Turn right on Carson Road and you will begin the long descent back to Placerville. There are only a few short rollers the entire ride down. As pass the first entrance to the Highway 50 you will find yourself passing several wineries at once. First is the turn to Crystal Basin Cellars and their big, bold, Rhone varietal wines. If you have an opportunity, try their Mourvedre, it is a very nice representation of the varietal. Next comes the small cottage tasting room of Ursa. This winery has a very fun Petite Sirah horizontal tasting of wines made from grapes sourced in several California regions. Soon after on the left you will come upon the Camino Tasting Plaza, set in a picturesque setting of towering pines, which sports four wineries: Findleton, Illuminare, Auriga, and Garnet Sun and a great little gift shop. All four wineries have very different wine styles, making this a really fun spot to park the car and wonder from tasting room to tasting room, giving each a try. The Plaza offers not only a perfect little picnic spot, but often hosts free music and dancing on Sunday nights during the summer.

A short quarter mile past the Camino Tasting Plaza is the turn to Jodar Vineyards tasting room. They have a beautiful Spanish style facility with a pleasing view of Blakeley Reservoir across the street. The winery makes a wonderful Bordeaux Blend red wine, Apollo’s Lyre, which is worth the stop alone.

The road continues to roll on down the hill and you will soon pass another entrance to the highway. Continue on Carson Road and as you quickly come around a sharp turn in the road you will see the sign for High Hill Ranch. High Hill Ranch is the largest apple ranch on the hill and offers a full agri-adventure during the fall season which includes: Apples and apple bakery goods, lunch, extensive craft and gift sales, fishing in a small pond, picnic facilities, and pony rides. Next to High Hill is The Fudge Factory, which makes an incredible mix of handmade fudge and candy during the holiday season. About a mile back on the High Hill road is Madroña Vineyards, which specializes in a large array of wine varietals and blends. They have been particularly successful with their Riesling, Nebbiolo and Bordeaux varietal wines. If you have a chance try their black label Syrah, Enyé, or the Reserve Quintet, they are a real treat.

As you head back down Carson Road, the next landmark you will come to is Boa Vista Apple Barn. This barn is open year round and sells a fantastic selection of fresh produce, fresh baked goods, gourmet food items, drinks and even offers tasting of their custom crush wines. This makes a nice food stop on the ride as well, often additionally offering hot dogs and other hot foods during the peak seasons. Just past Boa Vista is the intersection with North Canyon Road. This is the location of one of the hill’s newest wineries, Grace Patriot. They are in the process of building their tasting room, but will sell wine by appointment. This spot has one of the most amazing views of any winery in the area, which takes in the descending Foothills in one direction and the crest of the Sierra Nevada Mountains the other . If you are a Tempranillo fan this may be the winery for you. They make a beautifully elegant version worth trying.

It’s a long, fast descent from here back down to the bottom of Carson Road. The road is a bit narrow, but most of the locals are used to cyclists on this section, and you will be doing a pretty good speed, mostly able to stay up with the cars. There is a sharp left turn not far past the Smoky Ridge Ranch, so watch out for it. Just after the turn the road ticks up for a very short hill, and then its back up to speed as you head down the hill.

Not far past the crest of the little hill is Boeger Winery. This was the first winery to opens its doors in El Dorado County after the repeal of Prohibition. The winery is set in a particularly beautiful setting, surrounded by vine covered hills and massive pine trees. Near the tasting room is a perfectly manicured lawn and picnic area that is hard to pass up. It has a large stand of coastal redwood trees near the back that seems to defy the fact that these trees are not supposed to grow well in the Foothills. This is another winery with a large selection of wines to choose from, but they specialize in the Italian grape Barbera, making an incredibly food friendly wine just perfect for a pasta dinner. Another favorite is their Spanish Tempranillo, which has all the finesse the grape is known for and their Zinfandel wines, which are made in a lighter, more refined style.

From here it is just a short ride back to the parking area. As you drop down through a small, older neighborhood watch carefully for Dimity Lane on the right. Turn on Dimity and then quickly left onto the bike trail for the last quarter mile to the park-and-ride.

For more information and maps to the region, click here to view our Sierra Wines Travel Guide, or access our web site, Sierra Wines.