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Toulouse Vineyard
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
29 reviews for Toulouse Vineyard
Toulouse was the last stop of our Anderson Valley wine tour, and the most fun. Of course, we had already been drinking since noon, and Vern, the winemaker, was kind enough to stay late to see us after closing at 6pm -- plus there was no tasting fee. Again, there was no pretentious vibe here, and we were greeted with hugs and a pair of playful pooches. We felt right at home.
Vern and his wife own the vineyard, and produce amazing wines. We tasted several wonderful wines, but we loved the Riesling and Pinot Gris, and ended up purchasing both. Oh, and the Trader Joe's cheese crackers he put out for us were the bomb -- yum!
Vern was such a fun guy, and we spent quite a while just hanging out with him. I just love how welcoming he was. It really seemed to be a common attitude of so many of the people we encountered at all the wineries we visited. Vern really did go above and beyond to accommodate us though, by staying over an hour after closing time.
I'm convinced -- once you go Anderson Valley you never go back to Napa Valley.
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They had two of the best pinot noirs I've ever tasted. The other wines were nice, too - but the pinots were exceptional. I guess the wine magazines agree, since they've gotten some very impressive write-ups.
A very friendly and helpful staff serve wines in a space that's half cellar, half mad chemist's wine laboratory. There are some picnic tables on a patio, populated with about as many dogs as people the day we were there (cool dogs, too).
They are one of the few places that actually offer tasting in decent glasses, so you get the full flavor of the wine you're trying.
I wasn't sure how to vote on price, so I settled for moderate. You choose. As of now, there aren't any tasting fees - another reason to leave Napa to the out-of-state tourists. There's quite a range between the top pinot and the other wines, although even the top of the line pinot is very well priced for what it is, and is a real bargain compared to the competition. The wines are so good, that it's hard to stop at one bottle.
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No fancy roundman font imprinted on a sign to indicate that you have arrived. Rather, a picture of a crazy duck on a guidepost, directing you up the dirt road path to a small and rustic winery. Toulouse delivers some of the most delicate yet vibrant pinots I have ever tasted. We tasted the 2006 and the 07 pinots side by side and were immediately drawn to the 06; luscious berry flavors, a hint of spice and a smooth finish made us crave for more 06! I personally think the two pinots are both worth the price and are quite a deal relative to other pinots throughout the Valley. Beyond the delicious reds, it was the unassuming nature of the winery and the friendliness of Vern, the winemaker, that made our visit so enjoyable.
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Our second stop in Anderson Valley, unfortunately we didn't get to taste the Riesling supposedly this is a big seller and I was dying to try it. The winery does remind me of a French Country side. What I noticed after the day went on wine tasting was the wine makers and the people behind the counters are much more friendlier than Napa ( sorry Napa) not so stuffy. I'm not a red wine drinker but I liked the pinot noir and Anderson Valley is prime Pinot Noir region.
This little winery is a hidden gem! Unlike most tasting rooms in Napa Valley that resemble showrooms, Toulouse's tasting room appears to be in a farm like setting (with dogs substituting for farm animals). All of the wines on the tasting menu were amazing, as was the free tasting, which is unheard of in Napa! Also, you cannot beat the prices. A bottle of wine can start from as little as $11. It will be hard to go back to the Napa wineries after this experience.
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Spent the past 9 days tasting wines from the Willamette Valley in Oregon down to Sonoma and Lake County. The Anderson Valley was one of my favorite areas to visit five years ago. Toulouse was on my list. Pulled up to the entrance and the closed sign was up. Disappointed, my wife said let's drive up. We've got nothing to loose. Guess what, they were OPEN. They hadn't had a chance to change the sign. It was the highlight of our trip. REALLY. After trying alot of wines that were just OK and overpriced, these wines were wonderful. I hate to make this place "the place to go", but Vern deserves it. Bought 2 cases to be shipped home. Can't wait to try them.
