Montoliva Vineyard & Winery

I would highly suggest this winery.
We walked in the owners building where he had barrels of wine, and had the tasting of wine too. He was very knowledgeable about his wines as he makes them his self and does everything else that is involved in the process. You can really tell he enjoys what he does and his wine shows it. I am not a fan of red wine at all, and after after tasting his wine, I walked away with 2 bottles of red wine! I live in the area and will definitely go back when I have visitors.

Not to be missed! Mark, the owner/​grape enthusiast was an incredible host. As we journeyed through a series of wines made in an authentic Italian style, Mark entertained us with the history of Chicago Park, and his own history with Montoliva. The tasting room itself is not elaborate, and that is also a plus, just a few friends gathering to spend time and sample wine. Rich in history and even richer in taste, Montoliva’s offerings will have me (and friends) back for more! Will have to make it out for one of the movie nights also! Thanks Mark!

We wanted to meet some friends from Tahoe halfway to taste some local wines! We discovered Montoliva on Unilocal and decided to give it a try! The owner and winemaker, Mark, was super friendly and took a lot of time to sit down with us and explain each and every wine. You could tell he puts his heart and soul into the winery and grows a lot of the vines on site. The tasting room is not big or fancy but we enjoyed sitting out on the patio with beautiful views of the hills! The wines are priced well and there’s a lot of varietals to try. We just wish there were more wineries close by so we could make a day out of the trip up!

Nice little winery and our tasting were complementary! Mark was a wonderful host and we really enjoyed his narrative on how he started wine making and how he came up with his signature name «Montoliva». The tasting room is in the back. As someone already mentioned; the room is nothing fancy or big. However, Mark does have limited patio seating to enjoy the hillsides. Great wines… and we enjoyed every one of his selections. Bought a couple of bottles to go. Looking forward on a return visit whenever we’re in the area. Thanks!

I love this region for reds and of course to support my second community. This winery doesn’t have a fancy tasting room but it is a gem you wouldn’t want to miss. I specifically like Italian style wines and these varietals are very authentic. We usually end up visiting after going on a hike with the dogs when we want to bring home something tasty to go with dinner. Thankfully there is no dress code or stuffy staff, the owner Mark is so welcoming and explains his wine beautifully. If you happen to miss this place on your trip be sure to pick up a bottle at the Auburn Raley’s or Sierra Market in Colfax. Very interesting wine at a price you can feel good about picking up a couple bottles for later.

Had a great time on our first visit to Montoliva Winery. Mark really knew his wines, he’s very knowledgeable about the business of making wine. We enjoyed all of his wines, especially the Primitivo and, the Sangiovese. We look forward to our next visit to this outstanding winery.

Mark, the owner, is a terrific guy; great insight when it comes to grapes. I think he may be more knowledgeable about Italian grapes than most Italians. He bottles several very nice whites… but, reds are his thing. We bought the Sangiovese, Barbera and his latest release – only 47 cases – Teroldego (2010.) The Sangiovese and Barbera are wonderful. The Teroldego, related to the Syrah grape, is amazing! We joined the wine club – a very small quarterly commitment. We can’t wait to return. You should visit. You won’t be disappointed.

Thank you Unilocal for coming through with another great experience. This winery was one of my favorites I have ever been too. Mark, thank you for showing me and my girlfriend a good time on a relaxing Sunday.

This is one of my favorite wineries, on account of the quality of the wines, the relaxed and fun atmosphere for tasting, and the personable winemaker, Mark Henry, and his family (including a lovely black cat that makes itself at home among the visitors — as it literally IS at home). Mark makes the Sierra Bella blend for a wide audience (he has panels of customers help design and pick the blend). His other wines he makes to meet his tastes. And that is a good thing. He does not make large quantities (the Sierra Bella perhaps being the one with the largest production), so only members of the wine club (Chicago Park Wine Society) have a shot at some, and even then very few bottles. Among the wines that come to mind that I can especially recommend are the Teroldego (sold out), Late Harvest Barbera (unique in my experience), Negroamaro, Primitivo, and Aglianico. Special events, email list with news and announcements. .. all good.

