While visiting Los Olivos mid-week we found that most tasting rooms were closed, but were so happy to have found that Blair Fox Cellars Tasting Room (and Grimm's Bluff) was open and very welcoming. Situated in a cute little house with outdoor and indoor seating, our host Heather got us situated in a comfy inside corner, and she was very helpful in getting our tasting underway. Specializing in Rhone Varietals, both the reds and whites were exceptional. And although I hate to play favorites, I thoroughly enjoyed and purchased the 2020 Viognier, 2018 Grenache, and 2017 Zotovich Syrah. Also special shout out to their Vermentino and Sparkling wine. It's always a pleasure to have someone like Heather being so gracious during our tasting, and making sure we knew exactly what was in each glass. read more

Birthday stop at Blair Fox Cellars in Los Olivos on the Central Coast in California. All the wines we tasted were truly great. Especially fond of the 2019 Haylees Rose beautiful spot to enjoy some wine. read more

See all

Too funny that Maureen W. mentions their great rose :) I don't think I had read this before we stopped in and our taste aren't always too similar but this is the bottle I left with. I don't care much for white wine or rose wine and their rose really stood out to me. It's not on their tasting menu but was one, of two add ons. I quickly described it as a nice "breakfast" wine :) I don't typically drink wine with breakfast, of course not but something about Blair Fox's Rose really seems to be a great addition to a brunch. I automatically thought scones, omelets, frittatas, stuff like that. Their Viognier was really nice and I think I liked their 2011 Fox Family Vineyard Syrah the most. Really, everything was pretty good and The Ambush, our last little add on was also really nice! The price point on the bottles are a little higher than I like but I'd definitely stop in here again, and recommend this tasting room. There aren't many rooms in this area of Los Olivos that I love so I consider the 4 stars here a pretty high rating :) Service was good, we sat inside at the bar but there did appear to be limited outdoor seating as well. Our $12 tasting (we shared this one since it was near the end of the day, and that's the responsible thing to do ;) was waived with my purchase of breakfast wine. read more

See all

Marc was absolutely incredible, so hospitable and warming. The place is beautiful and a must go to!!!!! One of my favorite experiences. read more

Blair Fox Cellars Tasting Room - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Los Olivos, California

We ended up coming here twice during our ladies' Los Olivos weekend. It was the closest to our Airbnb, and we had such a good time that we wanted to revisit! Blair Fox was enjoyed by both the experienced/knowledgeable wine drinkers in our group as well as the novices. I wish I could remember his name, but our server was super cool, sociable, knowledgeable and funny. He put up with us, our inappropriate conversations, and bad karaoke when a song we liked came on. The tasting room is intimate and casual. I really enjoyed the Zinfandel he offered that wasn't on the tasting list and ended up buying a bottle, along with the great sparking rose and a few of the really cute fox wine glasses. The wines served here were probably my favorites of the weekend. Highly recommended to anyone! read more

This is one of my favorite wineries! I love pretty much all of their wines. And we always get the best service from the staff. Definitely try this while in Los Olivos. read more

I was first introduced to Blair Fox wines when I sampled some 2007 Tierra Alta Syrah at Christmas dinner. I was so impressed that I planned a wine tasting trip with the specific intent of visiting the Blair Fox tasting room in Los Olivos. We drove up from LA and arrived about 1:30 or so on a Friday. Sarah, the winemakers wife was our host. My wife and I tasted 5 of their wines. I was again impressed with the 2008 Tierra Alta Syrah, and the 2008 Purisima Mountain Syrah; enough that I bought 6 bottles of the two Syrahs and joined their wine club. The tasting room is small and nicely decorated. I liked that the ower was there to pour the wines. You could tell that they genuinely liked what they were doing and were proud of their product. I believe it was $10 for 5 pours, and if you join the club, I think the tastings are complimentary. I can't wait to sample what I bought or to see what's included in my first club shipment. I am also looking forward to visiting again and taste more of their excellent wines. read more

