Fitzpatrick Winery & Lodge

Bizarre. We had a blast here. Four of us stayed in a guest house that could hold 10 – $ 300/​nite. Had the fantastic wood fired pizzas and wine tasting on Sunday. The next day, the place is closed. We were the only ones playing in the vineyards, sampling all the grapes and playing with the Boarder Collie, Paddy. Not sure what is going on here. Great wine – all estate only grapes. Get over here before the place goes out of business. El Dorado /​Amador county is a blast – we have spent plenty of time in Napa and Sonoma. This is just as much fun

This place is now called Gold Mountain Winery and Lodge. I found this place by searching bed and breakfast in Amador area and was amazed but the pictures they have for the rooms. We stayed at the French room for BF’s bday getaway. Came to this place after half day wine tasting in the area and found this lodge to be quiet and peaceful on a Sat afternoon. Host Mike is a very nice and warm guy and he takes care of us in every possible way. We had a little more wine and fruit pizza in the tasting room and went down to the town to had dinner (their kitchen is closed after 6pm). Came back to the lodge and met the new owner of the place and they invited us to join them for the BBQ on the patio. Mike thanked us for finding them and I guess they haven’t been marketing their gorgeous vineyard much. And did I forget to mention they have a private pool on the top of the hill. They even have a upright piano and hot tub on the patio.
The next morning we woke up to the beautiful sunshine absolutely stunning view and delicious breakfast. I wish I could stayed a little longer at this place and I would totally come back again.

Lovely place to stay. THE most gorgeous view I’ve ever seen. The rooms and beautiful and the beds are super cozy. They have a new winemaker with much improved wines. They have also recently changed their name to Gold Mountain Winery. Come taste and stay the night!!!

This place has gone completely downhill. It used to be a family owned business, but they sold out to some chinese who have big bucks and it’s not the same anymore. They have jacked up the price of the rooms, they used to be affordable, but not anymore. I also understand that the new chinese owners intend to ship all the wine to china under their own label, where they can make a huge profit on California wines. Well I really didn’t understand what they mean when they said China is taking over the U.S., well this is prime example, so spend your money elsewhere & keep it in the U.S., God Bless us all if this is what the future holds.

Visited this winery last Saturday and were blown away by the beautiful views. We arrived early so had the place to ourselves. Gail was excellent and made us feel very welcome. Enjoyed some great wines, especially the Syrah.

Awesome views, great wine, super yummy food and great service!!! Came all the way from New England and am so much more impressed than I am in napa!!!

Wife and I spent 1 night in the French room which is absolutely beautiful. Incredibly comfortable bed that was very difficult to leave in the morning. The good thing about getting out of bed though is the tasty and beautifully presented breakfast that is included. Michael Sully is a wonderful and warmly gracious host who makes you feel right at home. Highly recommended!

From the moment we arrived and met Michael we were made to feel at home. The lodge is beautiful and the rooms are creative, spacious, and extremely comfortable. He consistently went out of his way to really make the weekend special for us and make sure that we had plans and reservations as needed. He stayed up to do a tasting for us and is friendly and easy to chat with.
The breakfast was delicious and elegant.
There is a huge TV upstairs so we were even able to relax and watch the Olympics after a long day of tasting.
We are sending my parents there soon and will be back in the near future!
Loved it!

Wife and I just stayed two nights and it was outstanding. We have stayed there a few years ago and it was also a great experience. Michael and Vicky were excellent hosts. We stated in the middle of the week and had the entire inn to ourselves.
The wine tasting and breakfast served daily were very good. We will definately be back soon and would highly recommend the relaxing comfortable accommodations.
Also have to say we loved the new updates to the inn, only wished there were tv’s in the rooms.

Been here quite a few times, and this winery would usually be open every single day when the original owners were there. Interesting wine, lower alcohol content so you can drink more, but I also loved the organic methods that the original owner followed when growing the grapes.
Then I hear that the place has been sold to some chinese investors. The wine is still good, but their rooms went up 3x in price. Still, I wanted to come to taste their organic wine.
Drive about an hour, place is closed yet their normal operating hours posted say they should be open. I guess this is what happens when the new investors can’t run a winery right, especially during the summer near labor day weekend!
I hope the original owners at least have some oversight (and perhaps give guidance) on what the new owners are doing. Otherwise this winery will be a memory of the past to many.

When we arrived at the winery we’re greeted by a baby owl in the roof peak overlooking the parking lot. We made our way around the large patio to overlook the beautiful valley below. The pizza oven was getting prepped for the Friday night pizza night. We had other plans for dinner but will be making a trip back here soon to give it a try.
All the staff was very friendly and made our time they’re very enjoyable. The wine wasn’t the best we tasted that day but the property, staff and views more than made up for it.
Hopefully next time we’re in the area we can give the lodge a try it sure looks beautiful and who would want to and a long day of wine tasting sitting in a hot tub overlooking the entire valley

Good people, good food, great view — nice place to spend a summer afternoon or evening.
The place in a B&B also — very nice rooms — excellent service and good food.
As of end of June 2013, there will be new owners of the winery so all previous reviews many not be accurate past that date.

