Last weekend I ventured with my boyfriend and his parents to Placerville, Calif., to cut down our Christmas trees and do some wine tasting – because you can’t go to Placerville and not stop at a few of the wineries scattered along the highway.
After spending two and a half (yes, two and half) hours searching the same tree farm for the perfect “pole trees,” we nearly gave up on the wine tasting adventure because we were all hungry for lunch. That is, until I convinced our group stopping at the winery right down the road from the tree farm would be worth it. Then one winery turned into two, then three, then four.
Most wineries close at 5 p.m. on Sundays, so our fourth stop was a bit unplanned. I used my phone to find wineries close by and Bumgarner Winery popped up – and it had great Yelp reviews. For being the last (and unplanned) stop on our wine tour, it was definitely our favorite!
When we walked in, we were pleasantly surprised that the winemakers themselves, Brian and Jennifer Bumgarner, were doing the tasting. He recommended that we do the “Vertical Flight,” which involved tasting his Cabernet Sauvignon from 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2005. Brian explained that each wine was made using grapes from the same vineyard but they all had a unique taste. My personal favorite was the 2007, which we happily purchased. Now, having an underdeveloped wine palate, one might not take my opinion to heart; however, my boyfriend’s parents are wine enthusiasts and loved the Bumgarner wines so much that they signed up for their wine club.
An interesting thing to point out about Bumgarner Winery is that there are some wines on tap, so customers can bring back bottles and have them refilled for a discount. It is definitely an excuse to take another trip to Placerville!
Bumgarner Winery
3550 Carson Road, Suite B
Camino, CA 95709
(530) 303-3418