Jamie LaRaeu should have been driving, but instead started drinking at the Byington Winery.

All twisty roads lead to California. It’s easier to spot the drunkard in a decreasing radius uphill corner. Trust me.

During a recent trip to San Francisco. I drove about 60 miles outside the city and ended up on Bear Creek Road in Los Gatos, Calif.

There I turned into a very little known, OK  practically unknown, winery called Byington.

Sandwiched between Silicon Valley and the Santa Cruz Mountains, Byington was supposed to be a pit stop. The place for everyone to just grab a snack, visit the restroom and head out again.

So naturally I did the obvious: taste the wines.

I was prepared to be disappointed, after all who’s heard of Byington? But I was pleasantly surprised that this winery, hidden in the middle of the mountainous wooded regions of California, was a bit of a treasure off the beaten path.

In 1987, entrepreneur Bill Byington established the winery. He was likely drawn to it by the unique location. The view is breathtaking amid the peaceful solitude of the mountains. Yet within minutes you can be in the hustle and bustle of Silicon Valley or drive a bit farther and experience San Francisco.

The winery doesn’t have the high-tasting prices or the big attitude of nearby Napa either.

For $5 you can sample five wines (although, Louis, the host, was pretty generous about topping off the glass or giving you something off the wine tasting menu if you asked). “But Louis, it’s already open!”

If you buy a bottle, the $5 tasting fee is waived.

I sampled a Chardonnay, a Liege (a blend of Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc grapes), a Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and their Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir.

Byington is a winemaker, not a big grower. The Pinot Noir grapes used in its signature wine are grown on the property. The grapes line part of the drive up to the tasting room.

Byington buys the grapes for its other wines. Those grapes are grown in various vineyards throughout the state. Byington makes and ferments the wine it sells.

The Byington family is still actively involved in the day-to-day operations.

Now, I’m not a Chardonnay fan. I generally find it is too oaky tasting for my palette. This was no exception. But if you like a silky Chardonnay as opposed to a crisp one, then I would urge you to try it.

The Liege is a crisp white with a medium body and semi-dry, it’s very nice. I love Viognier in any white blend, so I’d recommend it, although $22 a bottle is a bit high in this case.

My favorite Byington wines were the Pinot Noir and the Cabernet Franc. The Pinot is very well balanced and fruity. It is a light feeling wine, yet full-bodied wine at a reasonable price for a California Pinot Noir. It sells at $37 a bottle.

Cabernet Franc is one of my favorite grapes in general. It’s usually used as part of a blend though. I have not seen it produced as a single varietal — until now. Byington did a nice job on this wine. It’s very unique, full-bodied, but not a wine you’d drink on its own. You’d want to pair it with steak or pasta. It’s reasonably priced at $28 a bottle.

Louis told me Byington’s Saignee Rose, made from the Estate Pinot Noir grapes, is to die for. He described it as semi-dry with a nose that has hints of strawberry. Tragically, he didn’t have an open bottle for me to try.

Still, I was impressed enough with their wines that I might buy the rose one day without doing the tasting.

There is a Byington website to visit that will highlight all of Byington wines. But why surf the net when you can take a scenic cruise along the twisty mountain roads cresting above Silicon Valley and taste them for yourself.

Though a designated driver might be in order, the roads are very twisty along the way.

Jamie LaReau is HTG’s resident wine expert – meaning she buys more wine from places that do not also sell cigarettes and lottery tickets than anyone else. Her own website, swingingonavine.com, follows some of her drunken tasting adventures.