Highway 16 may or may not be the most scenic way to get to Lake County from Sacramento, but it's a route we hadn't taken in years and we wanted to see what's been developing along the road in the interim.

Highway 16 passes through northern Yolo County and such small and quiet farming settlements as Esparto, Brooks, Guinda and Rumsey. The land rolls gently, its parched hills brightened here and there with stands of safflower and sunflower; herds of cattle; fields of corn, walnut orchards, truck farms and vineyards.

These gentle rural views change abruptly at Brooks, site of the monstrous and modern Cache Creek Casino Resort, whose gambling chambers are supplemented with an amphitheater, golf course, hotel and spa.

It's so big and distracting that motorists are apt to miss entirely Capay Valley Vineyards, its immediate neighbor on the northwest side.

When Tom Frederick and Pam Welch moved onto their spread three decades ago, the casino didn't exist. Neither did Capay Valley as an officially designated American Viticultural Area. That wouldn't occur until 2003, five years after Frederick and Welch began to plant wine grapes. Up to then, he'd made his living by building and restoring race cars. She was a flight attendant.

They were encouraged to put in a vineyard by the area's proximity to Napa Valley, the region's agricultural heritage, the ranch's mix of river rock and volcanic ash, the area's long, warm and dry growing season, periodically cooled by breezes from San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, and their interest in fine wine.

Today, they tend 15 acres of wine grapes. Their biggest block, at 3.5 acres, is devoted to viognier, the variety that brings them the most awards on the competition circuit.

Early on, they made their wines at wineries in Sonoma and Napa counties, but in 2008 they moved production into their own winery on the ranch. Their longtime winemaker is Terri Strain, a graduate in soil science from Cal Poly University, San Luis Obispo. She's making 3,000 cases a year under the label Capay Valley Vineyards.

The couple's tasting room is a former residence that faces Highway 16 just at the bottom of a slope covered with their vines. As we tasted through the winery's current lineup, we were impressed by the vitality and balance of every wine.

The 2007 tempranillo was bright and supple, with an engaging smokiness from the oak barrels in which it was aged. The 2007 syrah was both jammy and meaty, but with a spiciness and acidity that kept it refreshingly light on the palate. The 2007 cabernet sauvignon was the biggest surprise for its sunny cherry fruit and alluring thread of eucalyptus; cabernet sauvignon this sound just isn't often associated with Yolo County.

The latest version of the winery's signature wine, the Capay Valley Vineyards 2010 Capay Valley Viognier, didn't surprise us. We expected it to be solid, and we weren't let down.

The smell doesn't run so much to the honeysuckle often attributed to viognier as it does to nectarine, apricot and peach, with just a touch of honey and spice. The wine is laced with viognier's typical viscosity, but it travels lightly across the palate. No oak weighs down the wine, and it wasn't put through malolactic fermentation. Thus, it is all zesty fruit.

Frederick and Welch long have been fans of the Italian sparkling wine prosecco. Two years ago, they decided to use some of their viognier to emulate that easygoing sparkler. They hit it. On a hot day in Capay Valley or anywhere else, the resulting sparkling viognier revives both a dry throat and a wilting spirit. The wine is fruity but dry, with a suggestion of lemon zest. The wine's structure is lean, its spritz relaxed, and its acidity sharp.

Because of our schedule, we visited only Capay Valley Vineyards on our way to Lake County. But we hope to return before long, largely because several other wineries have sprung up in the area and in other nearby grape-growing enclaves, such as the Dunnigan Hills and Winters. Indeed, a newly formed group – Roots to Wines – is striving to raise the profile of its 11 member wineries, which in addition to Capay Valley Vineyards includes Turkovich Family Wines in Winters, Crew Wine Company in Zamora and Simas Family Winery in Capay. Even Cache Creek Casino Resort has gotten into the wine business with its Seka Hills brand. For more information on Roots to Wines, visit its website at www.rootstowine.org.

Capay Valley Vineyards

2010 Capay Valley Viognier

By the numbers: 13.3 percent alcohol, 300 cases, $13

Context: Pam Welch is a strong advocate for pouring the viognier with Thai dishes. Seafood, cheese and ham are her other favorite accompaniments, and the wine is a standard on the family's Thanksgiving table. "It's perfect with turkey and it doesn't clash with the side dishes," she said.

Availability: The wines of Capay Valley Vineyards are stocked in the Sacramento area by Costco in Woodland and Vacaville, Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op, Davis Food Co-op, Nugget Markets, some Raley's and Corti Brothers.

Information: The tasting room at Capay Valley Vineyards, 13757 Highway 16, Brooks, is open noon-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

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Longtime wine critic and competition judge Mike Dunne continues his relationship with The Bee as a contributing columnist to the Food & Wine section. His wine selections are based solely on open and blind tastings, judging at competitions, and visits to wine regions. Check out his blog at www.ayearinwine.com, and reach him at mikedunne@winegigs.com.

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