Cooper Vineyards

What a find! Loved every single wine we tried. Nice mix of more traditional and less common varietals. Brought home several bottles, including their Mourvèdre, which just might be one of my new favorites. The tasting room was charming, the service was fantastic, and our puppy was treated like visiting royalty. She’s not big into Viognier, but she’ll definitely be back for the never ending supply of treats that the staff passed her way.

For my own selfish reasons… I have kept Cooper a secret for the last two years. The cat is out of the bag. It is hard to keep a good thing a secret. You will love this place for many reasons. Thier Barbara wine is legendary, and the olive oil is fantastic. The Cooper family will make you feel at home on thier estate. If your in Amador you shouldn’t skip Cooper.

Is it possible to give more than 5 stars to a place! Cooper vineyards knocked it out of the park for me. This place had the trifecta of wineries; stellar service, beautiful grounds, and some of the best wine I’ve ever had. We actually came here on the recommendation of the people at Andis Winery, another fine winery in the area.
I’ll start with the service. Part of the charm of going to a small winery is that you can talk to the people who make/​know about the wine. We actually got to speak with the daughter of the man that owns the winery. The winery is very much a family business (her niece was also working) so it was great to learn about the history of the winery and about the wines. She was very personable and chatted us up the entire time we were there. It really made the experience so pleasant to have someone so easy to talk to.
The grounds were also gorgeous. The tasting room had that sort of Spanish/​old barn feeling to it. Very updated, but at the same time it maintains an old time charm and warmth. It exudes this sort of feeling of sophistication and ease. You feel like you are somewhere very high class, yet you would fit in wearing a shirt and shorts. Strange way to explain the décor/​ambiance, but that is the best way I could think how.
Now for the wine. The wine here is out of this world good. I’m not a huge wine fan (much prefer beer), so coming from me that is saying something. I think I would be hard pressed to choose a beer over a glass of their wine. We tased a full flight (whites, reds, and dessert). Every wine I had I thought was the best one, till I had the next one. Their wines here are very distinct and full of flavor. One of the things that we were told is that they don’t blend their wines with anything. Many red wines are blended with the «red dye #4» of wines to give it that deep purple/​red color we expect. Their wines are pretty much all just from that specific type of grape. That gives their wines a more light and ruby looking color. According to the woman at Andis, this is also the winery to get Barbera wine from as they make the best grapes for it in the area. In the end we got a bottle of red and a dessert wine. I can’t wait for the weather to warm up so I can have the dessert wine.
Truly this is an outstanding winery that I think should be on everyone’s go to list. Just amazing.
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Cooper has been a go-​to spot for many years. Great people and excellent wines. Especially partial to their Primitivos and Barberas. And a good value.

Cooper Vineyards is an absolute Must Visit when going to Amador County. We discovered that many wineries use Cooper grapes, especially Barbera in their own wines. These other wineries (ie — Runquist) aren’t shy about publicizing it either. That’s because of the reputation Dick Cooper has with growing Barbera in his celebrated vineyards.
Cooper has outstanding wines and very nice grounds. The winery hosts several events as well such as their annual BBQ event in mid-​November.
Staff is friendly and the prices are reasonable.
As a winemaker, I am planning on purchasing some Cooper Barbera grapes next season. I would have had them in 2015 but their Barbera crop suffered some damage and there was not enough to fill all orders.
See Dick Cooper here:

So in Amador, most of the wines are really pretty good but similar, and I haven’t found any real stand out amazing wines. So, for me, its the staff and atmosphere that really set one apart from another. We just had the best time at Cooper. Clearly a family run vineyard our pourer was the niece of the owner and we met her aunt. We had a blast with them!

My husband and I recently visited Cooper Vineyards for the second time. During both of these visits, we had such an enjoyable experience. This particular time, we were greeted by Rose, the granddaughter of the owner of the Winery. She was so much fun and bursting with personality. She has a great sense of humor and just a delight to talk with. Part way through our wine tasting, Rose was joined behind the counter by Max. What a delightful and insightful young man. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with both of them. At one point, Max took us on a «field trip» out the vineyards to taste some of the grapes right off of the vine. It’s quite an experience to taste the same varietal grape simultaneously while sipping on the wine made from those same grapes. The staff at this winery makes you feel completely welcome and at home. The location, the grounds and overall atmosphere at Cooper is very pretty, and the tasting room is very tastefully done. A very nice place to spend some time! Now on to the wines … they have a nice line up of wines to taste. Although we are not huge Pinto Grigio fans, we found theirs to be on the dryer side and very delightful. Blondie was our favorite white on the menu. Because Amador County produces such great reds, we left with a bottle of Cooper’s Zinfandel, Sangiovese and Barbera. We had a wonderful experience at Cooper Vineyards and look forward to enjoying the wines we purchased there, and going back for another visit sometime in the future!

This morning we attended our first wine club event: breakfast and wine. We walked into the grounds to the sound of a festive mariachi band. The breakfast was delicious and the atmosphere pretty and relaxing. The wine is delicious and price savvy. Every time we go to Cooper the staff is first rate and personable. The tasting list is quite extensive: nothing to complain about there!