See all

I have no idea why this tasting room gets such good reviews. We came here based on the high star rating and came away totally dissatisfied. Here is my take: 1 - The wine pours were miniscule 2 - The $12 tasting fee for 5 wines is a horrible value 3 - Wine quality was marginal at best (the whites were much too sweet) 4 - The tasting room was uncomfortably hot 5 - The service was marginal (our server was aloof and did not provide any insightful description or background on the wine) I cannot recommend Blair Fox whatsoever. Their location in downtown Los Olivos gets them a lot of foot traffic, but serious wine drinkers will be disappointed with the quality of their wine. It's a fine place to hang out on their patio and sip a tiny glass of wine (more like a half glass considering pour size), but otherwise avoid. We also visited Stolpman Vineyards tasting room across the street and found their service to be outstanding. They renewed my faith in Santa Ynez wineries. The staff was very serious, knowledgeable, and passionate about their wine, the pours were generous, and the wines were of much higher quality. In fact, I was so put off by Blair Fox that I wanted to get the hell out of dodge and go to an actual winery, but Stolpman totally changed my mind. If you find yourself in the unfortunate circumstance of having to visit a tasting room in Los Olivos, avoid Blair Fox and head across the street to Stolpman. Enough said. read more

Wow- Love the wines! Each and every one of them! This is a place where you can come and enjoy every wine on the tasting menu! Jani- was attentive, informative and a breath of fresh air. Not only was she knowledgeable but funny and treated is very well. We will be back and hope that she is pouring! Thanks Blair, Fox Family and Jani! read more

Blair Fox Cellars Tasting Room - Delicious! - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Los Olivos, California

Long time listener, first time caller....meaning I've been a member for years and never posted a review. Blair Fox has fantastic wines! If you get the opportunity to go by the tasting room there is no greater hospitality than from Mark Jones - and in addition he's a talented artist having designed many of their killer bottle labels. Open during COVID and have a great outdoor social distanced set up. read more

First time coming to Blair Fox. I love the thought of an "ultra boutique" winery because I'm a snob and I like being one of few who actually get to taste/buy the wine. I know, I know. This label has a great rose, a good Grenache. Most of the wine is quite expensive, unfortunately. But the wine pourer is nice, cute, and friendly. So it's an enjoyable time. Overall, it's much more expensive to taste in SB then it use to be. Most places are $12-15 where it use to be $5 with an occasional $10 but then you would get it credited back if you bought wine. HA! Gone are those days. Sad for those of us that have been tasting here for 20 years or so. read more

Planned stop and well worth the stop! Make it a point to stop in. The tasting menu is a MUST! #expandingtastes #MeanderingCouple #WanderingEye #MyFavoriteGuide read more

Blair Fox Cellars Tasting Room - Zin grabbed us. The Grenache teased the palate immensely! And I'm a spirit drinker. - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Los Olivos, California

With a son named Fox, Foxy bubbles was a must. So was the black hat saying FOX winery. I'd say the trip was worth it! read more

Blair Fox Cellars Tasting Room - With a son named Fox, Foxy bubbles was a must. So was the black hat saying FOX winery. I'd say the trip was worth it! - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Los Olivos, California

I've been going to Blair Fox for the last 10 years. Great wine, awesome service! Mark is the man there! It's just a fun place to go. Highly recommend. read more

I try to rate wine rooms more on the service and less on the wine as we all have such different palates. The service here was great, Blair Fox poured for us and really shared so much wonderful information about the entire process of how he creates his incredible wines that I forgot about the high tasting fee within minutes. As a wine lover I was in heaven. I tasted from the set list and was also offered a few others one being his very first vintage under his own label; 2001 Syrah form the Harmon Family Vineyard . This was so devine that I purchased what he had left along with some other goodies. If you are in the area, you really must check this room out. So much for just rating the room, the wine is just to good to stick to that rule! read more

The Good: (things they do well) I have been a fan of the wines Blair Fox has made for years. His work at another winery was my introduction. I love his work with Rhone varietals. His current work at Fess Parker and Epiphany really are great but here he gets to be his own captain of where he sails with his product. His Syrahs are some of the best I have tasted. Subtle differences in each wine come from grapes influenced by clone, terroir, and vineyard, each are truly remarkable and unique to taste. Some of my wine loving friends who collect wine love them when I bring them to dinner. I have turned several people on to his work. I am glad they are open Friday through Sunday now and look forward to my next visit. This is a high point in my wine tasting in Los Olivos where I have four other wineries where I am a member to visit. I am happy to know Blair and Sarah and enjoy their service, as well as that of the other tasting room staff. The Bad: (Things they do not do well) The one bad thing is fixed, they are open Sundays! The Ugly: (Things they cannot change that are not good) Nothing comes to mind. read more

Was referred Blair Fox from our Uber and as soon as we arrived it was love at first site. Mark who greeted and helped us was INCREDIBLE. The wine tasting was delicious and literally bought every bottle. Between the atmosphere, the wine and the company of Mark honestly was such an amazing time. We really could have spent the whole day here. HIGHLY RECOMMEND. 100 STARS read more