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I'm glad the secret's out...because I hate going to tiny winery tasting rooms to be the only person(s) there. Not this time...there were 4 other couples there and we had to wait (!). Which was cool. Totally unpretentious vibe, just kinda sit down and have a chat with Vern. Some locals/regulars came by and everyone got excited there was an eagle buzzing around. The goose logo shirts and signs are funny. The crackers, cheesy and buttery and very tasty.
Oh right, the wine. I thought it was just OK Pinot, but I'm not a Pinot guy so what do I know. For more than $35/btl I thought it was a tad overpriced. Good time though.
I loved Vern. I loved everyone who poured the wine during my visit to Toulouse. I loved the 2008 Gewurtz that was open for tasting last weekend. I loved the licorice that was offered with the 2008 Pinot that totally brought the soft cherries to life (I didn't like the 2006 one as much). And I'm not drunk as I write this.
I'm a novice when it comes to wine drinking, but I know what I like. What I love, however, was the knowledgeable and friendly winemakers (staff). They were so open to teaching me and my friend about different varieties, food pairing, and the basics of wine making.
I took this horrible introduction to wine class in College of the Redwoods "taught" by this pretentious, completely biased small of a man. I learned shit about wine from him. Three three-hour nights of my life have been wasted listening to an asshole who loved to hear himself talk. Soooo, meeting the folks at Toulouse was refreshing and most welcoming. They even had handouts for me!
Should you find yourself in Anderson Valley, GO HERE!
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Again, no tasting fee. I am in love.
Sure, I was shit-faced when I arrived, but I still remembered the warmth of the winery, the hospitality, and the good whites.
We bought the 2008 Gewurztraminer and Riesling. Both green, but so darn good. We are usually red wine drinkers, but Anderson Valley convinced us to go mighty whitey.
Our bulldogs were allowed to run around the winery and the owners gave us free t shirts for being awesome.
I adore this place and looking forward to returning soon.
Anderson Valley wine tasting converted me. Napa, you are no more.
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This is my favorite winery in the Anderson Valley. Vern is extremely friendly and helpful. He has no qualms recommending other wineries if you're a fan of a particular type of wine that he doesn't produce.
The other staff is also quite friendly and knowledgeable. Oh yeah, the wine is great too.
Definitely hit this place up if you're going along Highway 128. Even if you don't like wine that much, you'll still have a good time here.
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These days, when you head up to Wine Country for a tasting day, you get bombarded with fees for tasting, a winery that wants to sell more merchandise than wine, and a general condescension that leaves you feeling slightly miffed. Forget the Napa Valley, head over to Anderson Valley, and make your first, if not only, stop at Toulouse.
Here's the greeting: you drive up a gravel and dirt hill and come out at a building that looks like a warehouse. Um, it is. You get out of the car, feeling a bit worried, and out trots a golden Lab, along with a perky small dog to greet you. They welcome you warmly in the parking lot, then, almost in a silent invitation, turn around and walk you to the tasting room, where laughs and the sounds of glasses draw you in.
Vern, a former Oakland fire captain, sees you as you walk into the building, which is filled with wine barrels, bottling equipment, and label makers, along with a small bar and lots of chairs arranged around upturned barrels and heaters to try to stave off the cold room. He smiles, comes out from behind the bar, and warmly welcomes you, dismissing the dogs to go back to their comfy beds. He sets you up at a barrel, puts some cookies, chocolates, and nuts in front of you, and fetches your glasses as well as your first bottle. When we were there, there were about 10 other folks, all warmly enjoying the wine and the company of the winemakers, and they all smiled and nodded, like we we were about to find out a secret they all had.
The wine was absolutely staggeringly good. The Pinot Gris was one of the best I've had, with a delicious mix of fruit and body. But the Pinot Noirs were where Toulouse shines. Oh my. Prompted by Vern's partner, we tried it with the helpful black licorice (which I normally detest), and it was like nothing I'd ever had. They were selling it so fast, they hadn't even had a chance to put labels on the bottles!
