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16 reviews for F Teldeschi Winery
16 reviews in English
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Review from Alex W.
Livonia, MI
4/21/2011
This year we chose to avoid the big wineries as much as possible, and try to find some smaller gems. I mean, I can pick up the big wineries at the wine shop back home, why waste a trip!
This was definitely the most friendly, down to earth winery of the weekend. Dan (owner/winemaker) was doing the pouring himself, it being a quiet weekend and all.
You do owe it to yourself to check F Teldeschi out. See what it's really all about. It doesn't take an art collection, big fountains or the other trappings, it takes someone who knows their grapes, then knows how to make those grapes into juice, then into wine.
Dan's passion and grasp of how the growing season affected the grapes, how this season was looking so far, years he remembered and how that worked, was fascinating. Not in a preachy, reciting something you read way, but truly this man knows and loves his grapes.
Oh, and the wine! He's pouring multiple vintages of most, so you can see how different years vary, and he can explain how the growing season affected it too.
The zins are sweet and big, as are the petits, but not the bombs that many find make zins and petit syrah's "uncultured", he has much more balanced, gentler wines, definitely worth a taste.
Even tried a "White Zinfandel" and you know, that wine doesn't HAVE to be the aweful stuff that comes in a caraffe.
In short, if you're wine tasting to see art museums, english gardens or architecture, maybe avoid this one. If you're here for the wine and want something real, drop by, it's just up the drive from the Dry Creek Store, stop in, pick up some cheese or something and drive up the hill, you'll be glad you did. -
Review from Ron C.
Pleasanton, CA
1/30/2011
Whoa!
Have you ever seen the movie "Bottle Shock?" You may recall that in the early part of the movie the camera pans and shows California farmers living it up and drinking wine right out of the bottle! That was my experience at F. Teldeschi. The tasting room is a throw back to the 70's with no one in charge of the room (just a sign on the door which reads: "Call for Bill" and on the other side "Call for Brian" or something like that). I called for Brian (who was not around) and Bill made his way (eventually) to the tasting room.
The bottles in which they poured the wine were very strange...an odd assortment and collection of little bottles designed to keep the wine fresh. In some ways, when Bill was "pouring" (I use the term loosely) it was almost as if he were pouring illicit drugs (tasted like wine, no bad experiences, no side effects...Yep, it was wine)! Ah, but the taste of the wine was not so good! Nothing stood out. I purchased one bottle which seemed to be their best, but bottom line, I don't get the rave reviews here. While I freely admit I can be a snob, the real deal is that the wine just did not taste very good.
Can't say I'll be back. -
Review from Mike K.
Los Angeles, CA
9/13/2011
We must have gone on a bad day because this place was a complete disaster. The guy was busy talking to his friends from L.A. and didn't even really pay much attention nor explain the types of wines he was letting us taste. He was a complete idiot, not to mention his friends who kept saying how great the wine was, how it keeps you young, blah blah blah. Then the guy tells us that people that live in LA is a rarity. That's when I shot back "actually, I am from LA and I live in the city". His response" wow, that's rare!" my response back: "There are 3 million people who live in LA proper. That is not rare." crickets
What a douche bag. And what a sorry excuse for a winery. Stay away. This place is nothing but a joke. -
Review from Shana F.
Santa Rosa, CA
11/15/2010 1 Check-in Here
I popped in during Passport weekend last year and really enjoyed the wine. While driving to Healdsburg we saw the winery and remembering how good the wine was we decided to pop in for a taste.
The tasting room is small, windowless, and has the feel like you are being served wine tastes in someone's kitchen. This itself wouldn't have been bad except the room was swarming with fruit flies. The owner obviously is very passionate about wine and knows what he is doing, but I really wasn't was impressed as I was the first time around. The Zin Port was good, and we tried a blend that was also fine, but the rest were not particularly memorable. We paid $3 per person to taste, which is a steal around here.
I'd give Teldeschi another try, but I won't rush back. -
Review from Maria D.
2/25/2007
I have nothing too new to add to the other reviews for Teldeschi Winery, but I just wanted to add that out of the 4 winerys we went to, this was the only one I really wanted to support and purchase something from because it is so clearly run with love and wasn't as sterile as the other winerys.
It's a tiny little tasting room, with just enough space for four with the owner himself (Dan Teldeschi) pouring the wines. He was super friendly and was able to keep up with the 4 of us and even commented on our superb senses of humor. It's just so nice to be somewhere where we can remember that wine is BOOZE and meant for fun and relaxation not some pretentious stuck up place for old farts. We ended up getting the 1998 petite sirah, which went very well with our steak dinner at Ad Hoc. The wines we tried were yummy and I'll be on the lookout for them in the city as they are apparently featured at some local wine bars and restaurants, but the extra star is for personality and for being a winery of the people. -
Review from phil h.
10/15/2007 1 photo
A very unassuming tasting room run by a man who obviously cares about his wine. The winemaker was more like a mad scientist, pouring our tastings (very reasonable at $2 per person) out of beakers and tiny bottles.
I really wanted to love their wines but can honestly say that I didn't enjoy any of the wines I tasted. If you're in the area you might want to stop by to see if you disagree with me...I'd love to be wrong.Listed in: One day in Healdsburg...
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Review from John G.
10/27/2006
Yes, dad would be proud of Dan Teldeschi. He carries on the tradition of excellent wines in Dry Creek Valley. Go for the zins. Wonderful to the palate. Don't be shocked if he is pouring 5-7 year old zins. He believes in letting them set a while.
Pleasant, but not fancy, tasting room. Dan and his staff are very knowledgeable. -
Review from Herra Chink y.
