Rodrigue Molyneaux Vineyard & Winery

Livermore Valley Winery and Tasting Room

Rambling ranch-style homes sit along one side of Marina Avenue, farmland, grazing horses and sheep along the other, and a vineyard with the sign Rodrigue Molyneaux Winery. The charming tasting room in back—formerly a horse barn—sits amid gardens, with cozy seating areas where visitors sip wine in the shade of eucalyptus, Chinese elm, fruit trees, and a variety of plants and flowers.

Garry Rodrigue’s winemaking interests began as a research scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and deepened when he taught Applied Science at U.C. Davis, with access to the university’s wine library and enology department. Winemaking professionals helped hone his skills.

Nancy (Molyneaux is her family name), a Las Positas College teacher, says 35 years ago, only four or five wineries existed in the entire valley.

The couple planted vineyards in 1997 and opened their winery in 2004 after Garry retired. They harvest grapes late in the season to achieve appropriate sugar content. More than half their grapes are home grown, the rest sourced from neighboring farms. They process and bottle their own wines, barrel aging 1-2 years before bottling; then aging another year.

Fascinating Fact:

A barn owl lives in the Eucalyptus tree behind the tasting room. She has babies every year.

Watch Thomas Wilmer's video “A visit with Gary and Nancy Rodrigue at their Livermore, California Winery.”

Amenities: Wine club, picnic in beautiful gardens
Founded: 2004
Signature Wines: Barbera, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon
Wine Tasting: $5 tasting fee waived with purchase
Hours: Saturday and Sunday 12:30 – 5

Rodrigue Molyneaux Vineyard & Winery
3053 Marina Avenue
Livermore, CA, 94550
925-443-1998

info@rmwinery.com
www.rmwinery.com

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Sandy Sims, an award winning journalist, newspaper editor, and travel writer, also writes fiction.
Thomas C. Wilmer is an award-winning author and travel writer. His latest book; Wine Seeker's Guide to Livermore Valley is available from White Cloud Press or Amazon.com.

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