Riggers Loft at
Point Potrero in Richmond, CA, may have the most beautiful view of any tasting
room anywhere—180-degree view of San Francisco Bay that takes in the Berkeley
Hills, the Oakland Bay Bridge, San Francisco, and Angel Island.
Housed in the historic Kaiser Shipyard Number
Three, next to the Red Oak Victory Ship and a whirley crane, Riggers Loft sits
at the end of a long, scenic, and worthwhile drive out to the end of Canal Road
near Pt. Richmond, past the also-wonderful East Brother Beer Company Tap Room,
winding around cranes, tanks, warehouses, and a parking lot full of cars just
unloaded off ships next to the tasting room.
Visitors to Riggers Loft can also take in Rosie the Riveter (technically
Wendy the Welder) history, a sighting of an osprey nest on top of the whirley
crane, and views of ships and tugboats.
Riggers Loft is a collective of three wineries—R & B Cellars, Carica Wines, and Irish Monkey Winery—and Far West Cider Company that produce at
Riggers Loft. Recently, Barrel & Ink Wine Company also
joined the collective tasting room and will soon be producing wine at the Riggers
Loft site, as well. R & B Cellars
owners and winemakers Kevin and Barbara started making wine in the space in late 2015, and the
tasting room opened in March 2016. In
the coming weeks, Riggers Loft will open patio seating on the Bay.
And the wine! With
four wineries, the list is extensive and diverse, including several tasting
flights, and in two visits, I’ve only skimmed the surface of the offerings. The winemaking styles extend from big and
bold to lean and restrained. As a lover
of Rhone-varietals, I enjoyed especially the large selection of Rhone-varietals
and blends. My favorites were the R
& B Cellars NV “The Improviser” (a blend of Viognier, Vermentino, Rousanne,
Marsanne, and Picpoul Blanc), the Barrel and Ink ‘13 “Master of Mountains”
Chardonnay made by Steve Matthiasson, and the Barrel and Ink ‘14 “Jet Set
Jungle” (a blend of Syrah, Mouvedre, Valdiguie, Dolcetto, and Viognier made by
Pax Mahle). I also enjoyed the R & B
Cellars ‘13 “Sarabande” Chardonnay, the Carica ‘12 “Siren” (a blend of Syrah,
Grenache, and Mouvedre), and the Irish Monkey ‘13 Barbera.