A good server can really make your wine-tasting experience special, while a bad server can completely turn you off of a winery. Blair Fox had been on top of my list of wineries to check out, and I was very excited about visiting the tasting room. However, after my experience wine-tasting at Blair Fox, I'm scratching this winery off my must-visit list for Los Olivos. The server completely ignored us in favor of talking to a wine club member. They chatted about the weather, discussed a family member's job search, and caught up on other personal news. Meanwhile, we got sullen and erratic pours, with no conversation or interfacing at all. I had tannic fatigue of the tongue, so we asked for an additional taste of a wine we thought we wanted to buy. The server made us feel so embarrassed for asking that I was torn between walking away and letting the server judge us as cheapskates just trying to get free wine, or actually buying the wine that I liked despite the server's hostility. The wine is fine, but remembering the server's attitude leaves a bad taste in my mouth whenever I look at the bottle. Blair Fox was a horrible disappointment and we won't be returning or recommending this winery to anyone. read more

The Grenache blend is one of my favorites, I have ordered online a few times, and it comes quick, and always is a winner in taste. I would never be embarassed to share this wonderful wine with any friends, family, or wine-o's as it brings something to the table for everyone. For those un experienced wine drinkers, it opens up the pallette and allows one to really understand what a good wine tastes like. The service was amazing the last time I went, we were given generous tastings, extensive information on the wine we were drinking, and warm friendly service. Keep doing what you're doing guys! read more

Offers a chill and cozy atmosphere with tasty wine. We enjoyed our wine flights outside in the sunshine and particularly favored their Zin.

Great tasting room! The guy running the tasting room was really nice and a lot of fun. He picked up that our group had a mix of people with varying degrees of experience with wine (none to quite a lot!) and adjusted accordingly for each of us. Everyone enjoyed the wine immensely and bought bottle to take home! Great room, wine, and atmosphere! read more

Excellent wine, at least 4 or 5 stars - although, perhaps, $10 overpriced. However, the service and the pours were a 1 or 2 star. You know, the smallest things - a smile, some chat, a fact or two, a splash more in the glass to get a good taste... that's all it takes sometimes... oh well. read more

Mark is taking care of us and let us taste even though it is 13 minutes past closing time! Wonderful wines and we really enjoyed our time here. read more

Blair Fox Cellars is by far my favorite tasting room in the Santa Barbara county. I love the atmosphere and rich wooden accents throughout. The wine is even richer and more delicious than the atmosphere! Sarah Fox poured a wonderful variety for tasting. Being a lover of deep reds, the Syrah was my absolute favorite but I was pleasantly surprised by the Viognier and Rose. Sarah Fox was so informative and attentive as she poured our tastings. I highly recommend a visit to Blair Fox Cellars if you are in the area. Just received the Foxy Bubbles from the latest wine club shippment!!! Love the packaging on this one. I'll be out there in a little over a week and can't wait to stop by the tasting room again. read more

$12/5 tastes, supposed to include the glass, even though I bought a couple bottles I didn't get the glass, somehow. The 2010 Viogner was balanced, slightly sweet and perfectly pleasant. The 2011 Haylees Rose' was also quite lovely chilled, had soft floral notes on the finish and was pale pink so was a nice romantic wine for Valentine's! read more

Tasty Syrahs, friendly service and in my favorite little wine city.

I was not a fan of the $12.00 tasting fee but the wines were pretty good. They were very similar to those of Epiphany (as it is the same winemaker). I left with one bottle of the Rose. All of the reds tasted about the same. They also had way overpriced cookies but the staff were friendly. read more

Ah, my favorite Los Olivos winery! Sis and I were helped by a friendly newbie pourer (2nd day on the job). She was VERY welcoming and friendly. The tastes were good, but my favorite is the Ambush, we bought a bottle of the 2011 and are about to open it-YUM! If you love wine and love syrah, Blair Fox is a must try. This is the winery for people who know wine. Ambush, aaaaah! read more

My family of 8 came here for a tasting and had an amazing afternoon! Every wine was delicious, especially the larner. The service was impeccable. Berta was so friendly, helpful, and an excellent host. Love love love !! read more

This place is off the charts good. Their reds were my favorites of the weekend. Enough to join the club and have something to look forward to. Service was fantastic as well, with a really gracious host in Mark. Great music, which is always a nice touch. I loved this place. read more

