Gold Hill Vineyard (Back to Previous Page)

Appellation: El Dorado Viticultural Area Location: 5660 Vineyard Lane Placerville, California 95667 Phone: (530)626-6522 Winemaker: Hank Battjes Tasting Room: Large Days/Hours: Thur thru Sun, 10:00 to 5:00 Parking: Medium to large Picnic Facilities: Picnic Area and Event Facilities Red Wines: Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Barbera, Zinfandel, Port White Wines: Chardonnay, Viognier, Rose of Zinfandel, California Champagne Production: 8000 cases

Map

The Winery

The winery is located in the hills above the Coloma Valley, and has great local views of Mount Murphy and Dutch Falls. The tasting room is located on the bottom floor of the building where they offer not only wine, but some fun gourmet foods as well. The real surprise is that the winery is also an operating brewery and offers three different Ales, a Porter and a Stout. This makes it a great choice when you have a micro brew fan in your party.

The Vineyards

The estate, which is located at about the 1300-foot elevation, has 35 acres of vineyards. The primary varietals found there are Chardonnay, Viognier, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Barbera and Cabernet Franc. They sell a portion of their grapes to wineries all up and down the Foothills.

The Wines

Primarily the winery specializes in Bordeaux varietal wines, but has expanded into the Rhone varietals as well. The winery has had great success, winning multiple awards for both the lesser known Cabernet Franc and the more standard Cabernet Sauvignon. They are also amongst the only foothill wineries to offer a California Champagne.

The Winemaker

Hank Battjes was an electrical engineer who had a great love for winemaking. He bought his estate in 1980 and spent 10 years commuting back and forth to Bay Area; coming home to the foothills on the weekends.  

	Correct This Information