The small, unpaved parking lot at Briar Rose may feel like it belongs to a garagiste winemaker with production room equipment lying about, but step through the tall, thick hedgerow, and you’ll enter an enchanted garden with a very familiar house at the end of the path—a life-size replica of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ cottage. If you want to feel like a princess for a day, this is the place to be.
The cottage isn’t a gimmick. It was designed in the 1970s by Beldon Fields, one of the craftsmen who helped build Fantasyland and Toontown at Disneyland, at the request of his wife, who dreamed of opening a bed and breakfast in Temecula. The storybook grounds are filled with beautiful old trees and stone garden statues; the back of the small property looks out over the vineyard. A giant olive tree next to the cottage adds to the feeling of enchantment as you stroll down the garden path. It was a gift to Mr. Fields from Callaway Winery when their viticulturist removed several trees to make way for grapevines in the 1980s, and is considered one of the oldest olive trees in California.
In the early 1990s, Les and Dorian Linkogle purchased the 40-acre property. Their son, Larry, a pioneer of motocross, required a large space to practice riding. Building the tracks was an expensive undertaking, so Mr. Linkogle decided to plant Viognier with rootstock from France and sell grapes to offset the cost. His uncle owned a winery in Los Gatos, and he grew up in the winemaking world. Soon, they were approached by Carl Key, one of the founders of Temecula’s wine country, who offered to buy all of their grapes. By the late 1990s, they were growing Viognier, Merlot, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Riesling, selling each harvest until Mr. Linkogle grew interested in winemaking himself. In 2002, they began the process of turning their home into a winery with help from Carl Key.
It took years for all of the approvals to go through, and all the while, they were making wine. So by the time they were able to open in 2007, Briar Rose was able to offer aged wine in the tasting room, that Dorian proudly calls “spectacular.” They are the only Southern California members of the California Cabernet Society, and, as part of the society, have served their wine at the White House and Vice President’s mansion during three different administrations alongside California greats like Mondavi, Lohr, and Duckhorn.
Twenty-plus years later, the winery is still a family affair. Over the course of our visit, three generations of women from the family stopped by to check in, the youngest just eleven months old. Proprietor Dorian Linkogle even sat down with us to share a few stories until winery duties called her away. Les and Dorian’s son, the motocross star Larry, is now the head winemaker, and his son Lynkin helps out in the production room just as Larry learned under his father.
Briar Rose Events
The Linkogle’s have fully embraced the magic of Briar Rose. Popular Disney influencers stop by for photoshoots, and their daughter-in-law Katie and event planner Cecily dream up elaborate themed events like a Bridgerton Afternoon Tea where everyone shows up in gloves and fascinator hats, a Mulan-inspired Chinese New Year Party, and a Vampire Ball for Halloween. All very feminine and beautiful. On the February weekend that I was there, they were holding a Mean Girls-themed Valentine’s Day picnic, and our table was dressed up with tiaras, scholastic notebooks, long-stemmed roses, candelabras, and picnic boxes of croissant sandwiches and charcuterie. Place cards were labeled with the “Plastics” character names, and tastings were served in pink plastic shot glasses — don’t worry, we had an actual glass to drink from. Pink balloons filled a large fountain near our table, TVs played Mean Girls on repeat, and the staff were all dressed in matching pink sweatsuits. Once we were seated, they handed us each a giant chocolate-covered strawberry and a small heart-shaped box of chocolates. They weren’t kidding around with this Valentine celebration. It was so fetch.
The Wine
Our tasting included an easy-drinking Pinot Grigio, a very sweet and peachy Viognier, a bold and sweet Rosé, an earthy Pinot Noir, and a fruit-forward Merlot. My group agreed that the Pinot Grigio and Merlot were our favorites of the dry wines, and my friend who loves sweet wine happily stole away everyone’s “shots” of Viognier.
Briar Rose also makes a unique beverage called Talking Frog. It was initially just a fun experiment: What would happen if they used hefeweizen yeast to ferment a wine? It turned out that it was something that they really loved, a carbonated Viognier that poured with a head like a lager. They took out a trademark on the label in 2007, but it took two years for approval since it wasn’t beer, wine, or champagne. When they finally did get approval, they received a surprise visit from a Disney entourage of nine animators. It was the year that the movie The Princess and the Frog was being released, and the design of the movie frog—which had been a tightly held secret—was very similar to the frog on the wine label (see the photo below). After a long conversation, where they carefully examined the design of the label, they agreed there was no copyright problem because the Linkogle’s frog had hands, and the Disney version did not. The animators signed her bottle and left. The movie came out two months later.
In 2009, then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared September California Wine Month to help build tourism for California. Dorian Linkogle wished to do something special to commemorate it. In researching the origins of wine in California, she learned that Father Junipero Serra at Mission San Diego planted the first vineyard in the mid-1700s for the sacrament. She started scouting for mission grapes and found them growing wild on the Pechanga Reservation. She received permission to harvest their grapes and give them wine in return. During the harvest, they took cuttings and now have three acres of mission grapes in the Briar Rose vineyard. Mission is a hard grape to make good wine with; it’s most often used to make a sweet wine called Angelica. The Linkogles created a bottle called “Sacrament” with a label depicting the story of the mission grape (see the photo above): the Mission, the Father, the King of Spain who sent him to America, feathers for Pechanga, and briar roses. Priests in Temecula have visited the winery to bless the mission grapes, and the Bishop of the San Bernardino Archdiocese has even signed a bottle.
Special Experiences
Picnics aren’t the winery’s only specialty. They are experts at crafting unique experiences for groups and couples. While we were there, a bridal shower was taking place in the shade of the historic olive tree; and down a path beyond a vine-covered archway, a young couple got engaged at a table set for two. The website says they treat guests like royalty, and at our visit, they absolutely did.
Charcuterie boards are available at any visit, but guests looking for a more romantic, extended experience can work directly with the winery to plan a custom 2-hour private luxury picnic, with options ranging from a lavish charcuterie board to a traditional tea-style lunch.
Seated tastings. Friday through Sunday, 21 and over, no animals. Reservations are required, same-day reservations are available.