We could have stayed all day, and they would have been happy to have us. As it was, we walked away with half a case of memories, and the delight of remembering what real wine tasting, with real winemakers, can be like.
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I was recently gifted a bottle of Toulouse Pinot, and decided to stop in and taste it (without having to pop mine open yet) on my way to Mendocino.
The tasting room was busy when we arrived and at first we felt a little bit ignored. But the great wines kept us happy--my husband even enjoyed all of the whites (and the rose) despite his usual insistence that he never drinks white wine. I agreed that the whites were interesting and complex enough to satisfy a hesitant white wine drinker. We munched away on the amazing cheesy crackers while we were waiting for the overworked tasting room staff to bring us our next drink.
Once we were onto the reds, the tasting room cleared out a bit and the personal attention improved significantly. The staff was funny and had good information about the wine. The pinots we tasted were both very good, though not cheap at around $40 a bottle. We left very excited to drink the bottle we have at home (and we may have picked up an extra as well...)
They are also very dog friendly and didn't mind our puppy running around with other puppies in the vines for a bit.
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I'm just a little sad that I wasn't the first to review......but should have known better by the fact that Vern's tasting room has become standing room only lately. But honestly, he is by far the BEST host, has the BEST wine and has the CUTEST puppy in all of Anderson Valley.
Everything here is fabulous, the pinot, the gwertz, but the rose (the pink one) is by far the best. True it's not the most beautiful winery in the valley, that should go hands down to Golden Eye but the feeling of family should definetely override that very small downfall.
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We pulled up to see 3 adorable dogs playing vigorously in the parking/entrance area as our own 2 dogs were going nuts in the back seat with excitement. We were warmly greeted by a super friendly guy who told us that this place is dog friendly...so much so that they joke about dogs being a requirement to get a tasting.
The tasting room was casual and very friendly, the owner set us up around a barrel and was very good pouring us wine after wine while telling us about his dogs and genuinely being interested in ours. At first I found it strange that he talked more about the dogs than the wine, but then upon tasting the wines, I realized that they are good enough that they stand up for themselves. Since we had just bought case at Navarro, we ended up with a bottle of the Pinot Noir...it is delicious.
We love Anderson Valley and will most definitely stop in again at this dog loving winery!
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What an amazing surprise in Anderson Valley! This place gives Goldeneye a run for the money. I have to agree with Mike that they have two of the best Pinot Noir not just in the Valley but nearly all up and down California wine country. I'm talking quality wine that is balanced,full bodied, firm structure with a fantastic blend of fruit and spice qualities. The 06 and 07 Pinot are both worth the price and probably could sell for about 33% more in the "right" location so get it now while they are still available. These guys won't stay this small forever as you can tell by all the positive feedback already. If you like Pinot from Bien Nacido, Carneros, or even Willamette Valley don't miss this gem on the best kept secret in California!
Vern Boltz is the man...I think he might just be the nicest guy in Anderson Valley...cheers to his success. I love his wines. I love the way he treats locals and tourists alike...
Vern & Toulouse deserve 10 stars...if you are in Anderson Valley this is the place to stop to understand what tasting wine in Napa must have been like 25 years ago.
Out of all the wineries we visited in the Mendocino area, these guys were the most personable and knowledgeable.
As soon as we walked in they said hello, and started getting out the glasses....they asked us questions about the wines we liked, what we did, etc. No airs at all...you could tell they were doing this because it was what they loved.
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It was a classic case of "Honey, stop the car!" syndrome. Driving out of Philo, headed to Navarro, we tooled around another beautiful valley bend and caught glimpse of the Toulouse sign beckoning us up the hill. "Too Stressed? Toulouse!" It said. We'd had the wine before (and loved it), so immediately pulled a 180 and drove on into the winery.
