I was recently invited to attend an overnight press trip to Holman Ranch to not only experience their beautiful wedding and event venue but to taste their wines. Holman Ranch is a gorgeous ranch nestled in the Carmel Valley that it is full of history dating back to 1928 when it was first built. Many Hollywood celebrities would escape to this exclusive hideaway to relax including Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable, Joan Crawford and Marlon Brando.
The ranch has changed hands a couple of times over the years and was most recently purchased by the Lowder family who wanted to not only continue hosting weddings and corporate events at the ranch but to make estate grown wine and olive oil. We were hosted by the Lowder's daughter Hunter and her husband, Nick, for the overnight trip.
We first stopped at their tasting room in the quaint little town of Carmel Valley to pick up our key to our room . Their rooms are only available to people using the ranch for an event (wedding, corporate, etc). While we were there we were able to sample their estate wines which include Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris (my personal favorite of their wines), Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Rose of Pinot Noir. They also have tastings and sell their Extra Virgin Olive Oil at their tasting room.
After we arrived at the ranch and got ourselves settled in our room, Nick greeted us with a glass of Holman Ranch wine and treated us to a tour of the beautiful property. After the tour we we had a deliciously catered dinner paired perfectly with their estate wines out on the patio behind the Carmel stone hacienda.
The next day we were given a tour of the rest of their property which includes 19 acres of vineyards, stables and their wine caves. Their vineyards are in the Carmel Valley American Viticulture Area which is similar to France's Appellation d'Origine Controlee. The climate and soil create a wonderful environment for their Burgundian Clones. They produce about 3,200 cases of wine a year.
If you are down in Carmel Valley, I would definitely recommend stopping at Holman Ranch's tasting room to sample their estate wines!
*This trip was sponsored by Holman Ranch, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Cheers,
This place looks great! Will have to keep it in mind for out of town visitors who want to experience the Carmel Valley
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