones they use, the Dan and Cin and two
distinct boxes, surround by one box, unifying them together.
We
had a brilliant evening with our friends and Dan certainly added to
the enjoyment of discovering Dancin Vineyards. We would certainly
like to thank him for opening a very special bottle of Rosenblum
2001 Maggie's Reserve Zinfandel, it was a special treat and greatly appreciated. The wine
has held up great and is delicious to the last sip.
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