La Rochelle is a subsidiary of Steven Kent Winery, aimed mostly at single-vineyard pinot noirs. I first went to the low-slung building containing the sit-down tasting area, where the wines are paired with cheeses, but I always find it hard to sort out differences in the quality of the wines versus the quality of the pairings. I went across the parking lot to the main building, with more conventional tasting.

This was no ordinary tasting bar, though. Each group of patrons received their own tasting table, complete with dump bucket, and samples were brought to you. In fact, you don't have to request the next wine at all; tasting staff are keeping one eye out, like the best restaurant servers, and bring it at the appropriate time. A huge step up from the scrum at a crowded bar, and reasonably priced at $10 for a flight of 4 wines, half refundable with purchase. Also, the tasting sheet lists every wine with its relevant data, including harvest date, alcohol content, cases produced, and élevage, without including tasting notes. This "just the facts" style is my favorite, and there is nothing more insulting than being given tasting notes when you're in a tasting room! What is the point of having a sample of the actual wine in front of you otherwise? Unfortunately for me, La Rochelle will not sell two flights at the same time to a single person, even though I was spitting 90% of my tastes (I asked). As it was presented to me, I could buy both flights, but only in sequence. So, I can only present my impressions of half the wines on offer.

Tesla Vintners is a "community tasting room" that aggregates wines from several boutique wineries. In the past Thomas Coyne Winery and Rhyan Estate Vineyards have also poured here. You needn't worry about a Wine Conglomerate, Inc. vibe though, once you see the actual "Singing Winemaker" playing his guitar behind the bar, the other two tasting staff harmonizing! This day, there are fifteen wines on offer to try for a $5 tasting fee, refundable with purchase.

The last time I tasted here, at least five years ago, Stony Ridge was A) a part-time restaurant, and B) featured a blizzard of Italian varietals (please note, at this very moment you are seeing that rarest of rare birds, the only correct use of "varietal," to abbreviate "varietal wine," and meaning "wine from a specific variety of grape." Any other use, especially to refer to types of grapes themselves, is incorrect. Even professional writers who should know better make this mistake. Misuse of "varietal" is a serious problem in our societal, so please keep your voice at a hush to avoid frightening away the "rara avis.") What was especially funny was that the volatile acidity on all of the wines, regardless of variety (see what I did there?) was so high as to render them indistinguishable. Truly by far the best thing about the establishment was its restaurant.

Fast forward several years, and Stony Ridge has undergone a change of ownership and spawned a new, more premium brand, Crooked Vine. The restaurant is gone, as are the nearly undrinkable Italians. All the wines are from the Livermore Valley and are much improved.