My new favorite tasting room in Los Olivos! They hands down make some of the best wines in the area. Known for their Syrah's, which were fantastic, they also had an amazing Petite Sirah from their Estate Vineyard and a fabulous Vermentino. We ended up joining the wine club and are looking forward to visiting often and to bring our friends there. They have such a charming spot! They even have corn hole! Love the staff, love the wines, love the place!! read more

Lovely experience. New tasting room was a warm classy experience. Julie was very knowledgeable and friendly. Would definitely recommit this wonderful gem in Los Olivos. As tasting room owners ourselves, we know how much it takes to make an experience happen. These guys have good wine and great atmosphere. Do it! read more

So glad I came across this tasting room. I have tasted their wines in various restaurants but now I can go and taste these great wines without getting fatter! Aside from the great Blair Fox wines, Sarah Fox was awesome! Very knowledgeable about all the wines and incredibly welcoming. Felt like I was at a friend's house getting educated on great tasting wines. It was a breath of fresh air to spend time at Blair Fox Cellars vs. all the wineries up here in the Bay Area. Thank you Blair and Sarah for a GREAT GREAT wine experience!! read more

Did not have a pleasant experience at Blair Fox and was the worst tasting room of our trip. Upon entry, we seated ourselves and started to look at the tasting sheet. It took a few minutes before we were greeted. We were the only guests tasting. After the first pour, which was not described to us what it is, our wine associate stepped out for a few minutes to order lunch, leaving us all alone. We were ready for our next pour. What disappointed me the most was the lack of background information about the winery, their vineyards, their wine making process, and their wines in general. You should describe each wine to me with each pour. Felt like maybe the service was lacking due to our age? I'm actually wine certified and can get wine nerdy. Felt like my questions weren't really welcomed. As for the wines themselves, personal preference, but not for me. Their syrahs needed more air and were tight. Dry, tannic and earthy. Needed more fruit. Too young right now. Pour sizes were also a little on the small end. read more

Spent my Birthday checking out the nooks and crannies in Los Olivios and this place was packed! My first impression was "uh Oh" we will not get noticed! But quite the opposite! Their staff was engaging and the pours were W-O-N-D-E-R-FULL! I defineitely recommend stopping by to see them! read more

Tucked back in the corner of Los Olivos behind the coffee house is this great little tasting room. I was very happy to have stumbled upon it. The service was excellent. I talked extensively to the pourers and they were informative and interesting. The wines are all very small production and you can tell great care was taken in their production. The tasting room itself is very cozy with much to look at. A true gem, I will be back again. read more

We have been wine club members for about 2 years and look forward to each shipment with much anticipation!! The best to date is the current Grenache release - we bought a case - it is an absolute beautiful wine. In fact, these wines are heaven in general. Each time we visit the tasting room (about 3 times a year) we have learned more about the art of winemaking and my palate has gotten more tuned into the subtle notes of the wines in general. Highly recommend!!! read more

Good wine okay service. The reason for the 2 stars is that the only guy that was there working was not very attentive. They have no restroom so I was like fine I'll wait until after my tasting and once we were done I sent my husband to pay. When my husband didn't return after about 5 minutes I went to look, everyone had left because it was closing time. What was this guy doing sitting on the phone having a freaking personal conversation with someone I was beyond annoyed. He said I have to go I have customers duh you had my husband waiting this whole time but no he didn't get off the phone he went on for about a few more minutes. I didn't want to mess up my day by telling him off so I waited again no one in here and it's closed already get off the freaking phone. If I could I would have walked out without paying but that's not legal but he was just the worst! I went to another wine bar that also didn't have restroom however the service made up for it. So the two stars taken off is just for the service we received. It's easy charge us and we leave and you can continue speaking to whoever. I wish I would have recorded this guy just sitting down and talking but all I wanted to do was get out of there. read more

A friend and I were in Los Olivos recently while she was on a weekend trip visiting from the East Coast. After lunch, we decided to try a few additional tasting rooms in the town itself. Hands down, Blair Fox was our favorite. We liked every single wine we tasted. In particular, I thought the 2004 Paradise Road Syrah was delightful. Additionally, the owners appeared to be a father and son team, both of whom were great fun, and very helpful! Highly recommended! read more

Love this place! The woman who gave us the tasting was so warm and knowledgeable. The wine was great and it's nice that it's off the main drag. Definitely our favorite tasting room in Los Olivos! read more