Chateau Davell Winery

Château Davell was another stop on our Passport Weekend and it was one I just wasn’t a fan of. This is probably due more to personal preference than anything in particular, although the staff did seem as though they had better things to do than pour wine. They had two tasting areas setup, the first at their small outside bar and then of course inside at their main bar. It was a smaller location and the wine was okay, but nothing spectacular for me. At the majority of our Passport stops, we chatted with the winemakers or the staff and just had a great time getting to know them. But the staff here didn’t really seem to want to be bothered. The wine was ok and the winemaker creates portraits of his family that he uses on the bottles to discern what each type of wine is. Very creative, but I only found out from my friend because she had been there before. Again, the staff just wasn’t chatty and I’m not sure if I would add them to my list of stops for next year’s event.

I love the cute patio out here, it looks like a great night or day hang out spot.
First thing first i was captured with the art on the bottles. I love how the wine maker used art to make their wines more special. I like how the art is the family, one picture was the wife, son, and daughter. I like how he create the art himself. I feel like this winery is very family oriented and family comes first. I was able to meet the wine maker and it was a pleasure.
Some memorable food tasting was the Wheat cracker with garlic roasted red bellpepper, it was delicious i couldn’t stop myself from sampling a minimum of 3x. the wheat cracker with the garlic roasted bell pepper was paired well with the sangiovese.
Another memorable sweet i had was the toffee nut, and the dessert wine. The toffee was so crunchy and fresh and i was in sweets heaven.
I like how this place is very compact inside a little shack/​store. I like how they had the original paintings hanged up on the wall. It was great meeting the wife as well, and getting served from her.
Overall i enjoyed my time visiting this cute little family oriented winery, with some good food samples. I like how it is located nearby other wineries. Great parking spots as well. Thanks for reading and stay sipping.

I’ve been a member for years. I will Never leave. They are amazing. Their wines are made with intelligence and care and you can taste he difference. I love this place!
Some of my favorites:
Marguerite
Charlotte’s Cuve
Chardonnay
Mmmmmm!

Inexpensive tasting, friendly staff, and the art designs are so cool. I wish we could have seen the cute goats that they mentioned.

Awful! Extremely rude owner. We came in to taste and he didn’t even greet us. Should have left then. We tasted… Wines were good paired with cheese… Which he did not mention which went with wich wine. He was very focused on the wine club members in the room. When we went to leave he said there is a 5 $ charge. Which was have metioned … And when I tried to point that out he rudly said yes it was. We were a part of 4 and none of us hear that. With all the amazing wineries in the area I would not give this place a second glance. Don’t bother.

Amazing! Great wine, great people! Not to be missed.

My first thought of this place was a unique «little witchy poo house». I felt like it was so appropriate for this time of year so I went for it. I was intrigued by the eccentric paintings of wide eyed children. I though its was so dope but one of my friends thought it was a bit creepy. Lol. The thing that excited me the most was the $ 5 wine tasting! That’s per person! It comes with complimentary cheese with each of the 6 different wines. They were actually very good! I still can’t believe it was only $ 5. The wine tasting is free for two people if you bought a bottle. The bottles are around $ 23 – 28. Not bad for a good bottle of wine. I definitely will come here again its a great comfy place to socialize and feel at home.
I don’t know why people are complaining about children being around this place. Its called wine TASTING. This is not a place for people to get plastered. Obviously. Its very comfy and family friendly. Its all about socializing. I love it!

Unfortunately we had a pretty bad tasting experience here. We arrived late on Sunday and specifically asked if they were still open so as not to be an inconvenience, and were told there would be time for us to do a tasting. A sign posted outside saying they offered cider brought us in, but we didn’t see or hear anything about cider once inside.
We were helped by Cherie, who was charming and informative and passionate about the wine. Unfortunately the other woman there (the winemaker’s wife, who has a portrait on one of the bottles) seemed like she couldn’t have been in a bigger hurry to leave and get to her dinner plans at Sellands. While we discussed wine and enjoyed the complimentary cheese pairings, she behaved as if we weren’t there, completely avoiding eye contact with us until she literally held the door open for us to leave. All her walking around without acknowledging us standing right in front of her had, I suppose, the desired effect of making us feel awkward enough to leave.
Definitely won’t return someplace I don’t feel welcome, but I thought Cherie was professional.

I love Château Davell. I have since the first time I tasted in their quaint relaxing tasting room. Eric’s wine making style is spot on. His artwork is unique and is displayed in the tasting room and the foundation of the labels. I really enjoy limited production wineries.
I know that with each vintage, there is care in the quality production of wine that meets the condition and style of that years harvests. You can expect some variance and nuances from vintages year to year and each as fabulous as the last.
The entire family is involved in the business and production, including the kids. They are ever present at the tasting room (hence, the play equipment for them and their guests). Some seem surprised to have such as a tasting room. I think it shows who they are and how they encompass their lives with their love of making wine. If this were a «bar» then, yes, I would agree that it would be odd. It’s an experience and a destination.
The recent release of 2013 Verlyn Grenache is fabulous now, and will be more so as it ages. So pleased to see them acquire some grenache fruit again after a few years of absence. I have a case (minus a few bottles) in my closet.
This is a must stop when in Camino. Make sure this is early on your wine stop list !

