My husband, several friends, and I had just the most wonderful time at Black Sheep Winery this past week. Our server, Jim, elevated the wine tasting experience with his friendly and knowledgeable experience. We learned so much about the history of Black Sheep, the owners Steve and Liz, and of course, about the delicious wines and how to understand the flavors of each. We loved the merlot! We actually loved all of them. Will definitely return for more of Jim's storytelling and to taste and buy more wine. I never realized the building was a former gas station! There's shaded seating on the lovely back patio next to a stream, as well as indoor tables where you can view the artwork. Don't miss Black Sheep and Jim. read more

Love the new location with Milliare! The wine was excellent! I don't like Chardonnays, however I liked there's enough a bottle followed me home! The zinfandels were delicious as well and will have to come back for the Amador County Zinfandel! Then got a tasting of the Fortissimo! I'll let you try it to see because my words won't give it justice! Enough to say, I will be returning to bring home a bottle of that as well! Service was also excellent, even as the seating in the tasting room filled up (we were on the patio and didn't even notice the tasting room had become busy until we left)! All around enjoyed the experience! read more

We are currently drinking a bottle of 2019 Zinfandel from Black Sheep Winery. By pouring this wine though a funnel -aerator and into a decanter makes this wine taste great. Sure it is not as good on my tongue as the previous year, but still for the price point we enjoy this wine's subtle peppery and slightly jammy profile. We appreciate talking to Kathy at Black Sheep and we praise Steve for his wine making skills. A note to Steve, please produce a batch of Zinfandel that exhibits an abundance of peppery notes. We would be elated. My favorite Zinfandel is a 2018 produced by Ken Tatum of Westover Winery and it is so peppery our tongues beg for more. read more

Several good wines and congenial host with sophisticated knowledge. This winery won several awards from the SF Chronicle wine competition.

Our first visit to Black Sheep winery and what a pleasant little wine room. Our server was great company and the little house was very cozy. The wines were nice enough for us to purchase one. They also had a dessert wine, a bit too fruity on the raspberry side though for me, but by all means stop in and give it a try for yourself. One nice side note, your tasting will include a free gift, their labeled wine glass!!! read more

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Kathy is my favorite!!! We had the most amazing time tasting. The wine is delicious and I will definitely be back. Love love love! read more

Black Sheep Winery - two dogs on leashes and a man standing in the background - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Murphys, California

What can I say about Black sheep winery? They are beyond friendly and inviting. They made us feel welcome. The wines are very good and have a wide range of reds and whites. Their raspberry sparkling wine is delicious also love their Chardonnay. If you like reds the Touriga is great. We sign up for their membership and look forward to experiencing more great wines. read more

This is a go-to because the wines are stellar and you get the whole Kathy, experience...the wine maker's daughter, who is so COOL! She's friendly, and extremely knowledgeable about all of the wines...I'm sure her Dad, tells her all about what goes into making these knock out wines. No pretention here, you go and just focus on the moment and ENJOY! I always load up on Merlot and Cabernet....and they keep their wines affordable. Thanks, Kathy, and if you spell your name with a C, I apologize. Enjoyed everything!! read more

Small, intimate, lively staff and very good wines! I absolutely loved Black Sheep Winery and will be coming back for more. Their 2014 Cinsaut is my absolute favorite at the moment and I will drive two hours to go and pick this wine up. I am considering becoming a member because their wines are so smooth. My friends and I paired the 2014 Cinsaut with our steak dinner and they absolutely loved how smooth it tasted and how it paired with our steak dinner. I can't wait to return and become a member to buy an entire case of this wine. They also have some sparkling wines that are crisp, not too sweet, and alcohol content is on point! Wine tasting I believe was $5/person and fee was waived when you make a purchase. I'm so glad I found this hidden little gem in downtown Murphy's and can't wait to return and become a member! read more

Baa Baa Black Sheep... Reading some of the other reviews it seems like Black Sheep Winery is quite the black sheep of the Murphys tasting rooms (pun intended). Fortunately for me, my visits have always been positive. Of course any visit involving wine can't be too bad. ;) There were two pourers the day I popped in and both were extremely friendly. I could tell that they both enjoyed their jobs. I fell in love with the Cinsault which is a varietal I've never heard of before. They also had a nice Rose (pretend there is an accent on the "e"). I picked up a bottle of each. I wasn't fond of the sparkling wine with a hint of raspberry because it reminded me of New York Seltzers which I no longer like (too many of them in Jr. High = Ewww). Overall, I have never had a bad experience at Black Sheep and have found a few good selections. If you are in the area, you may want to give Black Sheep a try. Cheers. :) read more

