California - Ramona - Highland Hills Winery

Highland Hills Winery - When we pulled up to the gate, we weren't sure what to expect, but once inside the vineyard, we were treated to mountain views and pleasant wines. We were greeted and allowed to decide where we would like our tasting. We decided on the patio overlooking the vineyard and the mountains surrounding Ramona. My wife saw some ant sculptures on the railing and took a picture with the wine glass. The tasting was pre-determined list. Our first wine was Chloe, a muscat and viognier blend; light a fruity. The other white we tried was the grenache blanc (another varietal we had not tasted back east). We both decided this would be a good sipping wine on a hot afternoon. We then switched to the reds. First up was their merlot. I enjoyed it, but my wife, who prefers the sweets, did not like it. We tried Lola, a merlot and barbera blend. My wife like this one better as it was more pleasing to the palette. But it was the Ramona, a grenache, petit sirah and mouvedre blend, that both agreed was a definite winner. The last two wines tasted were the barbera and the barbera reserve. Overall the traditional barbera was better. While we were there, we were treated to a tour of the winery. Not more than the space of a three car garage, they pack a lot of work into this space and not much is wasted. We were surprised to hear that some of the oak barrels come from Pennsylvania.