San Francisco, CA
7/31/2006
*Tiny* building with beautiful scenery, Teldeschi let us venture into the back room to see all the Oak barrels with the sweet alcoholic juices we were imbibing.
There's something to be said about a winery just being a place for wine. After all the faux-countryside homes and "hip" geodesic domes of other wineries, it was nice to be in a small family-owned and very non-pretentious winery.
I cannot say anything about the wine, as they could have given my nail polish remover at the time and I would have been happy.Listed in: Wine Country without Wine is…
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Review from Ben P.
San Francisco, CA
9/26/2007
There are damn few wineries anymore where you can have your tastes poured by the vintner, and will often be the only customers in the place. And Teldeschi is one of them. Listen, Yelpers: as much as I would love to keep this place a secret, it's just too damn good.
You HAVE to go there. The wines are good, a few of them are great. The prices are VERY reasonable. But the main reason to go is to experience the way wine country was....20 years ago. An intimate, unpretentious, unhurried affair where wine was poured by people who weren't just knowledgeable about it, they were involved in creating it. Dan Teldeschi has poured me wine while wearing knee-high boots because he was crushing wine or transfering wine from vats to barrels or barrels to bottles. If you find another place in wine country where you can get this experience, you let me know. And I'll go there too. -
Review from molly m.
Oakland, CA
6/11/2007
The picnic tables out front have "the second-best view in all of Dry Creek", according to Dan.
I've been visiting Dan for the last couple of years, and have enjoyed his inky, robust Zins poured from tiny chemist's bottles in his dark, cool cellar. I'm currently in love with the '98 Petite Syrahs, but Dan's signature wine is his Terranova: With a blend he devised in 1995, his first bottling was in '96 and since then some of the varietals have not produced an appropriate quantity, not to mention the flavors of each harvest have changed, requiring him to continually reevaluate his initial formula. Terranova, he says, "is spelled wrong and makes no sense" in Italian, but somehow that fact makes it all the more fitting for his passion. "It should be 'Nuova', but I figured there's something very 'New World' about 'Nova.'"
His newest wine, in honor of his mother, he calls Terraluna, which is set to be released this Fall. Dan's eyes well up as he describes how everything he's done thus far has been in honor of his father, but now, it's time to honor his mother. Hand-pressing each label, he's put a lot of care into this blend, and I can't wait to try it. If I remember correctly, only 166 cases were bottled.
There's something so fleeting about wine in general, yet so lingering about the experience of it: While I'm tasting it, nothing else in the world matters but where I am, who I'm with, and my sensory experiences as I picnic atop a ridge, cantaloupe, dry gouda, and prosciutto in hand, with one of Dan's stories hanging softly in my memory, and the second-best view in all of Dry Creek Valley. -
Review from Shyam P.
Oakland, CA
8/19/2007
Dan Teldeschi was awesome! This is probably the most unpretentious winery in the whole world. The tasting room is a bar with one working tubelight and has a view of...well...nothing. It has no windows.
Wine tasting is a whopping $2. yes, i know, outrageous.
Dan Teldeschi was the man though. We talked to him about wines, France, politics and travel. It was a lot of fun. He poured us some tasty wine too. I liked the zins including the lot 2 and the reserve; they are very intense. The terranova was considerably smoother and easier to drink than the zins. I wish I had bought some. Next time.
He does need to upgrade the wine glasses. Not easy to enjoy red wine in those small things. -
Review from Sam L.
Santa Clara, CA
12/2/2008
This is by far my husband and my favorite winery. We've been wine club members for years and only wish that we could make it up to the winery more often.
Our favs are hte Zinfandel and TerraNova. We have NEVER had a bad bottle of wine from Teldeschi - very rare!
I highly recommend a stop here and joining the wine club. You will often find Dan Teldeschi pouring in the informal tasting room! -
Review from Mari K.
11/7/2008
Bill and Dan are the subjects of this film, which I entered in the Wine Spectator Video Contest.
http://www.youtube.com... -
Review from Mitch A.
6/27/2006 1 photo
One of my favorite Wineries to visit up in Dry Creek Valley. Dan, who is the owner and his other co-workers are really cool and their wines are excellent. I love the little tiny room and personal service that you get. They make it seem like you're part of the family. They make some of the best Zin's in the area and never charge a tasting fee. Try their Terranova blend. I'm also in their wine club where Dan selects 2 wines every few months.
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Review from Russ C.
San Francisco, CA
4/14/2007
The Teldeschi wine tasting room is a cross between a shack and garage. There is no sprawling estate, no modern art in the parking lot and no rose garden to walk through - like you may find at other wineries. You will find are people that love to make, talk about and enjoy their wines. And some of the wines are amazing. The muscato may very well be the nectar of the gods, the zin port is good and the terranova is a nice wine as well. Sadly, they don't make the muscato any more. I guess I should feel lucky that I still have two bottles left, but now I have a horrible quandary - do I drink them knowing that I can never replace them or hoard them and call them my precious, like the greedy boy I am?
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Review from Heinz S.
Coronado, CA
3/2/2007
I found out about Dans wines back in the 80ies, at the Dry Creek Store, down the driveway from him. There was no cute winery at the time, but great, beefy, extracted Zins that age well and sort of turn Cab like after 15+ years. Dan and Bill are outgoing and very accomodating hosts at the winery. I get a kick out of Dan when he puts the tasting wine into smaller and smaller bottles, to leave less room for air to oxydize it. Hey it works. His mom is quite a dynamo behind him and a wonderful cook. If you like it, the atmosphere, his hospitality and his wines, buy something and tell him Heinz sent you!