This place was great! My wife loves the wine lol I don't drink but I still love the vibe up here. She got a bottle of wine and I got some Frog Balls relax lol there just pickled brussel sprouts haha. The lady who worked there was super great. I think her name was Nicole she referred up to the Murphys Hotel for dinner and she even called and got us a reservation. The world needs more people like her :) read more

Arriving just before closing, my friend and I were very happy to make it into Black Sheep Winery's tasting room in Murphy's under the wire. The tasting room was done up in sort of a classy, country theme - wood floors & cabinets. Our hostess was a real sweetie - friendly, polite, conversational and frank - we had a very nice experience. The wines were all pretty good - I bought five different wines to try out again at home - the Cinsault was pretty good and I can't wait to go get another bottle of Frick's cinsault to try them together. Our hostess informed us that there are only 150 acres of cinsault planted in California! Yum. Our hostess also recommended the restaurant next door which was delicious! read more

Kathy is very helpful and friendly. I tasted a variety 7-8 wines. She used a small paper cup for the wine for me to pour into my wine glass. I believe it was for the Covid precaution and I loved it. Kathy over heard my husband and I discussed about where to eat and she recommended us St Charles Saloon in Columbia. We were very pleased with her help. We sat on the porch, enjoyed watching people walking on the sidewalk which is 15 feet away. I loved this small tasting place. I will go here again soon! read more

We have been a fan for years. Kathy is a doll and pours wonderful wines. Our favorite is the Cinsault. So so goooood. read more

Black Sheep Winery - a brown and white boxer dog - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Murphys, California

Kathy is very helpful and friendly. I tasted a variety 7-8 wines. Good wine. I bought a bottle of Lily pad white wine and two bottles of raspberry sprinkle wine. Kathy used a small paper cup for the wine for me to pour into my wine glass. I believe it was for the Covid precaution and I loved it. Kathy over heard my husband and I discussed about where to eat and she recommended us St Charles Saloon in Columbia. We were very pleased with her help. We sat on the porch, enjoyed watching people walking on the sidewalk which is 15 feet away. I loved this small tasting place. I will go here again soon! read more

*Cue the bass line* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9F5xcpjDMU I couldn't get this song out of my head the whole time I was tasting. No wonder all the yuppies were giving me the crooky eye as I was grinning and sipping my wine. I like their setup. Quaint, small townish, free to taste whatever they are offering, and most importantly, complimentary pours. This is how wine tasting used to be, yes, even Napa Valley. No pretense, just point, they pour, you taste and hopefully you'll learn something. I learned that their strong points are their "punch you in the mouth" type of zins, very California. There is pepper, cedar, lots of tannin (even for a 4 year old) and lots of dark, red fruit. I got to compare their popular Amador County Zin to the Calaveras County Zin. Calaveras was way more fruit forward which is why it came home with me ($20) as I figured it will be featured at one of my summer bbqs. This is why I love wine tasting, to be able to taste specific growing areas and to be able to compare, which in my opinion, is a great way to form an opinion. So make a choice, would you like to go with "this" or would you like to go with "that"? read more

Black Sheep Winery - Approach to the quaint tasting room - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Murphys, California

I don't have anything positive to say other than the tasting room is adorable. Free wine tasting does not mean quality wine. From the start, when they put the crappy wine glasses in front of us I knew it wasn't going to be very good. The wine was not good, it was just bad. I think I dumped everything I tried. Tasting room employee was less than pleasant as well. In her defense, she was the only person working there, but when I politely asked for my next taste to have sparkling, she says in a snarky tone: "I'll get there...you can always tell a person from the city because they're always in a rush." I wasn't in a rush, I simply asked for my next tasting as she neared us. She was downright unpleasant from the get-go. I apologized & we left shortly after. Needless to say, we won't be back. read more

