Jason F.
Yelp
BackRoad Vines really lives up to their name! I came with a group of friends on a late Friday evening because thankfully BackRoad is open until 8pm on Fridays year round, which is a rarity in and of itself. One of my friends lives in the area and was enticed to become a wine club member here, so since she was a member we all got our wine tasting for free we were definitely game! Just my kind of place right? BackRoad Vines is really off the beaten path on the small side street of Julian Lane, but it's not too far off of Suisun Valley Road main driving artery off if Interstate-80. Be careful if you miss a turn because you will miss this tasting room!
But once we did arrive, we found a lovely small house surrounded by a vast property which included picnic tables lit with overhead strings of lights and two huge bocce ball courts. All they needed to do was turn on their heat lamps on their deck. The irony is the house that houses the tasting room is really small because it's basically a kitchen and living room, and on a cold fall night, it could get congested with people wanting to try out and buy some of their wines, which it did They were in the midst of decorating for the holidays so things did seem a bit out of joint for them. But the crew including owner Jody and associates Kerensa and Christina were so outgoing and friendly that they made us all feel as if we were club members. In fact, well after we were done tasting wine, we just sat around and shot the breeze for a while as we ate some brie cheese and charcuteries from the customer fridge they happen to sell on site. It's that kind of low-key welcoming place.
What we did try, thanks to my friend Michelle, was their Signature Tasting which included five tastings of their Sauvignon Blanc 2015, California Cab Sauvignon 2014, Napa Cabernet Sauvingon 2014, Quattro NV, and the Mule NV. Although all five wines tasted great, I especially loved the Quattro and Mule wines were some of the smoothest and subtlest red wines I have drunken in quite some time. And the bonus was both of those wines and the Sauvignon Blanc were grown right there in the Suisun Valley. (Who needs that Napa Valley stuff anyway?)
I love the smallish old school vibe at BackRoad Vines, hidden in this rustic setting, they are a far step away from the big chain wineries (and you won't find them at any shelf at Bevmo or Total Wines & More that's for sure!) They proudly create their wines by their own two hands by picking the grapes, harvesting in smaller batches, to even applying the labels (which I saw a ton of on the kitchen counter). At BackRoad there's nothing but the best quality for their fans and I now consider myself one of them!