Stopped in to rexford for a tasting. This is a really good SCM winery. It is a father and son…read morewinemaking team, and to hear them talk is informative and entertaining! I enjoyed all the wines I tasted here and will definitely return!

Rexford Winery easily has the best wine in Santa Cruz. I'd venture to say Rexford is top three in…read moreall of California for terroir focused, complex, full flavored, and fairly priced wines. We are shocked the secret's not out by now but the father and son duo at Rexford are true masters of the craft. White, red, rosé, and bubbly are crafted to perfection. They source from only the best growers and they absolutely pull every bit of complexity and flavor out of each varietal. In a market filled with noise and misdirection, Rexford delivers a pure reflection of what wine can be at its best and truest composition.

Such a cute little winery! I typically come to this area to visit MJA, but decided to branch out…read moreand give Sones a try. The staff member who welcomed us was very sweet and helped move our table so that we could sit in the sun. The space is very small but charming (and dog-friendly), with little hedgehog decorations everywhere. We asked to do a tasting and were given five carafes to share amongst the three of us. The white wines were both excellent, but I particularly enjoyed the Zinfandel. Would return!

Staff was super friendly and inviting. Wine was ok but it was very cool how they serve it. Also…read morethey have 3 wines that they make small production of and when you buy them they give you refillable wine bottles. You can come back and buy more wine bring your bottle and just have it filled up. All in all great experience.

Pizza not so much ran out of pretzels. The owner Phil and the wine maker Igor, busted a groove…read moretaking care of the crowd. Music by Untangled band was great. Great setting in the redwoods with the vines in front. The wines are very good to excellent. $$$ 30 to 65 depends on your taste. Got tickets at the artichoke festival. Very nice afternoon indeed.

August, 2021, I…read morespent a very pleasant Saturday afternoon wine tasting and listening to live music at the Pelican Ranch Winery on Bean Creek Road. The owner, Phil, went out of his way to be accommodating and found me a seat, even though I arrived without a prior reservation. Our server, Jesse, was very pleasant also. Tanya did an excellent job of outlining the history of the winery for those of us seated at the table. I'm no wine connoisseur; but to my uneducated palate the Pinotage seemed excellent. I plan to return another time to sample their other varietals. Parking can be a problem if you arrive late; so best plan to get there early... A pleasantly surprised local,

They have a tasting room at the Old Sash Mill, but I went to a tasting at the estate in Aptos,…read morewhich is open Fri-Su noon-5. It's very pleasant to sip wine on the patio. They also have a bocce ball court. Two wines stood out: 5/5: The 2024 Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay; it's rubust, sparkly, with tropical notes. 4/5: The 2024 Monterey Sauvignon blanc: Fruity instead of grassy.

**Overall 3.5 stars**…read more The wine tasted excellent! In fact, all the flavors were complex and delicious that my friends joined their wine club! The winery is situated on a hill. The road to get up the hill is very narrow that we almost missed it bec it looked like a driveway. Once we got past the trees to an opening, it was like orchestral music started playing when we saw the gorgeous Storrs building! The cement structure was so sleek and modern, yet it was in the middle of this farmhouse kind of area... it was a little shocking, in a good way. I feel bad taking off stars because I actually loved the wine at Storrs, but for the cost of the wine tasting per person, I was astonished at how TINY the pours were. We are talking the tiniest sip. You don't even have enough to swish it in your mouth to get a good sense of the wine on your palette. We thought we were being "punked", except every pour was this miniscule. There is also a strict no outside food policy here, yet they don't sell food. This is a big downside for me because I find drinking wine a great opportunity to sit back and relax with friends, and that includes munching on some food! Counter space was very cramped in the tasting room, and no one greeted us or acknowledged that we entered the building even. We just walked around for awhile until we found a tiny corner to insert ourselves. The set up isn't ideal for when there are multiple groups inside. There are tables in an outdoor patio and one long table indoors, but with the tasting pours being half a sip, you really don't need to sit down. So this is a big downside for me. The wine is delicious, so I think it's worth tasting and buying some wine here. My tip is to go on an off day so you can get better customer service and maybe get more than a 0.00001 ounce pour. Haha.

I have been a wine club member for several years and have always enjoyed my quarterly shipments and…read morecomplimentary tastings at the west side tasting room. Yesterday I finally made it to a pick up party at the winery and I'm so glad I did. It was lovely and they had beautiful charcuterie from Honey Brook Boards which made it extra special. I hope they continue to offer that, it felt like normalcy during very abnormal times. Silver Mountain is comprised of excellent wine, friendly people, no pretentiousness, and extra touches that make it very special.

