Over the mountains and through the woods to Sierra Foothills I went. I came down south from Lake Tahoe, through Carson City and followed Highway 4 known as Ebbetts Pass, a national scenic byway, which is one of the most scenic drives across California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. Ebbetts Pass was an adventure as there was a lack of a center line, narrow and curvy two way passages and large elevation changes. The sparkling blue lakes, scenic vistas, and “Big Trees” campsites made it worthwhile as we stopped to breathe in the fresh pines and experienced some quietness. Calaveras County has an annual four day Frog Jump Festival. Surrounding cities include Angels Camp, Vallecito, Murphys, Avery, and Arnold. There’s something to do for every age group in beautiful-historical Gold Country like Wine- tasting, discovering Caves, exploring Caverns, Climbing Rock Towers, Twin Zip Lining, Horseback riding, Golf, Fishing or even panning for Gold at the Sutter Gold Mine.
There were three wineries of distinction that I enjoyed and hopefully in the near future I will be visiting more when time permits.
Lavender Ridge Vineyard
Lavender Ridge Vineyard is located in the Sierra Foothills of California 25 minutes south of the small town of Murphys. Located on 42 acres at 1200′ elevation, the land has a southern exposure with climate and soil conditions typical of the Southern region of France known as the Rhone region. Because of these conditions, Lavender Ridge Vineyard specializes strictly in Rhone varietals and produces hand crafted, unfiltered wines in small quantities.