My wife and I went based on the Unilocal reviews, and stumbled upon their comfort food event. Best 2 hours I’ve ever spent at a winery, and I’ve done a lot of wine tasting in my life. Pretty much a one man show — the wine maker has the tasting room right next to his house. He does have a very nice lady who also pours, but he was there the whole time. His stories and insight were incredible. And the wines were great! The winemaker is partial to Italian varietals. He even spent some time in Italy to learn more about crafting the best vino. The best reds I’ve had in Nevada County. Beyond the reds, the late harvest Barbera was one of the best dessert wines I’ve ever tried. Can’t wait to go back!

My friend and I stopped here to taste and were pleasantly surprised. I’m from So Cal so have lots of wine area’s to choose from and I was instantly in love with Marks wines; enough s0 to join his wine club. Love his movies in the vineyards and the boutique wines; brought friends here from LA and they also loved his wines and joined his wine club. His wines are excellent and a great price value; just goes to show that you don’t have to be expensive to be good; just have to have the passion to make good wines and Mark has the passion. Truly is a hidden gem…

Delicious wine! This is our favorite weekend «day-​get-​away» location! The wine is delicious and there’s so much variety! Plus they are dog-​friendly — even during events such as harvesting or movie nights. Their wine is not only delicious, it’s unique to the area — not just Zin and Red blends. My favorite is probably Sinistra, although the new Negroamaro is starting to win me over since I let it aerate for a day… Mark is very friendly and incredibly educated on old-​world Italian wines — just a pleasure to converse with. If you’re in the Chicago Park/​Grass Valley area, give this place a try… or don’t…and leave more wine for us! :)

Discovered this little hidden gem last weekend while taking the Kids to visit Grandma in Nevada City.
This LITTLE craft winery is located next to a private residence in a beautiful little location in Chicago Park, which is just off Highway 174 between Colfax, CA and Grass Valley, CA. My wife and I heard about it from some friends that live in the area. So, we left the kids with Grandma, and went on a little wine tasting adventure.
First, there is not much parking! I mean literally, there is space for just a few cars. If you go, you will see what I mean. And when we arrived at this little place off the beaten path, at noon on a Sunday, in bad weather (snowing), the parking lot was full! Good sign, but we could not figure out where to park. Finally, we decided just to park in the middle of the drive way. After all, we could move.
We entered the tasting/​barrel room and were greeted warmly by the owner and his assistant who were pouring wines for three other couples. (Yeap, total of four couples, out in the middle of the countryside, and we had trouble parking, get the idea?).
We were invited to taste (its free), and so we did. This winery has an unusual selection of Italian varietals, some very rare. In fact, there are about a dozen, and I am not going to go into all of the details, other than to say three in particular stood out for us, Sangiovese, Negroamaro, and Dolcetto (which you may think would be sweet, but its not). All are very nice, bold, fruit forward wines.
We also liked the Sinestra, which is an interesting wine that won Gold at the San Francisco wine competition. The owner explained that he invites wine club members to the club for the day. Gives them samples of several varietals, along with pipettes, beakers and note pads, and invites them to blend wine. When done, everyone does a blind tasting and picks the best, and that becomes Sinestra for that year. Maybe not for the snobs of the wine world, but interesting and fun concept.
Finally, the owner is a very personable guy, and was a joy to talk to. We enjoyed the atmosphere and wine so much, we joined the club. Looking forward to going back for «movie night in the vineyard» and BBQs so many more events coming next Summer. And, best of all, we have an on demand baby sitter at Grandmas house only 7 miles away!

Fantastic little winery! Love the wine… Really enjoy the Italian varietals that they have mastered. Mark is a wonderful host, which makes for a wonderful wine tasting experience.

We held a cancer fundraiser dinner in Auburn at the end of February ’12.
Montoliva Winery was gracious enough to donate a Jeroboam (double magnum) of 2009 Dolcetto! This is a 3 liter bottle of delicious red wine (equal to 5 regular bottles).
Their generous contribution was chosen as the door prize for the evening.. .. .which greatly helped in selling our suggested ticket price. I heard back from the winner that it was very well received by all those who were present when it was opened.
Hats off to Mark Henry and his staff for such a marvelous gesture! Their varietals can be enjoyed at 151 Union Square, Club 141, Tofanelli’s, Briar Patch Market, New Moon, Friar Tucks and Ike’s Quarter Café. .. all in the Grass Valley /​Nevada City area.