I drove down the gravel entrance to Sarah's Vineyard and proceeded to the tasting room.

When I went inside, I was greeted by Alicia Estrella. Alicia told me that that there were a lot of changes going on at Sarah's, starting with the decision to expand tasting hours from weekends to seven days a week.

About 75 percent of the visitors to the winery simply stop while driving by. With soothing paint, throw rugs, wine barrels and plenty of counter area, the room is warm and inviting.

I was fortunate enough to pull owner Tim Slater, and winemaker Robert Henson, from their rigorous duties of running one of the best kept secrets in the county.

Slater purchased Sarah's Vineyard in 2001, and acknowledges he was pretty hands-off until 2005. While Slater still lives in Seattle, he frequently travels back to Sarah's a few weeks each month.

When I asked Tim what is his biggest challenge, he responded by saying "dealing with wine columnists who think they know everything." I am sure he was joking? Tim responded by saying, "Winemaking can be broken down into three components. I think I have figured out the growing of the grapes and two, the making of the wine. What I am still trying to figure out is the sales - the selling part is hard."

With 15 acres of estate vineyard, and numerous other small vineyards in Santa Cruz and Santa Clara under their control, there is never a dull moment. "We may be harvesting our first grapes of the season next week," Rob said. "But even if we are not in the middle of crush, there is always something crazy going on here that keeps us busy." Current production at Sarah's Vineyard is around 4,500 cases each year.

Rob's background comes from the restaurant industry, where over the course of 15 years he developed a strong interest in food and wine. Henson worked with renowned winemaker Michael Michaud for 30 months before coming to Sarah's as winemaker and general manager.

Most of the wines at Sarah's Vineyard are Rhône varietals, including their award winning pinot noirs, chardonnays and syrah. Some new plantings on the estate will also add viognier, Grenache, rousanne and marsanne to the winery's list. "We are anxious to explore these unique grapes and share them with our wine club members as special releases. We may explore some red and white Rhône blends as well," Slater said.

Slater confesses to be a gadget and gizmo, "labby" type of guy - one who finds joy in the scientific aspects of winemaking. "But we definitely let our taste preferences dictate what eventually is put into bottle."

With strong followings and distribution in Nevada, New York, Virginia, Texas and Maryland, the word of mouth that Sarah's Vineyard is generating is impressive.

After tasting some wine, Tim introduced me to the playful side of Sarah's Vineyard. He showed me some new releases that were being labeled, by hand, expected to come out in the near future.

The first was a bottle of 2005 late harvest estate chardonnay. At a low 13 percent alcohol, I would have expected a late harvest wine to be a bit higher. Truth be told, I have not seen or tasted a late harvest chardonnay before. The bottle recommends pairing with a sorbet or fresh fruit.

The other was a 2006 Synfandel, the devilishly clever name coming from the blend of syrah and zinfandel grapes.

As I was departing, Slater reached down and kissed his dog, the loveable Missy. With that gesture, I think Tim has all parts down that are important in life.

Cheers!

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