Crystal Basin Cellars (Back to Previous Page)

Appellation: El Dorado Viticultural Area Location: 3550 Carson Road Placerville, California 95667 Phone: (530)647-1767 Winemaker: Peter Zimmerman Tasting Room: Medium Days/Hours: Daily, 11:00 to 5:00 Parking: Medium Picnic Facilities: Picnic Area Available Red Wines: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Red Rhone Blend, Zinfandel, Mourvedre, Grenache White Wines: Viognier, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay Production: N/A

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The Winery

CBC began as a Co-op winery in 1981. They have recently moved their winemaking operation into a new location just off Carson Road, which started its life as a fruit processing and storage facility. The northern part of the building is a cold room, with 24-inch thick insulated walls, which is currently being utilized for wine storage. Some will remember this as Coulson Winery, but the tasting room has gone through extensive changes and really is very different.

The Vineyards

Crystal Basin owns none of their own vineyards, but buys Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Viognier from Gold Hill Vineyards. They also purchase Zinfandel, Mourvedre, and Syrah from other El Dorado County Vineyards, Zinfandel from Amador County, and Grenache from Santa Clara and Placer Counties.

The Wines

The wines produced by CBC are primarily Bordeaux and Rhone styles with a pure California Zinfandel rounding out the list. Their Bordeaux blend, Triumph, is particularly smooth and well balanced. They also offer a couple of Zinfandel varietals from vineyards in different parts of the state that graphically demonstrate the impacts of terroir in California.

The Winemaker

The winemaker at Crystal Basin is Peter Zimmerman. Peter is a winery partner who has held this position for over 14 years.  

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