Driven Cellars

Hubby simply loves this wine he’s been coming here forever, it’s his hidden gem for a winery. Located in Amador region up along Stenier Road next to Dobra Zemija. You drive up the path and you come upon new buildings with old scarps of rusted vehicles which is very appropriate considering the wine name. Driven is owner by 2 brothers who also have a love of cars as well thus the name.
Every wine they have is simply outstanding, that’s why they have so many awards for their wine. Some of our favorites and ones we recommend are their barbera, tempranillo, zinfandel, primtivo, and of course the 2 that’s a must is the 454 & 429!!! We happen to come up during their 454 wine release but also tried everything they has to offer for reds. There’s nothing there that disappoints here. They offer 20% discount on all bottled wine to wine club members. 10% discount to all if yℴu buy 6+ wine bottles. Prices are fair for the wine they offer. If you want something different outside of napa please do check this place out. Their wines not only are they tasty but they open up so well with more time as your drinking it. The view they have outside on top of the hill is breath taking.

This is the best winery on my entire wine tasting list. Always the last stop and the most purchases. Locally owned by 2 brothers. Every single one of there wines are outstanding. The Primitivo and 454 are beyond incredible!!! The cork and bottle had tire tracks on them. The property has old cars and is absolutely beautiful! A must go!!! My favorite by far!

454 has been my favorite wine for a while now, Boss 429 is giving it a run for its money! This winery is starting to really find its own place in Amador and making a name for itself. Don’t miss out on trying their wines, they’re wonderful!

When we first visited Driven during the «crush», i was suffering from a cold. Based on my wife’s tastings, we bought several Zins and Barbs to take back home. Several weeks later, I tasted her picks and really enjoyed them!
Fast forwarding to our second visit, today, and we found the tasting room empty except for one member of the owner family. Cathy was warm and gracious, and did a nice job of providing information about each wine, without laying it on too thick. This time, it was the Zin and the Primitivo that won us both over.
Afterwards, we walked outside to admire the views of the vineyards and the Sierra in the distance. the family patriarch, Rudy, joined us and explained how he originally got started, pointed out who owned which vineyards in the distance, and talked about his love for old cars and trucks, the relics of which are prominently on display around the property.
Driven has captured the essence of what Amador wine country is all about: real people, making real wines, inviting you to share a bit of their world. We’ll be back.

I visited Driven based on the promise of sweeping views and great wine from another local winery. After what felt like quite a haul, we pulled up to their «parking lot» of rusting things. Not exactly my cup of tea, but hey, whatever. After walking into the tasting room and being greeted by two… unique…individuals, only half of us decided a $ 5 tasting fee was worth the risk. After trying all of their wines, there was one that I liked (the Petite Sirah) enough to purchase and waive the tasting fee. I don’t see myself going back.

I feel compelled to write this review after a recent experience at Driven (and since I just realized, I have never reviewed them). First off I agree with some reviewers that Driven has some great wine in a rather unique and eclectic environment. And, while I am a member of their wine club, California is full of great wine. Its not the wine that compels this review, its the owners and their fantastic customer service. Anyone who reads my reviews, knows I place a premium on good customer service.
Recently my wife and I went to the Big Crush in the Amador wine country with some friends. We have been going for about 7 or 8 years. Driven has always been one of our stops since it opened a few years ago. This year, they were selling these really cool windstopper vests with the Driven logo on the back, and my wife wanted one. So, we ordered and were told it would arrive in about two weeks.
A month goes by, and no vest, so I give a call. They had volunteers working over the Big Crush, and had not placed the vest orders. So Driven ordered the vests, and then called me back right away. They were very apologetic and promised the vest in a few days. Well, they delivered on their promise. But not only did they get the vest as promised, the owner hand delivered it to my wife at work in Yolo County. Now that is customer service.
Driven is a very pleasant winery to visit, with some outstanding wines typical of the Amador region; Barbera, Tempranillo, Zin, Petit Syrah. And the owners are really nice folks who are eager to please their customers. The winery is also great for a picnic lunch.
So this year, when the fog rolls into the central valley, and you are really missing the sun, take a short drive up to the best kept secret in Cali, the Amador Wine Country, and visit the folks at Driven. You will not be disappointed.