Best thing this winery has going for itself is its location and view. Wine was forgettable and I will not be going back. Staff was friendly, and they have pizza nights summer weekend nights, which we were told about.

They have some great wines and some not so great wines, but the scenery there is just… epic. They have one of the better tasting merlot and the pricing is decent ($ 15 or so for a bottle of merlot).
The daughter was a great host, while the mom was more of a pain. The mom did not offer any helpful input on the questions we had. She also had an attitude going on, but once the daughter step in for her, it was a very pleasant experience.
I probably will go back one day to stay in their rooms, but for now I will sip on the merlot I bought.

i second all the great things other people have written. We loved everything, from Diana’s warm welcome to the lovely rooms and peaceful location with gorgeous views. We stayed two nights and appreciated the serenity of the large deck at night, sipping wine under the stars. The custom-​cooked breakfast was delicious, and from the looks of it, the lunch offerings were also excellent. There are all sorts of extras, such as afternoon snacks, help-​yourself refrigerator, and «forgot-​it» drawers. Wish we lived closer, or we’d be regulars!

I give Fitzpatrick four stars based on the friendliness of the staff, the beautiful view (Other wineries in the area boast of the best view– but this place actually has it), the amazing food (had potato soup and the best crab cakes I’ve ever had), the comfortable country feel to the tasting room and the great room– with amazing floor to ceiling windows that you can enjoy the view out of.
The wine though I wasn’t that impressed with. It just wasn’t my taste. There are a lot of wines to try and a lot of varieties that others in the area just don’t have. Unfortunately I tried about 7 wines before I gave up and just enjoyed my food.

I love Fitzpatrick’s! This was my 2^nd visit to this winery. The tasting list is long. Thank goodness they serve tasty food here (I shared the salmon and cheese platter). On this visit I ended up buying 4 different Reds. It was hard to choose since I loved them all. The patio view in the back is gorgeous. Makes you say, Napa, who?
I look forward to warmer weather for pizza night. Thank you Diana!

The view at this place is amazing; I love to come on the weekend and have a bit to eat on the huge patio outside. Plus– theres a lap pool up on the hill! Awesome.
The Kings Red is a great all-​occasion red wine that you absolutely MUST try.

My partner and I used a SmartBox gift certificate for a night at Fitzpatrick Winery, and loved it so much we ended up staying another night. We stayed in the «Fair Play» room, which was supposedly one of the «smaller» rooms. However, the bed was a queen and the room was huge, complete with pictures from the founding of Fair Play, a shelf of old whiskey bottles and a claw-​foot bathtub. Our room even had a balcony facing east, overlooking the vineyards and road below.
Each night we stayed came with a complementary glass of wine, breakfast and coffee. My favorite breakfast was «Green Eggs» — which consisted of eggs poached in sherry on top of a bed of creamed spinach. There were other pleasant surprises as well: free cookies and snacks, complimentary glasses of dessert wine, free wifi, a lap pool, and wood-​fired pizza on Friday nights.
The wines are quite good and run towards the bolder, spicier side. I loved the reds, particularly the Syrah and the 2007 Zin. I think they’re also the only organic winery in the area.
The place is run entirely by Diane and Brian, who do an excellent job making you feel like you’re part of the family. When we were there on July 4^th, the restaurants in the area were closed, so they re-​opened their deli for us and made us a cheese, sausage and fruit plate for dinner. In addition, when they were sitting down for a movie the night after, they invited us to join them. It’s a very casual atmosphere, though, so if you’re expecting a typical hotel experience, you might be disappointed. However, I loved staying here and highly recommend it to others.

This spot was great, and the 2^nd stop of a four winery tour I took recently. The staff was very helpful and their 2007 Zinfandel was fantastic! I’ve rarely had a zin with as much pepper present and much of it came after the finish! Their 2006 and 30^th Anniversary (multiple vintage) zins were great too but the ’07 was my favorite of the entire day!
To go along with the wines they had great food pairings, and on the weekends they even have a lunch menu (for anyone who doesn’t want to go crazy tasting wines on an empty stomach). We were first greeted with great cheese stuffed sweet peppers to pair with the zinfandels we were tasting (all complimentary, including the tastings) and then ended up getting a salmon and cheese plate which also had vegetable sticks, almonds, olives, and a delicious honey mustard sauce.
If all of that wasn’t enough the view from their patio is gorgeous! Their vines give way down the hill before being met by more hills that continue to roll where their vineyard leaves off.
If you’re making a day of going through Fair Play and all it’s great wineries this stop at the top of the hill is a must for sure!