DO NOT COME HERE. Unless you love employees and management with snarky attitudes. Last time we were here it was excellent! The woman working sold us on everything! With that said Black Sheep was at the top of my list to visit this year on vacation. Instead my clothing choice was insulted. I was told by Cathy I looked "too fancy" with a scrunched up face and that it was going to be "too hot" for what I was wearing. I just so happened to be wearing a strapless, cotton dress. What could be better in the heat than a dress? When confronted, Cathy was very unapologetic, refused to give any managers/owners contact information (not even a name) and insisted that the managers/owners were out of town with no way to contact them. We also sent an email requesting to speak to the manager or for any contact information that could put us in touch with someone. They flat out ignored our request, sent a crappy apology from someone named Liz, and left it at that. They ignored our reply email and any other communication that we tried. Do not support a company that has a management staff that refuses to even speak on the phone to a disgruntled customer who has spent a lot of money here in the past. read more

Visited Black Sheep along with many others over the course of a weekend stay. Did not mind the walk down to end of Main, but found the tasting room was small, with a LOW table. Were served nice sized pours(small is good in my book) right away, but awkward to stand crowding around the small, LOW table..wandered to outside porch which is well set back from the street. At which point we were rudely scolded that we could not do that....verbosely scolded in fact (A simple, "please come back inside for tastings" would have sufficed), by the tasting room servant (?) who was much in need of a shower and some grooming. Came back inside, tried asking a few questions, rudely corrected on a mis-pronounciation of a grape varietal. Other tasters left, they had been sitting, was going to move to take a seat (Pretty obvious that I was a bit disabled with my limp) Chair was taken away.... Wine? Was not impressed....but only tried two cause the atmosphere was most unpleasant...Snarky, unfriendly attitudes reminded me of the worse I've heard about Napa, but this was my worst experience ever. read more

If you like a classic full bodied traditional California style Zinfandel, this is the place to get it. Their zin is peppery, complex, and delicious. It's priced appropriately, and embodies everything you'd expect from a California Zin. read more

Black Sheep Winery - 10 Points if you recognize their old tasting room. - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Murphys, California

Great Personal Service from Gina!! Enjoyed the tasting and all the wine!! Enjoyed the Lilly Pad Rose!!! Will be coming back next time I'm in town read more

Black Sheep Winery - a woman standing at the bar - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Murphys, California

I came, I drank, I enjoyed, I left with a mixed case. Black Sheep is lovely, even if the staff at the tasting room is a little sassy. Favorites: 2009 Zinfandel and their port read more

Fun tasting room at one end of Main Street. We started here and made our way down the street over the course of the day. The wine educator was so friendly and nice (but not annoyingly so)! Chardonnay was my favorite from the tasting menu (and I'm not usually a chard gal). read more

Great little place, i love that there was no tasting fee, it's just unfortunate that none of the wineries are allowed to ship to Louisiana :-/ read more

Not quite downtown Murphys wine tasting room (They have MOVED to: 221 Main Street) My husband and I visited Black Sheep Winery April 2007. I had confirmed prior to our trip that our two retrievers would be allowed in the tasting room. The winery was fine with that. We did purchase several bottles of wine and put them on hold in our cellar. Why the 3? The pour-er was not overly friendly (and we were the only people there for quite a while.) The building is not in downtown Murphys. It is a bit out of town and there is no sidewalk to use. You have to walk on the side of the road and it does get quite busy. Some of their wines had pretty high alcohol percentages. We will be going back soon and will review again. 11/25/07 Black Sheep Winery has moved their tasting room into town. It is now in a very quaint building near Alchemy Restaurant and Market. The location is much more accessible. The building is cute. The wines are a bit on the high alcohol side, so don't say I didn't warn you. They carry a Cinsault which is rather unusual. Prices are good. All-in-all a good experience. I'll try again before I raise the "star" count though! read more

My girlfriends and I visited Black Sheep last weekend. Kathy was very gracious and made sure we enjoyed the experience. We enjoyed the wines and had a memorable time. read more

The best wine here is the sparkling at the end and it tastes like children's cough syrup. The wine is awful and the lady helping us wasn't very friendly, she seemed kind of annoyed by us. It was a bummer as it was our first stop on Main St. Luckily the wines improve after this place read more

Black Sheep, thank you for being one of the few FREE tasting rooms in the area. Thank you for providing an excellent knowledgeable experience, as well as offering recommendations on other tasting rooms according to what we were looking for AND local recreation. This was the best tasting room we visited all day! Others were snooty, had little or no variety in selections and wanted $3 to $5 for a tasting of even one wine...lame! The girl behind the counter was super cool and down to earth, unlike many of the other tasting rooms we walked into, and promptly walked back out of. I bought the Black Sheep Raspberry Sparkling wine which is truly excellent. Their dessert wine was also really good along with their Lily Pad Rose. I believe these guys had one of the most complete offerings in selections of wines we saw that day. Simply wonderful....this was our first tasting room experience of the day...I only wish we had just stopped there....... read more