Tess and the other dogs met us, as well as a gaggle of friendly people; (all the geese are stuffed). The place has a great view of the valley, which they plan to take full advantage of with a soon-to-be-constructed tasting room.
These folks make great Pinot. Fruity and layered, super smooth on the palate. The 2006, in current release, drinks great now and will certainly age well. We also tried the 2007, planned for release in March. That one needs some time (only 2 weeks since bottling) but already gives the previous year a run for its money- I think it's a bigger wine, actually.
We fed Tess some cheese treats, bought a couple of cases of wine and headed on our way. This place is what wine tasting is all about. Make sure you find them next time you're tooling through Anderson Valley.
I feel bad that I'm giving Toulouse their first non-5 star rating, but one of the reasons I love to go to wineries is for the beauty of the winery. And while this was a wonderful stop for us today - the winery itself was not very beautiful. OK - that's it for any negatives... moving on.
First things first: my favorite dog on this entire planet is a female yellow lab. So I was immediately won over the moment we got out of the car and were greeted by this solid, sweet girl named Tess. Emmie, the [3 month old] Havanese was adorable too. Learning how to behave - without being tempted to bite someone's pants cuff - is oh so difficult...
The winery is supposedly "by appointment only" but Anthony (over at Sharffenberger) called ahead for us to make sure they were open and Vern (the Toulouse owner?) said to come on down. My guess is: if their gate is open and the sign next to the gate says open: they're open! (I'm a pretty sharp cookie.)
I liked the wines a lot. Especially the Pinot Gris (sweeter) and the Estate Riesling. The pours were very generous - and free! And (at least this Sunday) we got 10% off our wine purchase. We were told that the 2005 Estate Pinot Noir sells for $25/glass at a restaurant whose name presently escapes me, in SF. So we got to sit there and sip ~$8 worth for free! ;)
Everyone who poured for us was super friendly and accommodating. Toulouse, being a very small, rustic winery doesn't have a fancy tasting room so guests mingle inside what feels like a small warehouse. When there's no more room at the counter, they'll crowd around truly perfect height barrels, upended. Even the other tasters we chatted with were fun and nice!
I'd stop here again - both to taste the wine and... pet the dogs.
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I was drawn in by the goose. They're good people. They have superb rose and tasty pinot noirs. Visit them before they hit it big(ger) -- for now, they are a great family-owned operation with a silly sense of humor (two-loose bolts - duh dun dun). It's a really amiable tasting experience. Thanks for having us!
If you're looking for a way to surprise me btw, they have these ginormous bottles of "the drippings" which I imagine would make a pretty intense party (followed by some intense tannin hangovers). They were out this time, but there's always next time...
And we asked, yes, they're no longer by appointment only, drive on in!
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My favorite winery from my first trip to Anderson Valley! I try to go to Napa at least once a year and loved my first experience in the less traveled to Anderson Valley. I imagine it to be what Napa was like 20 years ago, before the Wal-Mart moved to town.
The owner of Toulouse puts his winery over the top of all the others in the area. He is a fire-chief turned wine maker, and he truly loves what he is doing. It is reflected in his wine. He treats his employees like family and treats his guests the same. And his dogs rock - the most laid-back yellow labby in the world and a Havanese puppy that knows it has the sweetest gig ever running around a winery.
I ended up buying both of his Pinots and a Gewurztraminer. The pinots were super-yummy with a great berry taste. One of the best pinots I tried in the valley. Tastes like a more expensive bottle of wine than $39. I normally don't like Gewurtz, but I thought this was a nice clean tasting wine that wasn't too sweet. I envisioned drinking it with friends at a bbq on a nice hot day.
True to form, the owner offered to ship back all the wine we bought, even if it wasn't from his winery. We came back the next day and he totally lived up to his word. We are true fans of Toulouse forever - I even bought the t-shirt to prove it!
Please, please stop by at this winery and give them your business. They deserve it!
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Top Top Top best winery / place to go in Northern CA wine country.
