Coterie Winery — Attraction in San Jose

We just happened to spot this gem of a tasting room/winery on West Julian St. It's right around the corner from the Whole Foods on the Alameda. We parked in their back parking lot but entered the tasting room at the front. We were immediately greeted by friendly staff, including the wine maker, who started us with a tasting. We were delighted by the wines. They were bright, balanced and complex, and had many characteristics of good California wines. We tried a Grenache Blanc, Viognier, 2 Pinots, Syrah and a late harvest dessert wine. We loved the wines. And over the course of our tasting decided to become club members. I think what we loved the most was the hospitality, the wine makers passion and knowledge of his wines, and of course the wines themselves. I highly recommend Coterie Cellars if you love bright, balanced California wines and a tasting room that's friendly...

Kyle was very knowledgeable and friendly. Several pinot noir varietals, a syrah. viognier and rousanne. They were out of Rousanne. Especially liked the Tondre Pinot Noir and Russian River Viognier. I decided to become a member for a few reasons. 2 miles from home so no problem picking up shipments and it's convenient for me to go wine tasting. As a wine member tasting is free and bottles are 15-30% off their retail price (some wineries like Storr's in Santa Cruz expect you to purchase at least a case to get 15% off). They only have 2 shipments a year (your choice of 3 or 6 bottles per shipment) compared to a lot of other wineries that expect you to accept 2-4 bottles every 6 weeks to 3 months.. Finally, I get to chose which of the bottles I want in my shipment. I like the idea of doing some convenient free wine tasting before deciding which 3...

A great place to enjoy a tasting or a bottle of local wine with friends. They often have a rose or an uncommon white (Grenache Blanc, Roussanne or Viognier) along with a few vintage north/south coast Pinots, and an occasional Syrrah or desert wine. They are a winery tasting room and carry only their own wines. Kyle and the staff are very knowledgeable about their vineyards, grapes, and wine making process. Club discounts are...