Top East Bay Winery Hits A Home Run With Their Zinfandel!

December 20, 2007 by Jim Walberg · Leave a Comment

Bodegas Aguirre Winery in Livermore has already risen to the top of the wine industry lists!
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What a wonderful surprise is awaiting you on Tesla Road in the Livermore wine region of the East Bay. You are going to discover what one of my real estate clients has created from just a dream twelve years ago to one of the top wineries in the East Bay – Bodegas Aguirre Winery.
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The owner of this award winning winery is Dr. Ricardo Aguirre and his lovely wife, Margarita. Dr. Aguirre is a surgeon at Valley Care Medical Center in Pleasanton, California. Their daughter, Sylvia, and her husband, Victor, are the winery managers. Plus, they have a great staff hosting their weekend wine tasting which are always unforgettable. Can you tell I am a raving fan of this winery and the product they are producing? Well, I am. ( Some of

you remember that I used to write a wine article in the local East Bay newspapers highlighting my special discoveries, so it is not unusual that I continue my wine detective work every chance I can.)
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What started out as a hobby for Dr. Aguirre has turned into a remarkable success story. He is a self-taught wine maker after taking a winemaking course at the University of California – Davis. He planted 12 acres of grapes in 1995 which included Cabernet and Merlot, and then purchased seven

more acres the following year and planted Petite Sirah. Every aspect of the winery – from growing the grapes to blending and bottling the wines has Dr. Aguirre’s finger prints all over it.
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Bodegas Aguirre Winery bottles over ten different wines – all reds except for the knockout Chardonnay that is currently in the barrels for release next year; Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Trio, Postre (desert wine), Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva, Merlot Reserva, Petite Sirah Reserva, and Castello Nuovo. “The Petite Sirah is our signature wine. The Petite Sirah recently won a “ten best” award for overall wines, while the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot were finalists. ( I just joined their wine club after barrel tasting their latest Zin and Chardonnay.)
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Here is what Laura Ness, a national wine reviewer had to say during her visit to Bodegas Aguirre Winery, “His first vintage – the 2002 Petite Syrah Reserva – was rated #1 at the Tri-Valley Wine Competition. He hit a bulls eye with this one. If you’re looking for a classic “black and blue” pie in your face wine, this will be your next best friend.”
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One of the most unique labels in the Livermore wine region is on all of their bottles. It was inspired by a painting that Dr. Aguirre owns. The artist is Carlos Canas from El Salvador who was a protégé of Pablo Picasso. Not only is the wine a work of art, but their labels are the perfect accent for what you will discover in each of the bottles. Stop by some weekend and be prepared to taste great wines and to even bring some home. Let me know what you discover.