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Traveling the pathway from the tasting room to the family home you find yourself at the estate’s overnight lodging. Called The Carriage Room at Avio, it is done in a very upscale western style and comes complete with a bottle of wine and hors devours served nightly in the separate kitchen as well as full access to the entire 77 acre estate. Next to the Carriage Room is an inviting archway that leads to an expansive lawn area with views of the estate and neighboring vineyards as well as the Sierra Foothills to the south. The area is part of their event facilities and is meticulously maintained with a lovely grove of trees and rimmed with rose bushes. Next to the lawn area is a private tasting room with a trellis covered with rootstock that was allowed to grow into non-producing vines. Above that is an outdoor kitchen area and balcony where overnight guests can sit and enjoy the views of the Pinot Grigio vineyard and palm trees.

The estate is also home to at least 60 rescued animals that had no where else to go but here. According to Stefano they all have their own jobs, from clearing suckers on the vines and keeping weeds down in the case of the goats, to keeping coyotes out if you are one of the llamas, or laying eggs if you are one of the chickens. There is a place for everybody, but everybody has to earn their place.

The Vineyard:
Located at the 1850 ft elevation the estate was originally a river bottom until it was pushed up geologically. Because of the higher elevations and the orientation, which allows the Sea Breeze better access, the summers are cooler than in nearby Shenandoah Valley. The blessing of the location on the ridge does not stop there, the ability for the cold air in the winter to flow off the vineyards means the estate receives less frost damage than most of the surrounding Foothills. The soil on the ridge is mostly clay loam which is about fifty percent rock, is well drained and has a high mineral content. The summer days are hot, but the evenings cool to the 50s and 60s allowing the grapes to have a longer hang time.

The grapes used to make the Chardonnay wine are not grown on the estate, but are grown on the neighboring vineyard within sight of the winery that shares the same microclimate and soils. Avio has 30 acres of vineyards which are planted to Zinfandel, Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Aglianico, Orange Muscat, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. The winery sells all but the best of their Zinfandel crop (which they keep for themselves) to a major Napa winery known for its Zinfandel wines. The winery purchases the grapes it uses to make its ever popular Barbera from a vineyard in the warmer Shenandoah Valley. Continued ...