Poseidon Vineyard & Obsidian Ridge Tasting Room

Our first experience in the Sonoma valley we wandered up to this little cohort of three tasting venues and a little bakery restaurant. We sat outside on the porch in the sunshine with blankets given to us generously by Marlene who happens to be the SWEETEST and cutest woman on the face of the planet.
We were able to bring food in and the service was timely, informational, with kindness and humor. We feel so lucky to have come here first. What a great start to our spring break.
Come here!

After primarily being into whites and sweet wines the wife and I are just starting to get into reds. So we like wines that are on the softer, more fruit forward side. I had called up Ravenswood to see about booking a tour for the wife’s birthday but the gentleman I spoke to over there said that we probably would not like their wines. So he suggested Posiedon. I called Poseidon and explained what we were looking for and the woman I spoke to couldn’t have been more helpful. She told me that they would be sure to take care of us. I was told to ask for Scott or Marlene.
Well when we got there at about 1pm on Sunday we were immediately greeted by both Marlene and Scott. Scott stayed with us the entire time and gave us a wealth of information about Poseidon and their vineyards. I ended up buying 2 bottles. Great wines and great people.

YUMMY! That sums it up :)
Good wine — at reasonable prices. The service here is always super friendly, too.
I personally love the Poseidon Chardonnay — I can’t help but leave with a bottle every time. But all of their wine is great. I would have left with more wine the last time had we not just filled our trunk with copious amounts of wine!
The patio is also charming — such a great place to hang out and enjoy beverages with some good companions.

Amazing! Carol or Caroline was a fantastic host! We sat outside and enjoyed the weather, company and absolutely fabulous wines!!! A MUST stop!!!

This is a unique winery that sources from both sea level of Carneros/​Napa and the high altitude in the Red Hills AVA Lake County. This gives a truly diverse array of wines to taste from. Not only that, but the owners happen to own a cooperage in Hungary and all their wines are aged in their own oak. This adds even greater separation from other wineries. I don’t know any other wineries that own their own cooperages.
You will find this place on Arnold drive just south of the Hwy ¹¹⁶⁄₁₂₁ cutoff, commonly known as the crossroads. It is in between Anaba and Cline vineyards. There is a conclave of winery tasting rooms, art exhibits, shops and a restaurant. This makes an easy one stop shop to satisfy your food, shopping needs, art and, of course, wine.
The owners are three guys (two brothers and a friend), who are farmers, coopers and winemakers. They started farming the Carneros area in mid 1973, and purchased the lake county property in the 90s. From Carneros they grow Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that are exceptionally elegant, complex, with a nice light touch of oak. I get apples, lime, and a minerality that shines through. «The Bench» Chardonnay has notes of lemon curd and pear tart characteristics. Sounds like that doesn’t work together, but it goes to the complexity of this chardonnay. I’d add that the pear tart would have nutmeg in the crust, owing to the earthy nuttiness that is deep in the finish.
The Pinot Noir had a nice garnet color, yet somewhat transparent. Aromas of strawberry and rhubarb. The palate was of red berries with a nice balanced acidity, with a nice soft spice lingering at the end of the finish.
The chardonnay and pinot noir are the Poseidon vineyard line. That is an homage to the king of the sea, as the vineyards are at sea level.
Climbing into the sky, we find ourselves in Lake County and with the Obsidion line. The reason why it is called the obsidion line, these vineyards are in a high elevation above 2300′, in red volcanic soils littered with large chunks of obsidion. The vines struggle in the arid conditions, high elevation, and produce a smaller berry. This gives a higher skin to fruit ratio and imparts completely different flavors that lower elevation irrigated grapes. It also imparts more minerality and a noticably deeper color than you would expect. The varietals they produce there are Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and some Petite Verdot.
All of these wines are big, full of flavor, and rich in color.
What I liked the most was the 2012 Syrah. It had it’s own thing going, with blackberries and black pepper coming to my mind, with a cocoa finish. I thought I got some mint on the nose when it opened up.
We tried two different Cabs that were amazing. The Obsidion Estate 2011 held deep dark color, with roasted red pepper, black plum and just a touch of caramel. «The Slope» Cabernet 2012 was more fruit forward, more fruity aroma, less vegetable-​y, red stone fruit, and baking spices and vanilla.
I also tried the 2011 proprietary blend, «Half Mile Red Blend». It is a nice blending of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Verdot. I can’t call this wine red. It is so dark it is black. You can call it what you want — I declare it to be black. :) We’ll both agree that it is amazing.
I look forward to returning and bringing some good friends.
Check it out!

