True To Trinidad

By Larissa Lilly | Photos by Shannon Perkins

True to Trinidad style, Bergeron Winery offers a selection of impressive wines at their elegant but laid back tasting room. What started as the owners’ lifelong passion for wine has grown into what I would consider one of the finest wineries in our area. Where some tasting experiences can lack that certain “something” that makes you fall in love, every glass I had the privilege of tasting at Bergeron was a thing of beauty. Their Mendocino Chardonnay dances delicately on the line of sweet and dry without an overwhelming buttery or rich flavor that can often dominate the pallet, it is a fresh, delicate glass perfect for sipping along with a fresh seafood meal or to enjoy with a summer picnic. I invite you to try my other favorites, the Red Hills ‘Monk Red’, a Cabernet Sauvingnon with subtle hints of chocolate and dark cherries and their award winning Red Hills ‘Mija’s’ Syrah.  Their Syrah entices your pallet with accents of boysenberries and smoked meat. A winner of The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Gold Medal, this is a glass no wine lover should miss.

 As a small craft winery, Bergeron produces a handful of different varieties each season. Each of which is delicately processed until the owners’ vision is achieved. Knowing their impeccable wines will only come to fruition if they obtain the perfect grapes, the owners of Bergeron actively seek out the finest vineyards to supply the Trinidad winery. At the moment, Bergeron is working with vineyards from some of the most prestigious viticultural areas in Mendocino County, Napa County and Lake County. Understanding the impact of having just the right mineral taste in the soil, temperature shifts between day and night, and elevation for UV light and air quality, the owners scrutinize the grapes until they find the right base for their new batch. The owners make sure every moment of the fermenting and aging process is fine-tuned to produce just the right tasting experience. All their wines are aged in French oak which contributes a more subtle influence to the wine, allowing the flavor complexities of the choice grapes to shine through.

Bergeron Winery was established in 2007 and their tasting room opened in beautiful Trinidad last fall. The superb quality of the wines is a clear reflection of Bergeron Winery’s attention to detail and artistic craftsmanship. I urge you to stop in. The beautiful décor invites you to relax and lose track of time as you sip on their lovely offerings. Cozy up and play a game of chess or checkers as you’re surrounded by the gorgeous redwoods right outside the windows. The owners and family are in charge of the tasting room and are welcoming and happy to share their enthusiasm with you. In their words, they are attempting to create “wine as poetry.” It is a fitting description of what they are accomplishing. The experience lacks in no way, just like their wines. Comfortably situated in Sander’s Plaza right across from the Lighthouse Grill, an afternoon or evening at Bergeron is the perfect complement to an afternoon at the Sunday Farmer’s Market or Trinidad’s First Friday Art Nights.