Since 1914, travelers may have noticed a little dairy barn perched on a hill on the right side of the road, as they wound their way north of the Marin County line into Sonoma County.
Some decades later, the landmark reappeared on their left, the Redwood Highway having been moved a little to the east and modernized with four lanes. Today, that roadway is itself something of a relic, the one stretch between San Francisco and Petaluma that’s not technically a freeway, and still provides a turn lane where the sharp-eyed motorist can veer off check their fluids at the age-old Gas Club – or take a few sips at the first stop in wine country.
Since 1994, that little hill has been greening with grape vines, and the dairy barn converted to a winery by wine lovers Linda and Hoot Smith. It’s picturesque, to be sure, and even better when we learn that the property has been in the family since the 1860s, and Hoot has long run a diesel repair shop in Petaluma.
But can we assume, at least, that Kastania’s signature owl logo is a riff on the proprietor’s name? Nope. That’s Linda Smith’s doing. “Oh,” explains Hoot, “she liked owls a long time before she liked me.”
There’s a tasting bar adjacent to the barrel room, appointed with a few tables and, naturally, owl motifs, and a patio out back where tasters can look beyond the traffic to the marshland of the Petaluma River.
Red wines are the family favorites here, but a Chardonnay is on hand as well. The 2007 Proprietor’s Reserve Pinot Noir ($40) has warm, appealing aromas of vineyard blend compost, orange rind potpourri, light flavors of raspberry, strawberry with an orange zest twist, and a sweet, silky finish.
The 2008 Proprietor’s Blend ($38) is 63 percent Cabernet Franc, but comes across with no green notes; only brimming with baking spice and plum blossom. Bordeaux varietals in the very southern tip of Sonoma? Well, it was only a minor planting, because that’s the style of wine that the Smiths like best. But it’s proven so popular, Hoot laments, “We don’t even get a chance to drink it.”
4415 Redwood Hwy. South (Highway 101), Petaluma. Weekends 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., or by appointment. $5 tasting fee. 707-763-6348. www.kastaniavineyards.com.
