Mt. Vernon Winery

First Vintage: 1999

Owned by: The Taylor Family. . .Jim, Lynda and Ryan

Winemaker: Ryan Taylor

Tasting Room: Open Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; no charge to taste

Estate: 31 acres, six in vines, on-site winery

Events: Available for weddings and private parties. Winemaker dinners are held in cave.

Grapes cultivated: Barbera, Syrah, Zinfandel

Wines produced: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah, Viognier, Girly Man (Rhone blend), Rousanne, Barbera, White Port, Placer County Port, Petite Sirah, Late Harvest Zinfandel, Alicante Bushet, Rose of Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot

Total annual case production: 4,400

Notable features: Tasting room is a converted milk barn built in 1950; wine cave with capacity of 200 barrels; beautiful estate views and patio adjacent to tasting room. Mt. Vernon produces a series of “Breast Cancer Research” wines, and donates a portion of sales to this important charitable organization.

Contact & Visit:

10850 Mt Vernon Rd.
Auburn, CA 95603
(530) 823-1111
ryan@mtvernonwinery.com
www.mtvernonwinery.com

Gary’s Comments:

Carpe Vino has a special connection with Mt. Vernon because we launched our business a month after the Taylors opened their tasting room in July of 2002. We struggled together to try and get our fledgling businesses off the ground, today we’re both uneasy in our success. Jim Taylor, the patriarch, is a remarkable man. . .he can handle any construction, repair or winery issue with equal ease and skill. His drive is unmatched—the man is always at work—from tending the vineyards to moving barrels to pouring at yet another tasting somewhere.

Young Ryan has learned his lessons well and is now largely responsible for all wine making, and he is equally at home in the vineyard. At just 30, he has apprenticed in Australia and toured Italy to learn more about his craft. He is also the consulting winemaker for Casque Wines, and made a white Rhone blend called Callote that won best of class honors for white Rhones at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

The Taylors specialize in big, sassy red wines—fruit forward and flavorful—benefitting from generous time in French and American Oak. They produce wonderful estate wines, but are adept at sourcing fruit from outstanding vineyards in the Sierra Foothills AVA, such as Barbera grapes from Cooper Vineyards in Amador County.