Are you ready for something new and adventurous? How about horseback riding on a trail leading to a lookout over the Santa Clara Valley and afterward enjoying appetizers and winetasting?
There is no other winery quite like Cooper-Garrod Estate Vineyards in Saratoga. As the northern-most member of the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley (WSCV) association, they are family-owned and operated. What makes Cooper-Garrod a “Destination Worth Knowing” is the combination of riding and winetasting.
As I entered the ranch property, memories came flooding back to me of when I used to visit the stables as a young teen with my older brothers and younger sister. We had absolutely no horseback riding experience but off we went at full gallop along the dusty trails and scrub oaks—without helmets or a guide. An hour later we returned to the barn with minor scratches on our bare legs. Those were innocent times.
The riding stables are still there—now joined by the adjacent winery. Doris Cooper, whose husband Bill is the winemaker, sat down under the shade of a great oak tree to tell the family’s story, which goes back more than a century. Throughout the conversation, horses neighed and clopped along the surrounding walkways.
“We have a strong belief that people need a place to get away somewhere inspiring and beautiful,” Cooper said.
In 1893, teachers David and Sophia Garrod emigrated with three children from England to the United States and purchased 10 acres of fruit orchards in the Valley of Heart’s Delight. Fifty years later, their granddaughter Louise and her husband, George Cooper—a P-47 pilot just back from World War II—built a home on the family property and George began a career as a research test pilot at Moffett Field.
In the 1960s and ’70s, when Santa Clara Valley farming transitioned to the Central Valley, the Garrod orchards were replaced with riding stables and then vineyards as George retired and took up winemaking. In 1994, the ranch became a blend of trail rides, picnics and winetasting when the tasting room was opened.
In 1996, George and Louise’s son, Bill, returned to the ranch—leaving a career in the Foreign Service—with his wife Doris and young daughters. Bill was ready to learn the art of winemaking.
The buildings on the property today look much like they did when they were first built. One of the barns from 1903 is still sound and standing and the winetasting room is the old fruit processing structure with wooden floors and original single-pane windows. Back in the old days, after a hard day’s work of processing fruit, workers would sweep the floor, pass the hat to pay for musicians and convene for square dancing.
While I was there, the tasting room was bustling with visitors crowding around the bar to sample the single varietals and red blends. All of Cooper-Garrod’s wines are hand-crafted from grapes grown on the surrounding 28 acres of vineyards.
The estate-grown, vineyard-designate varietals include Chardonnay and Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Merlot. In a nod to George’s aviation career, the red blends come together under the Test Pilot label. I especially love the 2007 F-86 Sabre Jet (50 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 40 percent Cabernet Franc and 10 percent Merlot) with flavors of dark cherry, ripe plum and a touch of cedar.
Cooper-Garrod wines have earned prestigious certifications in both sustainable and
organic farming.
“Our wines are very food friendly—they are ready to drink now and enjoy with friends at the dinner table,” Doris said. “Of course, our wines cellar very well. You can lay them down and come back to them years later.”
Doris’s friend described the ranch hospitality of Cooper-Garrod as a “down-shoulders” experience because as she nears the property, her shoulders relax and go down.
“You just don’t find many places with this sense of tradition,” Doris said. “Our wines are fabulous but the setting is completely unpretentious. When we say ‘We’re glad you’re here,’ we mean it!”
Bev Stenehjem is a wine columnist for South Valley Newspapers. Reach her at [email protected] and check out her blog at www.gilroydispatch.com/blogs/grapevine_news/
