We produce Limited Production Pinot Noirs, Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer from Anderson Valley and Comptche in Northern California's Mendocino County.
19 reviews for Brutocao Cellars Philo Tasting Room
19 reviews in English
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Review from Theresa M.
Fair Oaks, CA
4/17/2012 1 Check-in Here
ANOTHER AMAZING WINERY WE HAD TO JOIN!! haha I think we're addicted!!
We highly recommend the '09 Chardonnay, Bliss Vineyard (good for a white, lol), '07 Reserve Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley, '09 Sangiovese Feliz Vineyard, '08 Primitivo, Contento Vineyard, and '07 Syrah Dry Creek Valley Cellar Select.
PS the '06 Cab Reserve was stupid drinkable. haha Give it a try!
OH AND the grapeseed scrub...sooo wonderful. -
Review from Emily J.
4/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
This was the first winery that we visited during our recent wine tasting adventure through the Anderson Valley.
We were greeted warmly by the woman pouring who briefly explained our tasting choices. There is no tasting fee and they have like 50 wines available for tasting. Okay, I may be slightly exaggerating. We decided to split up the options to limit the amount of wine we were drinking and so we could actually visit some other places.
It was here that I learned that some of the 2008 pinots from the valley taste like BBQ because there were forest fires that year. Mmm, smoky.
The ports with honey and chocolate pairings were delightful.
They have a nice hand scrub in the bathroom.
As we were leaving with our purchased bottles, we were offered tokens for half off drinks at the MacCallum House Restaurant in Mendocino. (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) How did they know that is where we just so happened to have dinner reservations? Weird and awesome.Listed in: Weekend in Mendocino
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Review from Denny B.
La Cañada Flintridge, CA
4/5/2011
What a fun place with all sorts of really gourmet stuff right along with a great list of wines. Actually the Zinfandel Port and Tawny Port got my attention and my dollars. Paired with blue cheese and honey, it was like drinking a bit of the sky. Very enthusiastic people who clearly loved their jobs and their wine. Not pushy, but informative and chatty. The other visitors got caught up in the mood and as others have written, the place is a great place for impromptu meeting other drinkers from along the valley. THIS IS A MUST STOP PLACE in the Anderson Valley.
Please comment below on what you think about this review. Write me a message, if you wish. -
Review from Betty N.
2/17/2009
Brutocao, how do you like me now?
I was beyond drunk at this point and my friend insisted that we stop here for port and chocolate pairings.
Fine, I said.
30 minutes passed, I came out with not one, not two, but THREE bottles of the following:
- 2007 Sangiovese Rose
- 2006 Pinot Noir
- 2006 Zin
WTF . . a Rose, I know. I must have been totally shit-faced (and I was). So there you go.
The winery was so-so, I didn't care for the experience, wished we kept driving.Listed in: 72-HOUR TRIP: ANDERSON VALLEY!
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Review from Jessica P.
Emeryville, CA
10/6/2008
A little bottle of port found its way into our hands on the way out of Brutocao. I just had fun saying the name...Brutocao...kind of like...wildcat..."pow!".
It opens up early, and was a great start for us on our wineaux adventure. I like to get the most out of my drinking days...Located right off Highway 128, the locale opens itself up to many gorgeous landscape and vineyard photos. Visiting at the time we did, the panoramic views were amazing. I just don't get out often enough to immerse myself in vineyards and barrels, such a pity.
They offer a variety of complimentary tastings, which is always appreciated. They had a buttery chardonnay, a Gewurzt that started my day the sweet way and as I mentioned, a zin port that we had to take home. I had a late harvest viognier in the fridge, we needed something deep, dark and delicous to then add as a contrast. At least, that was my excuse--as well as the need to buy chocolate to pair with it!
I am always on the search to taste a good Pinot, and Brutocao delivered. As Joe mentioned, nothing that transported me to another world, but it did put Anderson Valley in a good light for me on my quest for the holy grail of pinots.Listed in: Feeling like (Gillian)…
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Review from Joe B.
9/23/2008 2 photos
We figured the best way to start our scorched-earth (scorched-vine?) leave-no-stone-unturned (no turn unstoned? No, that's another Mendocino experience. ;-) ) tour of Mendocino was to get to one of the wineries that opened at 10 and start just a little bit after that. We were on a search for a p. noir that would leave us convinced that the Anderson Valley was truly heaven on earth for Pinot.
We didn't find that at Brutocao, and it wasn't even our first stop, but I figure in the middle is as good a place to start my reviews as any. Not to say that the wines weren't superb - they were - there just wasn't anything transcendent there. The grounds are beautiful, and any time spent in the Anderson Valley will leave you wanting to stay longer. Leave space on the camera - this is truly a beautiful area.
Nothing truly stood out, except for the Zin Port, but I enjoyed the Quadriga and brought home a bottle of the Zin port. We only have white dessert wines, and only one of those at home, and a nice port and chocolate pairing should do the trick on some cold night this winter.Listed in: Mendo Wineaux Tour!, Anderson Valley - A little…
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Review from Abendigo R.
San Francisco, CA
9/27/2006
Fairy decent wine. Not nearly as refined or tasty as Navarro and comparatively priced. Still, it's worth stopping by and doing some tasting. It's a quaint setup, with lots of medals and chocthkes hanging on the walls.
Most of the wine comes from Hopland, where the Brutocao family owns a ton of land. -
Review from Miriam W.
11/26/2005
An open and airy tasting room staffed by a friendly Lafayette transplant who says she doesn't miss the Bay Area a bit, Brutocao is a great place to stop and taste. We sampled much of their stock and in the end were treated to chocolate and port, which on its own is likely worthy of five stars!