Every time we visit the wineries in Amador County, this is always on the «must go» list. Hey… new list potential… hmmm. Anyhew, their wines are always perfectly balanced with the season you are tasting/​buying. At this time, they had their whites, which included the ever-​so-​fragrant Pinot Grigio and the light and grassy Sauvignon Blanc. Also on the white list was the buttery and flavorful Blondie, which we enjoyed as well. The star of the show was definitely the Sangiovese (in my opinion). It was incredibly smooth and packed a nice punch of flavor. Other honorable mentions include the Grenache (boyfriend’s favorite) and the Barbera.
I love this place because the wines are always so tasty and the people working here not only seem to love it, but they provided a lot of educational information. So many places I’ve gone to say, «it was barreled in oak, which made the wine buttery,» which can get redundant and isn’t totally factually correct. Hello, let’s all get some pamphlets on malolactic fermentation! The venue itself is open to some panoramic views of the Amador countryside and there are tables outside to park your butt and take in the scenery, and wine (into your mouth). They have a lot of really cool events for members as a perk for joining their wine club, but also have events for non-​members. They are obviously less cool and fancy but still fun! I have never had a bad experience here, and we REALLY love the wines!

Cooper knocked it out of the park again today!
I know they pour a lot of wines from all over the spectrum, but I stick to the Barbera. Estate is available most of the year, but if you are luck to hit the one month or so in the fall where they have their reserve, buy a few bottles.
Today they also hooked us on a buttery Viognier blend called «Blondie». Low price point and a great alternative to a lightly oaked Chard. We shared a chilled bottle under their heavily grape loaded vine covered patio. Awesome time!

Knowledgeable Staff (with the exception of the kid who filled in for 10 minutes while our host took a phone call… we could barely take a first taste before he was wanting to put a new wine in our glass, and didn’t know anything about the wines)… most of the hosts have been there for years and know the members well. We accompanied two long time members as their guests and this is one of our favorite stops when wine tasting to have a picnic and enjoy the rolling hills and scenery. The wine is great and affordable, and they have an amazing Grenache and Barberas.
On both visits the grounds have been immaculate and their are big shady trees perfect for a picnic with your favorite bottle of wine! Smallish tasting room, so if you have a big group you should call ahead. Hands down one of my favorite Amador wines!

we visited about 5 or 6 wineries yesterday and Cooper was our favorite of the day! wonderful staff, gorgeous grounds, complimentary tastings and snacks, and good wines as well! we will definitely be back, and are even considering becoming part of their wine club :)

Oh Cooper… how you make me soooo happy! I love going there! All the staff are so friendly and always making sure you know what’s on the tasting list. Very knowledgeable and always willing to take time to chat with you about events and specials. I am so glad I started dating someone who was a club member because they have amazing parties and perks! Jane is a DOLL! I would take her home if I could. Always a fun time at Cooper. Their reserve Barbera makes me dance!

I have been visiting Cooper for many years, and their free cheese and salami is not the only reason I keep returning. Cooper is one of the older winemakers in the region with an extensive amount of estate wines. His style is more of a traditional French style with more tannins and earth than most California wineries. The Barbera reacts well to this treatment and has earned them a lot of respect.
The tasting room is very nice in a Mission style. The view is gorgeous, but only available in good weather when they open the roll-​up door. Staff are nice and pleasant, especially when you discuss the specifics of the wine or local sports teams! They are located off the main drag, but you pass by the Amador Flower Farm and the cool schoolhouse. Well worth a trip, or three!

We came here as part of a group and they were great! Wineries are not always welcoming to groups but Coop was definitely the exception! Their wine was amazing, their venue is very comfortable and features an outdoor seating area. The staff was super fun. The whole experience really added to our day — thank you!

Great wine, awesome winery to have a party. Wonderful place to enjoy ur weekend there! I love this exotic winery n hope to come soon again with friends !

I’ve read only great things about this winery and I can’t wait to check it out this weekend!

Awesome place, probably the best vineyard I went to in Plymouth. Wine was delicious and the people were terrific. The day I went there they were throwing a 75^th birthday party for the owner and they had free wine tasting, free food and live music. The staff were so friendly and fun and the owner’s daughter took time to take photos of my friends and me. This is a must visit if you are in the Plymouth, CA area.

Folks coming here should expect a no frills, laid back atmosphere that is centered around fantastic wines and great people.
Their Barbera is divine and their tasting room is a wonderful atmosphere to taste it in.

The service was great! Everyone working there was extremely friendly and generous with the servings. The tasting room has an open layout with a decent-​sized counter and several tables. The tasting room is warm and inviting with a rustic feel. Barrels line the walls and serve as the base of the tables. Our large group split up at two tables and they accommodated us without any problems. They serve 6 – 8 different varietals, and the Barbera was the definitely the favorite.
My favorite thing about Cooper, besides the friendly service, was the beautiful view of the vineyards. Bring your camera!