Description: Budge Brown was a UC Davis graduate and had spent over 40 years farming in California when, in the late '90s, he bought two vineyards, at Pope Valley and Mt. Oso, to create his own winery,
Tulip Hill.
It is interesting to note that Tulip Hill's first tasting room was actually over 500 miles away from its vineyards, in Rancho Mirage, but in May, 2004, the winery opened its local visitor center on the eastern shores of Clear Lake, much closer to the winery's vineyards.
Clear Lake is considered an "up and coming" wine region, but it is interesting to note that this region was actually producing wine as when Napa's first vineyards were being planted.
The tasting room is small, but it focuses on what a tasting room ought to: the wine. (And if you love flowers, you should stop by just to look at their stunning garden displays outside.) The staff here was absolutely lovely, very knowledgeable not just about their own wines, but about the local history of winemaking.
I tried three of their whites, the '04 Reserve Chardonnay, and the '05 Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as their '01 Mt Oso Cabernet Sauvignon. The '01 Cab was beautiful: silky, fruity, rich.
But the wine that I tried here that really knocked my socks off was their '05 White Mirage, a 50/50 unoaked blend of Merlot and Syrah, which was only fermented on the skins long enough to give the wine a bright ruby coloring and was rich with the flavors of strawberry, rhubarb, and candy apples, without being dessert sweet. Outstanding. I brought a bottle of this home, but I suspect it's not going to last very long!
Tulip Hill also produces some very good reds, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, and Zinfandel, as well as a port wine and several blends, including their Villa Spatafora Sangiovignon, which they call a Super Tuscan blend, likening it to a Chianti.
If you're in the Clear Lake region, be sure to take some time to visit this charming winery.
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Tasting fee $5. (707) 274-9373. Open 10-6 daily except Easter Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Years Day.
They original tasting room is located at 71-800 Hwy 111, A125, in Rancho Mirage, CA (Palm Springs); open 10-10 Mon-Sat; 10-6 Sun; closed Thanksgiving/Christmas. Close