Dmitry W.
Yelp
On a rainy Saturday my girlfriend and I visited Papapietro as a random and spontaneous adventure just to get out of the house. Upon entering the winery we were greeted by some friendly front staff workers. The ambiance was very cozy and the tasting area was pleasantly laid out with the open portion overlooking the beautiful valley.Before even sitting down, it all of about 2 minutes before we were asked to fill out a form with our information so they could "put an order together". I understand that a wineries' main goal is to sell memberships, which is to be expected, however this felt a bit pre-mature and pushy.
After being seated outside we were handed off to another nice gentleman who started us off with the first Pinot. The first round a young Pinot which was your typical California style wine. Big fruit, high alcohol, with a caramel coca-cola back-end seemed to be the theme for all the wines of our tasting. At this point, we weren't impressed, especially at $65+.
After sensing our lack of interest in the wines the gentleman began pouring us different "surprises" to find something that we may enjoy. Unfortunately, with every surprise came more sugar, more alcohol, and more caramel. The Pinot Noir served here has far too much residual sugar and doesn't really embody the dryness that a real Pinot should have. At this point, my mind was made up, and like with most California wines, we were not interested. The gentleman still provided lots of information about the wine club, which was unnecessary and we ended up leaving shortly after.
All in all, scenery is typical cute California style stuff, wine is mid 80 points at best and most definitely over priced (As most California wines are, this winery is not anomaly in that regard). If you're looking for a touristy type stop in Dry Creek, this would be the place. If you're looking for high quality wine, look elsewhere. You will be much happier with a $30 Burgundy which will encompass the true essence of what a Pinot Noir should be.