Sign said open 11-5 seven days a week. Stopped by at 11:45am, door was locked and tasting room was closed. No sign saying they weren't open today. read more

Have been here many times and do like their wines and have a few bottles in my wine cellar. I don't really care for white wines so rarely taste them. There reds are very good. The staff is always very friendly and they are dog friendly also. Black Sheep also can be found on the shelf at grocery stores. read more

Always start my wine tasting here at black sheep! Ladies are always super nice- we had Regina last year and she was a BLAST! They also sell some awesome sauces that go great with chicken, fish, etc. the sweet & sour mustard is the best! ALSOOOOO...this place doesn't charge a wine tasting fee so make sure you tip them a little more than tasting rooms that charge, they take great care of their customers! read more

We love the wines in Calaveras County and are trying to expand our knowledge so we started our day off at Black Sheep. Unfortunately I have nothing to say about the wine because the service was so horrendous, we had to leave before we even began the tasting. We walked into an empty tasting room and greeted the woman behind the counter with smiles in anticipation of tasting some new wines. She barely gave us a smirk and said I need your IDs. I guess that was her way of welcoming us to the winery. My cousin is quite funny and tried to break the ice by saying, even his and pointed to my husband who is 13 years my senior. She quickly barked back, "Like I said, if you want to taste wine, I NEED your ID." Since I was the driver that day, I wasn't going to taste so I of course didn't hand over my ID. Her very round face got red and she gave me a look of death and repeated, "ALL OF YOUR IDs" (if only I could convey her miserable attitude and facial expression in that line, you would totally understand why we all froze). Okay, at this point I had had enough of the horrible treatment. I very sarcastically said I wasn't tasting so I would not be giving her my ID. Plus as we stormed out of there and slammed the door I made a comment about her terrible attitude. I know... very passive-aggressive but this woman was an evil force not to be reckoned with! How could you put someone with the rudest attitude who hates people in a place serving wine? The experience at places like Milliaire and Twisted Oak erased the horrible experience we had at Black Sheep. It's a shame too because that one experience will forever keep me from trying (or buying for that matter) what could possibly have been a great wine. read more

Oh man. This place is amazing. The pourer was sweet and the wines were tasty. I almost felt white tasting all of these pretty wines in the middle of the day when people should be working. read more

Charming little tasting room and the wines were reasonably priced and pleasant (not complex nor exceptional, but definitely not harsh like a two-buck-chuck wine). The lady behind the counter was friendly and unpretentious ( Oh by the way, I'll take a mediocre host over a pompous sommelier any day!). Hmmm, how can I take advantage of such value? Lightbulb! I'll stock up on some for certain gal-pals who like the sweet, simple style wines, and I would certainly drink these dollar-value wines on a summer day or for a light brunch. read more

Nice winery in the foothills of the Sierra, hard to get into later in the day (the yuppies from Murphys swamp the place) but well worth the time it takes. read more

Had a small hiccup with a wine pickup and Kathy went above and beyond making it right with their wine and service. Thank you Kathy.

Wine was fine, service was fine, small pours for $10. Visit Gossamer Cellars instead.

This place is amazing! Loved every wine I tried here and even bought some to take home with me (which is rare because I'm picky). The staff were a little off but still nice and friendly.. Might have to make another stop on the way out of town to grab a couple more bottles! read more

Visited here for the first time with the husband. They offer free tastings of their whites and reds. I was pleasantly surprised on several of their bottles considering they were going for $10. We enjoyed the white blend, and several of the reds. The staff were very courteous and we had a wonderful tasting experience! read more

My daughter and I stopped by for a bit and were pleasantly surprised with the free tasting but as Kathy said "That's why we are called Black Sheep". My daughter and I enjoyed the experience and Kathy's quirky sense of humor. There were 2 other tasters there who also enjoyed the experience. Yes, the wines were kind of sweet sometimes, but we ended up buying two of the sparkling raspberry because it tastes like a party! I thought the Zinfandel was also good. Kathy has a wealth of knowledge of Murphys since she is a native. I would go back next time in Murphys. read more