Recommended wine for purchase:
2002 Merlot
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon
SchoolHouse Red (red table wine) -
Review from Lynn L.
6/20/2008
Very underwhelmed with the wines here. I did like the cheese pairing they had the day we were there. The staff were very friendly, and we had a nice time!
Out of the lot, I liked the Merlot the best, but not enough to purchase anything. What am I missing?? -
Review from alamedabrian m.
Alameda, CA
7/10/2011
Very, very friendly. Good tasting experience. We learned a lot. Large selection of wines available for tasting. Keri, who is the wine afficianado, was a tad disappointed in the two ports, but liked most everything else. Reserve Chardonney was excellent, we both enjoyed a Bliss Rose, and she expecially liked their Coro Mendocino offering.
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Review from Star M.
Rockport, TX
8/31/2010 1 Check-in Here
Wine: 4 Stars
Service: 5 Stars
Tasting Room: 3 Stars
Stopped at Brutocao on way from Goldeneye to Mendocino -- what a lucky stop it was. The winery sits just off 128, and is very scenic sitting in the vineyard area. Building has a rustic, yet well-decorated feel to it. Nice standing tasting bar area, with some retail (e.g., chocolate grand marnier sauce - yummo, bought 2), and restroom areas.
Very drinkable wines -- we ended up picking up the Primitivo, Zin, and Bliss School House Red blend, and a port. All nice price points (under $20) for everyday wines. Wine Educator was wonderful -- she was very informative & as we showed a bit more interest, we kept getting more tidbits of information -- not to overwhelm a "glugger" with info s/he really doesn't want to know if they are just there to glug -- but to explain the wine & the vineyard & the winery to people who actually drink & enjoy wine.
Joined the St Mark's Lion Club -- you get a 3 L (that's a Jeraboam to you) of 2007 Pinot Noir for $50 with free shipping back to home. A great Thanksgiving dinner wine. And, by Thanksgiving, it might be cool enough to ship to Texas again . . . . -
Review from Kelly I.
Dublin, CA
11/15/2007
This is a nice tasting room directly off the Highway 128. Don't call the winged lion a griffon, you will be corrected immediately. The outdoor patio looks like a great place to relax with a glass of wine, but the tasting room is bright and open.
The wines here are decent. They carry and are a part of Coro Mendocino, Anderson Valley's attempt at becoming a wine region like Napa. It is not bad but kind of fell flat on the palate. The Zinfandel was a good find, very fruit forward and a hint of spice. They also have some good in house chocolate sauces. We took home the Gran Marnier Chocolate Sauce, delicious over ice cream. The wines are worth tasting and you may end of taking home a few bottles. -
Review from michael c.
Albany, CA
6/4/2006
A complete surprise. Quite good wine that, minus the one varietal, is all grown and vinted in Hopland (where they have an additional tasting room).
Very friendly staff and solid wines which may not bowl you over with their structure or complexity are all worth a look. Very much a "farm" style with good concentration and value. Their Primitivo and Cab are both quite nice. Definitely worth trying out. -
Review from Scott A.
Windsor, CA
2/28/2011
Nice tasting experience. Wine mixing party sounded good from the people in the parking lot.
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Review from Audrey B.
8/31/2008
I really liked Brutocao. They have a large number of wines for tasting (they're best known for their reds), and the woman who served us was really nice and friendly. I loved their Sauvignon Blanc and the Gewurztraminer - both light and really tasty. They had an amazing chardonnay that was really nice and my bf liked the reds a lot (I don't drink red wine so much so can't comment). The best thing was that they had really good deals on some wines that they were trying to get rid of -6 bottle minimum and the prices ranged from $4-7 a bottle. We picked up a case of $4 white to serve at a big party and it is pretty damn good for being 200 bps above Two Buck Chuck.
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Review from Megan H.
Healdsburg, CA
12/16/2007
Their italian reds are pretty good (compared to other italian reds in CA - i.e. not too many), but many of their wines aren't up to par. The Zin Port is full of VA, although the mouth is promising (maybe next vintage?). Some of the whites are a good value, but overall only okay wines. Worth a stop if you are out tasting, since they do make a pretty diverse array of varietals. Keep in mind that the only wine they make from Anderson Valley fruit is their Pinot Noir (which has been sold out every time I'm in).
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Review from Valerie F.
Fremont, CA
10/16/2006
Friendly staff with some very well-priced but yummy reds.
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Review from Alured P.
San Francisco, CA
11/18/2007
The Italian red varietals were really good. I only wish I hadn't been here at the end of my trip to the valley as I really would have like to have picked up a few more bottles of them. The other wines were also enjoyable and prices were reasonable.
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Review from Lisa M.
Healdsburg, CA
5/9/2008
Always stop by on our way to Mendocino and they have a tasting room in Hopland as well. We're also members of their wine club where they have blend your own events in the winter and a 5 course Zin and Pizza party that is so tasty and fun that we keep adding friends every year. Staff and the family are incredibly wonderful as well. The nice thing about their wine club is that you can put together your own wine package of what you'd like and not what they want you to have.
Wonderful Reds...especially for the price, but they sell out quickly because they don't make nearly enough! Zinfindel and Zin Port are always a hit with friends. Especially the port with their chocolate sauce. My favorites for this year. Reserve Pinot, Reserve Cab, Quadridga (their 4 varietal Italian Blend of Sangiovese, Dolcetto, Barbera and Primativo) Uber Tuscan, Coro Zin and Reserve Chard.
