It’s the only tasting room in Carmel with an ocean view from inside and out, and it’s the only one featuring wines made from arguably two of the most storied vineyards in all of Monterey: Sleepy Hollow Vineyard on River Road and Diamond T Vineyard off Laureles Grade.
Now open 7 days a week, from 11am – 6pm, the Talbott Vineyards Tasting Room awaits, with three experiences designed to introduce you to their acclaimed portfolio of Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs as you relax in the elegant tasting lounge overlooking the ocean in beautiful Carmel.
This is the place for Burgundy lovers, from lemony bubbles to bright orchard fruit laden Chardonnays and several styles of Pinot Noir that take you from the sublime to the magnificent. Indulge in the winemaker’s special selections as you enjoy Block designate wines that hone in on specific parts of the Sleepy Hollow Vineyard to bring you unique expressions of the site.
Released earlier this year to Club Members, the NV Talbott Brut Sparkling is now available for tasting and purchase, just in time for holiday celebrations.
You’ll appreciate its reflection of the sunny side of the Santa Lucia Highlands married to the ever-present cloak of fog that brings to bear its breezy influence, adding a distinct minerality and saline component.
The dog-friendly Talbott tasting room celebrates everything that makes coastal California special, including locally grown wine and cuisine. The greater Monterey Bay area is world-renowned for its excellence in all things luxury, and Carmel-by-the-Sea is its epicenter. With French doors that open out to the street, and a deck beneath a massive Cypress tree, visitors can marvel at the same marine fog that plays such a big part in growing Talbott’s cool climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Talbott’s Exclusive Tasting Room Experiences
Estate Flight: The perfect introduction to the Talbott family of wines, this flight features two Chardonnays and two Pinot Noirs estate grown in the acclaimed Sleepy Hollow Vineyard. This 565-acre vineyard was planted in 1972 by UC Davis educated farmer and vineyard pioneer Jerry McFarland, who envisioned the Santa Lucia Highlands as a premier Burgundy producing region in California. How prescient he was!
Signature Flight: Want to create your own tasting adventure? This customizable flight allows guests to choose five wines to taste from all those currently on the list. Currently, this includes fabulous 2018 Diamond T Chardonnay, from the Laureles Grade property in Carmel Valley planted by Talbott founder Rob Talbott. Knowledgeable Talbott hosts walk you through the options to help curate the perfect flight for your tastes.
Legacy Flight: This special flight, accompanied by carefully curated cheese selections, takes guests on a journey through Talbott history with pairings that match story points along the way. You’ll enjoy five expressions of Talbott’s stunning portfolio paired with five cheeses from the world-famous Cheese Shop in the Carmel Plaza. Guests enjoy the pairings so much, they buy the wine, and then go to The Cheese Shop so they can recreate the tastings at home.
Talbott tasting room lead Ty Menane knows his way around the portfolio and has a few suggestions for your holiday table, including the Brut Sparkling, of course, and the 2021 Pinot Noir Rosé. Both wines are a must for a party.
These are his current recommendations:
2018 Block 51 South Pinot Noir – Menane says this food-friendly wine has really changed over the last year, becoming more approachable and now exhibiting darker, richer fruit.
2019 Block 48 South Pinot Noir, Clone 113 – This wine is exhibiting really wonderful earthy spice and lighter fruits, making it Menane’s favorite wines to pair with food. He says it’s also one of their biggest sellers.
2018 Fidelity Chardonnay and Pinot Noir –“These are wonderful celebration wines,” says Menane. “The Chardonnay is a little more California style. It is not heavily oaked and buttery, but has tremendous fruit intensity in perfect harmony with its oak and acid profiles. It has a finish that lingers for days—well-suited to holiday fare and gathering with friends and family. The Fidelity Pinot Noir is the pinnacle of Talbott’s Pinot Noir portfolio, amplifying the complexity Sleepy Hollow Vineyard is famous for. Our favorite barrels from the vintage go into Fidelity and this wine will impress from the first sip!”
Explore Next Door: After your tasting, if it’s later in the afternoon, you might want to enjoy appetizers and libations at The Pocket, an adjacent restaurant with ample indoor and outdoor seating. Chef Mike Fischetti offers an innovative and ever-changing menu for dinner nightly, from 5pm, with Happy hour from 3:30 til 5pm. Browse the menu before you go, purchase the perfect wine to suit your mood at the Talbott tasting room, and corkage will be waived for that bottle at The Pocket, with a minimum $25 food purchase.
Winter Wonder Bonus: Book a Talbott tasting after 3pm during the winter months, and you might just experience the most amazing sunset from the balcony at Talbott or The Pocket. It’s hard to beat this spot for natural ambiance, and the wines make it simply unforgettable.
Book Reservations for a Talbott Tasting online: exploretock.com/talbottvineyards By phone: 831-659-3500 By email: reservations@talbottvineyards.com
Talbott Tasting Room is located between 5th & 6th Ave. on Lincoln Street in Carmel. Open daily 11am-6pm. Closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve and New Years Day.
About the author
Laura Ness is a longtime wine journalist, columnist and judge who contributes regularly to Edible Monterey Bay, Spirited, WineOh.Tv, Los Gatos Magazine and Wine Industry Network, and a variety of consumer publications. Her passion is telling stories about the intriguing characters who inhabit the fascinating world of wine and food.