Wow, just wow.
Beautiful environment, delicious wines and friendly staff make this a MUST STOP when you are in the area. We stopped by Four Corners on our way to Glen Ellen to have a look around at some of the shops and beautiful gardens. It was a cloudy Friday afternoon and we decided we were up for some wine tasting since we had never heard of Poseidon /​Obsidian Ridge before and it looked warm and inviting. They specialize in Pinots and Chardonnays.
We were immediately greeted by Carole and she introduced us to the wines and provided us the history of the winery. Carole was so knowledgeable (as well as entertaining!) and was the highlight of our visit. We loved it so much that we bought a few bottles (try the Estate Chard!) and also signed up for the mailing list. After returning home, we received a hand-​written personal note from Carole thanking us for stopping by. What a nice, unexpected touch.
A few weeks later we took some friends up to Four Corners for lunch and stopped by the tasting room again so our friends could experience it. There was a special event going on so we got to meet one of the owners with his family and low and behold Carole was there. To top it off, she remembered us. The four of us enjoyed the wine so much that each couple decided to join the wine club. I liked the fact that you pick the wines you want. The following week, we received yet another thank you from Carole for becoming new club members and welcoming us to the family.
I can see why this place gets 5 stars on Unilocal and I wanted to leave a review so others can experience the magic of this place. It is amazing in every aspect. I really love the large outside deck area. What a great place to people watch and drink some amazing wine.
TIP: Order food from the restaurant right next door and the staff will bring it over to you to the desk on the tasting room. You can buy a bottle and enjoy it on the patio along with your lunch. The restaurant food/​staff is great… it’s a win/​win!
I hope you enjoy this place as much as we do.

Quick visit, but the atmosphere was amazing. Marlene was a real treat and had us laughing the whole time. Terrific visit and highly recommended.

I tasted two Posidon Chardonnays. One was very with a citrus tang. The other was creamier. The Posidon Pinot was smooth, almost too bland to me. But my fav and bought a bottle for $ 30 was the Obsidian Ridge Syrah. So many smooth layers of velvety flavors. It will be fantastic with anything really or alone it is so good! There is an inside area where you can taste test or if a gorgeous day like today, you can sit on the lovely patio and enjoy the scenes. The Hostess is patience and passionate about the wines!

I cannot remember the name of our host because this review is a little late, but there was a young redheaded host that helped us and he was great. We had never been to this place before and we were pleasantly surprised by the cute little wine community that we discovered and the host of Obsidian. He was attentive and knowledgeable… and seemed to have a true passion for wines.
I would have liked to write a personal review for our fabulous host, and apologize for not remembering his name, but if anyone from Obsidian is reading this please express our thanks to the red headed host and we look forward to returning.
Thank you

My husband and I visited as part of a 3 day tour of Sonoma County wine tasting to celebrate our birthdays. This was the best overall experience of every tasting room we experienced! The wine was phenomenal, the customer service exceptional and the tasting room comfortable and cozy! We bought a bottle of almost every wine on the menu… simply exquisite. Don’t go tasting in Sonoma County without making a stop here! We will be back!

Came here with a bachelorette party, and we had an absolutely wonderful time. Our pourer, Kerry, couldn’t have been more knowledgeable or more fun. We hung out inside but the patio outside looked like a really cute place to taste as well. And the wine was delicious! We will definitely be coming back.

Tasty & well made wines in the European style. Flavor accents on the minerals, soft, smoky tannins and richness of the fruit.
Small tasting room, the counter can accommodate about 5 people. There is comfortable seating area with 4 chairs.
Nice folks, easy breezy attitude.
Dog friendly.

Good wine. Great hospitality!

One of the best wine tasting experiences I have ever had. Their customer service is top notch. They are so kind and they keep checking in with you to make certain you are happy. They even brought me a blanket. Their outdoor deck is just perfect to enjoy some amazing wine. ALL of the wines were delish. My favorite though was the reserve Chardonnay. I can’t wait to go back and enjoy myself again at this wonderful tasting room. Kudos to the staff!