Every winery has its own unique character and setting. Whereas the Croad tasting room was set on a hill with a great view of all the neighboring vineyards, Doce Robles' tasting room sits in the midst of its vineyard next to some of the most beautiful oak trees you will ever see. You might want to click this photo to enlarge it.
On most days, you will be greeted by the winery dogs. One is much younger than the other and was pretty rowdy the first time I met her, but she had calmed down a bit by my last visit. Still, it's good to be careful to see how playful they are feeling before you interact, and I believe you are supposed to leave your own dogs in the car here to avoid problems. That's what the signs say. Here the dogs are playing.
Doce Robles is conveniently located just west of the 101 Freeway. It's on Twelve Oaks Drive, and it's not very far from 101. I believe it's the first street you can turn right on after you are across the South Vine intersection. It is a very easy street to miss because it's hidden between a rise on both sides. You kind of have to know it's there to see it. After you turn you go down a long drive until you see the huge oak trees on the left and that's where you turn in to park. One of the first things you see as you approach that driveway is this magnificent oak across the street at the edge of the vineyard.
The reason I most often find myself at Doce Robles is the sky view. Doce Robles is surrounded by vineyards on almost every side. That means nothing ever blocks the view of the sky on any side. You can see it from all directions if you just walk around the building. I sometimes turn off on my way home because there's a sunset I want to photograph before it's too late to get the shot. Or sometimes the clouds are just so interesting I have to stop and shoot them.
Here's another sky shot that is looking down the road toward the entrance on Highway 46 West. Remember, you can click to enlarge any photo you want to see better.
Of course, the most important part of any vineyard is the vines themselves. I took this shot one year approaching harvest time.
This shot was taken either during or just after harvest. This is when the leaves are changing into their autumn clothes, transforming the vineyards into rows of flaming color extending in all directions.
It's been hard choosing what to show you from my hundreds of photos taken at Doce Robles. Here are three more I have made into a multitude of different products at Zazzle that you can customize. Any text I've added can be removed or changed to personalize. These are three of my favorite scenes. You can click through to see the scenes better. Looking is free.
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