Château Davell is one of my favorite wineries in the area and definitely my favorite el dorado county winery. Eric’s wines are consistently good and he and his family are so personable and really make a visit an experience. Love the wines and the unique labels and anytime there is hock late and cheese involved which Is often!

We had a really great experience at this tiny little family run winery. The owner was pouring the wine and gave a lot of information on how they got started, how the labels are all done by her husband based on family members. The wine is all organic and done in very small production.
The place has a very sweet vibe. There is a deck with a puzzle set up on a table and chairs and tables through out. It is inviting and cozy. Makes you want to take a seat and stay a while.
I was not super impressed with the wine itself but the environment and the service and information all created a really personal intimate experience that I could not help but purchase a bottle to contribute to the business and family. I hope that these guys stay around. Really a neat little spot.

Small little place. We came with a party of 8 and we took over the whole room. I wasn’t digging the kids stuff… I wouldn’t bring my child wine tasting with me, if I could have cheese I would have loved pairing the cheese with wine, then he brought out dark chocolate.

Cannot say enough great things about this boutique winery… wines are amazing. Sustainable farming practices, lovely, cozy and inviting tasting room/​deck area. It is obvious a lot of love goes into this business. Often tiny pairings come with each and every wine you taste. Boutique business, boutique service. The owners have consistently treated us kindly and happy to answer any and all questions.
Wines made with care not big business carelessness. They have about 5 – 6 wines available to taste and at times Champagne made in the traditional bottle fermented style. Most wineries offering Champagne do not care for the added cost or time that’s required for this method — then opt to throw peach or almond flavoring in it. This says a lot to the integrity of all their products and business in general.
The owners happen to be raising young children and they spend much time at the tasting room. This lends to a family friendly atmosphere, but don’t for one minute get a mind’s eye vision of Chuck E Cheese on a Saturday afternoon… A play structure sits a safe distance from the deck and allows unobtrusive distraction for the kids.
A lovely experience all around.

This winery was recommended to us by another winery. The outside was surrounded by kids play equipment. I found this odd that people might haul their kids around when they go wine tasting, but I don’t have kids [yet] so what do I know.
The «tasting» room itself was very small. The wine selection available was also very small. Only 5 wines were listed and they were all red. The tasting fee was $ 5 and included a chocolate pairing. Their bottle prices were also 3x what we were looking to pay.
This must be a local favorite but first impressions didn’t do it for me.

What a wonderful Winery! When you visit Apple Hill this is a must, a hidden gem. Davell was a wonderful host and very informative. The wine was fabulous and paired with cheese and chocolate. The best wine tasting experience I have had in Apple Hill.

I can’t say enough nice things about this winery and the tasting experiences we have here. The owners are almost always the ones pouring your wine, every wine tasting has cheeses paired with it, and the wine is very reasonably priced. Some of the best people and best wines around!

She shop is fantastic and everything he had was amazing. So much character in every bottle. Eric the owner does all of the artwork on the bottles and around the shop. As for the wine tasting he had prepared a cheese to go with each of the wines that day and each glass kept getting better. Definitely above and beyond what we had experienced at other shops. Eric also made two great recommendations for other wineries in the area. Great guy with some great wine!

The guy that owns this is named Eric. He is awesome! Each bottle is named after a family member, and Eric did all the art work. I recommend the Chardonnay, he paired it with a Gouda cheese, which was delicious! I also recommend the Charlotte, he paired it with an Irish Cheddar. yum! We can wait to come back during the Summer time!

So glad we stopped here on our wine tasting adventure, we definitely saved the best for last.
This organic, family owned winery is A-​M-​A-​Z-​I-​N-​G. The wines were delicious, and he also paired fresh fruit, cheeses and rich chocolate with the different wines. Each wine has a painting he created of one of his family members.
There is a 5 dollar tasting fee or complimentary tasting with the purchase of a bottle. You should definitely buy a bottle and support this great place. All the chocolates, fruits, and cheeses are also available for sale along with organic produce from local gardens.
I will be going back for sure, hopefully soon!

Eric is the winemaker, dishwasher, artist, tasting room manager, CEO, CFO, janitor, playground builder and cheese cutter; No seriously, he cuts the cheese for a great wine and cheese pairing (modest $ 5/​ea)!
Featuring organic and sustainable wines, this tasting room is small, but packs passion and character in everything it touches.
This is a true small business in every sense of the word. I picked up a couple bottles of the Zin and a great dark chocolate!
There is a fantastic patio and a kids playground to support a family friendly picnic outing.
Overall a great upstart!