Wind your way up from Steiner Road (entrance next to Dobra Zemija) to the road that takes you to Driven. At the top of a beautiful piece of property, you find what looks like a junkyard
but it is a purposeful collection of rusted vehicles.
You are at the place that we believe has the #2 best line-​up of wine for tasting in Amador County. Not often can one say that each and every wine offered for tasting is exceptional. At Driven, that is the case. I would love to be able to do a side by side with Cooper, Driven, Drytown and Runquist with Tempranillo, Primitivo, Barbera, Zins and an everyday red. That would be a special event and it would be hard to predict who would excel at which tasting. From a price position, Driven would be the value choice with Drytown pushing it forward.
Christie was the host at the tasting. She is a blast. Local color here. You must meet the ranch cat — ’nuff said.
We tasted the following:
2006 Primitivo
2007 Barbera
2008 Tempranillo
2007 ZIn
2007 Petite Syrah
2008 454 Blend
All of them were excellent with the Temp, Barbera and blend holding up the high bar. Maybe the best in the region. Without the side by side, hard for me to tell.
With all of them selling between $ 17 and $ 22, they are a tremendous value for what is in the bottle. BTW, you have to appreciate the corks. They have tire tracks on long side of them. Driven — got it?
We met Rudy Chinco the winemaster out on the grounds and he was serving as an impromptu guide by pointing out the various sights that are visible from the huge landscape below their vineyards.
Quite candidly, if you are visiting the area, you can take the top 5 – 6 wineries that we reviewed for Amador County and ignore the rest. Whatever you do, do not miss Driven.

This place has an old feel to it with the old trucks, etc around the place. This place is pretty new though and a little off the beaten path. We only tried two of their wines and they were decent. I think the young girls working there could have been a little more helpful though. I would go back and give it another try again though.

Driven has an awesome view for a picnic! They have a great little grass area with picnic tables too. The tasting room isn’t more than a counter on concrete floors (they need some serious décor) but their wines were good. Definitely worth a stop while in Amador!

We intended to go to a different winery to end our day, but after discovering they had a huge gulf of water in their driveway that we couldn’t cross, we figured we’d have to end our day. It was extremely fortunate that we ended up finding another winery right next door that was still open — thanks Driven! Our end of the day beacon of light.
We were pretty exhausted by this point, so I’m not sure how objective my view was of the wines. The staff here were super friendly, and they had recommendations for us from the tasting menu based on what type of wine we said we liked. Driven was a tad small (both the interior and the parking lot), but it felt really swanky.
I would definitely put this on my return to list — hopefully at the very beginning of the day!

My French alter ego C.A. Bernet will be reviewing Driven Cellars for you today. Please read this in a ridiculous French accent.
«Bön Jour, I am sorely disappointed in my self for soiling my mouth with American wines from the so called Amador county. The vins here are nothing on par with the excellence and artistry of French made Bordeaux wines.
Mais, oui! Here I am drinking yet another bottle of the Primitivo from 05 and 06 from Driven Cellars. The wine here while totally offensive is somehow acceptable to due to the quality and care that the owners put in to the wines. Give then choice between never having wine again and only drinking Drive Cellar’s wine, I would choose Driven Cellars.
It amuses me to see American’s struggling to make wine but nevertheless the folks at Driven are great people despite their American handicap.
If you simply can not afford to fly to France for wine tasting try Driven Cellars and try to forget that your compromising everything that you should be standing for.»
— C.A. Bernet is a world renowned ass hole, xenophobe and French wine enthusiast. He currently resides in the nether region’s of Andrew K’s brain in Southern Orange County.

Cool place, cool people, great bottle and very good wines. Rough around the edges as the place is still being built, but the views are outstanding and thewines are really well-​made. The collection of old cars sitting area everywhere is really fun… tractors, trucks, fire engines, you name it. Definitely worth a visit.

When we heard that a new winery had opened up in Plymouth and that they had a Primativo wine, we set our path to Driven.
Our sense of anticipation was only heightened as the driveway kept leading up and up, knowing that a fantastic view was going to be our reward. We weren’t disappointed with the wine or the setting. Having only recently opened, they are still getting the buildings sorted, but Chris and his sister couldn’t have been nicer hosts, showing us pictures of the construction (be sure the check out the beautiful rock walls along the driveway) and walking us through the process of selecting the name (a genesis of the father’s career working at the Harrold Ford dealership– you can tell a love and appreciation of cars is in the family as they talk about the cars they grew up with) and logo (very eye catching).
The wines were good with prices to match, but the 2005 Primativo stood out, and at $ 21 it was a gem of a find. The color was rich with deep well-​balanced flavor– a party for my tastebuds! I will definitely be heading back as they finish up the grounds (new building to show some of the old cars and picnic area to appreciate the view).