In the eastern foothills of Lake County, Cache Creek Vineyards & Winery sits in a serene 500-acre natural sanctuary in Clearlake Oaks, California. The vineyard was founded in 1997 by Bill Poppo Van Pelt, who was greeted by a majestic herd of tule elk when he first set foot on the land. Poppo was enchanted. He visited the elk nearly every day and, as he cultivated the California land and planted his vineyards, he made it his mission to maintain a flourishing environment for the elk and other wildlife. Along with grapevines, he planted various grasses and built several ponds to provide them a safe refuge to freely roam.
Poppo passed away in 2004 and today his youngest son Don is the guardian of the elk and the vineyard. In 2005, to honor Poppo’s memory, the Van Pelt family hired Derek Holstein as their winemaker.
“Commercial wine-making utilizes the talents of many,” Derek says. “I liken my role to that of an orchestra conductor. Time spent walking in the vineyards tunes my heart and mind for what lies ahead.”
Currently, Cache Creek Vineyards produces four varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Syrah, and Chardonnay. Recently, the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon garnered a double gold medal at the 6th Annual American Fine Wine Competition. The 2011 Cache Creek reserve Chardonnay was recognized with two gold medals in 2013: one at the Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge and another at the Orange County Fair Wine Competition. This spring, a new tasting room is opening at Cache Creek Vineyards.
Here, visitors can gather to listen to the running creek and watch for tule elk, deer, wild turkeys, and other wildlife as they discover Cache Creek wines. A pet-friendly walking area on the grounds welcomes four-legged guests. The tasting room offers local honey, cheeses, and other picnic items for sale, and is a lovely haven destined to be a favorite spot for many wine club events and wedding receptions in the years to come.
WHAT TO BUY
’12 Celebration Chardonnay – $30
Complex fruit, butter, vanilla
’09 Cabernet Sauvignon – $30
Layers of fruit, earth, vanilla, leather
’09 Petite Sirah – $30
Dried cherry, vanilla, cedar
SPECIAL NOTES
RV parking, picnic grounds, opportunity to view native tule elk and other wildlife.
Touring & Tasting is a media company that produces a wine and travel magazine and is also partner in the Hitched Wine Club.
Steve Cooper is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Hitched. You can follow him on Twitter at @hitchedmedia.
