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Hartford Family Winery
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8075 Martinelli Rd
Forestville, CA 95436
(707) 887-1756
Forestville, CA 95436
(707) 887-1756
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14 reviews for Hartford Family Winery
One of the best wineries in the Russian River Appellation, Hartford Family Winery has a delicious selection of true Burgundian style wines.
Utilizing French oak barrels, they offer a full array of flavors for their Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Zinfandels.
Getting to the winery from San Francisco can be very easy, and is just under an hour to get there. Taking Hwy 101 north to the Hwy 116 exit, go west towards Sebastopol and Forestville. Once in Forestville go beyond Mirabel Road, and the next road is Martinelli Road, where you turn right and the winery is about a mile in on the right side.
There are also a lot of wineries along the route to Hartford, our favorites being the small Hanna tasting room, Lynmar and Iron Horse.
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Went here after the Russian River Beer and BBQ Festival to mix things up a bit and I have to say I wasn't that impressed. The two people behind the counter were nice and all but the wines just didn't stack up to what I would buy or give away to a friend. (insert wine snob comment here)
If you're into a winery that has what the common people expect - big house for the tasting room, large bar, fancy furniture to sit in as you decide if $50 for an ok bottle of wine is worth it then this is the place for you.
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One of the top Pinot Noir producers in California. A little pricey, but it's kind of hard not to pick up a case or two after tasting them. I guess we were supposed to taste like 3 different ones, but after some conversation with the guy regarding my having lost my cellar to a fire we ended up getting 6 or so pours and he was even nice enough to open a bottle of the fogdance (my personal favorite) even though it's not normally part of the tasting.
Also had a surprise find...their coastal Syrah. This wine just blew me away and while Syrah has always been something of a value varietal for me (I've found some lovely ones in the $12-15 range) I picked this one up even though it runs about 4 times that.
Another "must visit" Pinot producer in the RRV.
My second trip to Hartford, first being years ago, and once again it was a great find.
The winery is very well done. It looks like it would be shi-shi and a tad arrogant inside, but both times my experience has been great. Pleasant, helpful, knowledgable servers.
One of the things I like about Hartford, they focus. Three varietals only; chardonnay, pinot noir, and zinfandel.
Their tasting fee structure had changed a bit, with two choices. $5 for three wines, or $15 for these three, plus three of their single vineyard designates. These are high quality wines, with prices averaging $40-$50 a bottle, I have no problem at all paying $5 (or $15) for tasting, and they are waived with a single purchase.
I normally don't like chards, but one of their dry-er styles I have liked both times. Zin is also not my fave varietal, but they have one that was peppery, not too jammy or high in alcohol that I liked. Their Pinots are world class, and the reason I come.
This place is a find, and definately worth stopping in if you appreciate higher end wines.
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Lovely, refined setting tucked away in a small wooded valley. It definitely has that upscale European feel to it. The tasting mansion has an elaborate foyer and seating area with marble floors. The service was very attentive and friendly. I enjoyed chatting with our pourer. The wines were nice. Some I liked (Zin, Chard), others I didn't (Syrah). Don't get me wrong, the wines were good - but not $50 good.
My husband & I visited the Hartford Family Winery this past weekend and while we really enjoyed the wines we were quite turned off by the snootiness in the tasting room.
While we're not connoisseurs or anywhere near sommeliers we know enough about wine and we enjoy great wine without the attitude.
Luckily we had a 2nd woman come in to the tasting room and she was very friendly.
We bought a couple of bottles and will enjoy them in a few years!
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I visited here on my first ever trip to wine country. Now, I am no oenophile so I will refrain from commenting on the quality of the wines. Tasty food pairing of the duck with polenta. Beautiful barrel room (see posted pic).
Compared to the other wineries we visited along the Russian River Valley area, the Hartford Family Winery felt snootier and more commercial. The woman pouring tastings of their vintages for sale particularly pissed me off when she said, "Well, you all look about 18, but I see you have your bracelets so I guess you're alright to drink." WTF?!?! I was ready to drop some Jacksons, but I suddenly didn't feel so inclined to offer my patronage.
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Very nice, expensive wines. The coastal pinot was excellent. $5 to taste three feature wines is a joke in Russian River Valley. Would I go back? NO.
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Another great winery. Can you say Pinot Noir? They make 9 different kinds. NINE! Try their very high end ones because they will not disappoint- I recommend the Velvet Sister and Far Coast- outstanding. This winery specializes in chardonnay, zin, and pinot. Sounds good to me.
This place is a bit hard to find - we couldn't see the signs from the main road very well. But once we got there, it was worth the trip. The grounds are very pretty, and it feels like you're at someone's home (a very big, fancy home). I liked the wines, and the tasting room was pleasant to hang out in, though they could definitely use a bigger bar area - the one they have is way too small. The blonde lady was very nice and super helpful with lunch recommendations - she even gave us a map of the area.
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So, why do you visit a winery? Good wines, great views, and a setting in which to enjoy it, preferably without the 4H Club Tour Bus parked in the lot.
Welcome to Hartford Winery. Hartford makes Burgundian wines -- Pinot Noir and Chardonnay -- from the Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley. They also have fangled (is that really a word?) a couple killer Zins.
My personal favorites are Dina's Vineyard Zinfandel and the Seven Sisters Vineyard Pinot Noir. And for $25 retail, even the Sonoma Coast Pinot is sublime.
hartford...my opinion....by far the most favored out of the russian river valley wineries to visit...from the charming tasting room....friendly staff...wine tasting from the barrel in the cool barrel room......with warm tasty appetizers, bbq shredded duck, and wine samplings to compliment.....just fabulous.....
chardonnay: $40
pinot noir: $45
zinfandel: $30 & $50
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Beautiful setting, and very good wines. Bottles are quite pricey though, and as others commented quite commercial. If that doesn't bother you, go for it. Once of the most gorgeous wineries I've seen in a long time. This winery, along with Lyndmar and Iron Horse will become my three favorites to frequent in the Russian River area.
Some good wines here. I really liked a few of them and didn't dislike any. Was our first stop on our Healdsburg trip yesterday. Bought a couple of bottles we liked. Enjoyed the area to sit in outside since it was such a beautiful day. Maybe because it was Father's Day weekend it was really really quiet there so no issues w/service.