The wine is ridiculously good, and itching to head back up and grab another case.
Give yourself some time to wear off the buzz before driving though 'cause you'll be drinking every last drop of the tastings.
Fantastic wines, cute dogs, and very friendly staff. They're just getting started as a winery, though many wineries in the Valley have used their grapes for their own purposes in years past.
Like Lisa, I took a star off for the overall tasting experience, which left a little to be desired. I do think they'll probably improve this over time as they get off the ground.
Their Pinots are nice, but I really enjoyed the Pinot Gris, Gewurtz, and Rose of Pinot (this probably had a lot to do with the fact that it was 100+ degrees while we were there, and it was hard to drink a lot of red wine). Definitely worth a stop when you're in the Valley!
Toulouse the Goose! After a recommendation from the pourers at Standish we made our way to Toulouse. We were greeted by Tess the yellow lab and a barn full of barrels, bottling equipment and a small tasting table. Rita, who also works for Roederer, poured for us on Friday and even got us a sample of the 2007 Rose straight from the cask. Vern, the owner/winemaker, was just about to bottle some up.
His claim to fame is definitely his Pinot Noir. He has a 2003, 2005 and 2006 all as different as their years. This is the first year he is also featuring Alsace wines like Pinot Gris and Riesling. We took home some Riesling and a couple '03 and '05 Pinots. Ask Vern which is his favorite, he'll gladly sing it's praises. Keep an eye out for the 2005 Pinot Noir in Wine & Spirits Magazine as one of the top 50 wines under $50. Definitely stop by for a friendly tasting of some great wines!
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The employees at this vineyard know there stuff, and seem to love their jobs! One guy even got my date a sip of wine from a barrel that won't be for sale for another two years.
This place has the best riesling I've ever had. It's sweet but not too sweet. It's perfect for people who hate dessert wine but really want a perfect after dinner cocktail.
The tasting room is cozy, with some really sweet dogs running around.
This was a really fun wine tasting experience - one of the best we had. The folks here are super friendly and really fun. They explained the process, allowed us to taste out of the barrel and it was just less stuffy than some of the other places. You stand in the room that they age the wine in, so there are barrels everywhere and they serve these yummy cheesy crackers. There is a super cute dog, and the vibe is just friendly and relaxed. The only problem was that they were sold out of almost every wine! They are kind of a boutique winery so they don't produce a lot of cases, but what they do produce is really good. I'd recommend going early in the year to ensure that they have everything in stock...
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Great Pinots! Cute dogs and an enthusiastic wine maker who is pouring his wine and telling you his stories. I am generally adverse to the big Disneyland wineries and this is the opposite for sure. Great vibe, small tasting room and squaking parrots outside, what more could you ask for on a nice day in Anderson Valley?
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Amazing Pinot. The wine here was ridiculously good and priced just right. It was the best pinot I have had and reasonably priced at 40 bucks. They are out of the 2005, but the 2003 was awesome and the 2006 had potential. The tasting room isn't very lavish, but it's pretty cool when you get to sit down and drink wine with the winemaker.
We decided to do some wine tasting on Christmas Eve on our way up to Mendocino and had read wonderful reviews about this winery. Let me tell you, they are all true! I had pictured Christmas Eve wine tasting as being very festive, loud and jolly, but the 2 previous wineries we visited (which shall remain nameless) were far from it. It was a breath of fresh air to drive up to Toulouse and hear people actually having a good time. That instantly sold me on Toulouse. The fact that their wines were DELICIOUS prompted me to write this review. My husband and in-laws fell in love as well and we all enjoyed the company, doggies, wine and licorice! I think we left with at least half a case of wine (one of which we got to label ourselves and got the wine maker's autograph!), including one bottle of each white wine, the fabulous Pinot and a bag of English licorice. My in-laws loved the wine so much that they decided to keep the bottles as a memento of our fabulous time at Toulouse! I can't wait to go back!
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