Such an amazing first experience place! We came to do the wine tasting for $20 per person and met…read moreMichelle who was helping us. Amazing choice selection, great explanation of all wines and homey ambiance. Would Take for a date or special night. Small and comforting vibes. Bring some snacks!!

First time coming to this place and truly adding to top 5 local favorites. The staff was all…read moreextremely friendly and welcoming. We had one server helping us but it seems that they work as a team and everyone would pop by to ensure we were doing ok. The wine was delicious, big fan of their Chardonnay and their Pinot Noirs. I went with my family so we ordered one of each flight to try all the wines they were pouring. The property is truly so beautiful and loved the views and peacefulness that surrounded it. Will definitely be coming back!

They have wine tasting Saturday noon-5. You can bring food to the patio…read more All wines are estate grown. For their sparkling wine, they use champagne vintner in Sonoma: Dan Person. He uses hand-riddling for the champagne style. Two wines stood out to me: 5/5: 2021 Sparkling brut. It has a yesty, bitter oak note. Very sparkly. 4/5: 2023 Fiamma white pinot noir: Herbaceus and grassy.

"Driving Miss Moblee," Act IV, Scene III (17/18)…read more [Steadicam tracking shot of E. and B. leaving the Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyards tasting room with bottles of port and brandy in a wine carrying case. They stumble out onto the sidewalk, deposit the contents in the trunk of the Tesla, and then walk arm in arm on unsteady legs to the Bottle Jack Wines tasting room, shared with Silver Mountain Vineyards]. [The tasting room is filled to overflowing with festive, wine-themed Christmas decorations. "Late September" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjdWlvnnljk) plays on the stereo]. [The rain has stopped, so E. and B. sit down at an outdoor patio with open bottles of 2018 Sierra Foothills Viognier and 2014 Santa Cruz Mountains Petite Sirah. They pour the wines into Zalto wine glasses B. extracts from his soft-sided cooler, accompanied by El Salchichero bresaola served on Companion Bakery levain bread with fresh horseradish and drizzled with toasted sunflower oil and 12 year aged balsamic vinegar. B. then serves a Dungeness crab panini, cut in two, with melted Monterey Jack from Vella Cheese Co. (Sonoma, CA) to pair with the Viognier]. E: Why in the F-word haven't we covered Bottle Jack Wines in The Press yet? I really dig this Sierra Foothills Viognier, and the Petite is F-wording delicious! B: Well, when you assign someone who lives in the City to cover the dynamic local wine scene here, you tend to miss newer, audacious places like this. Not to mention old lions like Silver Mountain Vineyards, whose wines are classic examples of the potential of the area to make great Burgundian and Bordeaux style wines. Maybe you should hire a local, such as myself, who can give the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA the extensive coverage it deserves. [E. is about to speak but is interrupted by her iPhone 11 Pro vibrating]. E: Hello? What? As in, like, immediately? And what shall I tell him, then, when he asks me for an explanation why? And you need the Tesla back when? Tonight? Are you serious!? This is, like, so not right. You know, Eric at the Times would never stand for this. Even Dave at the Post would say no, and between you and me, that man is a F-wording IDIOT who doesn't know S-WORD about wine. Tell Audrey and her F-wording corporate SLAVEMASTERS they can come and try to take a bite out of my honey pot sweet C-WORD if they think that they can get me to fire my own goddamned driver and return that goddamned Tesla of theirs anytime soon, because I am a goddamned award winning wine critic who went to Smith F-WORDING College, and if they think they can mess with me, well you tell them from me that they can ram rolled up copies of the Chronicle covered in steaming HORSE S-WORD straight up their enormous, middle-aged A-wordholes. And then, they can set them on fire. Fine. Gotta go. You're welcome. Goodbye. Happy frickin' Holidays to you, too! [E. presses the end call button on her phone and sets it on the high-top table where she and B. are standing. She grabs the empty bottle of Viognier by the neck and proceeds to smash it into shards directly on top of the phone before then pouring a full glass of Petite Sirah on the table and then kicking it over. E. then picks up the damaged phone off the ground and hurls it against the wall, where it shatters to pieces]. B: So, that went well. E: B., you're fired. And we need to take the Tesla back to the dealership in Mountain View by 10 pm tonight or they'll fine me $500 a day until I do. Budget cuts ordered by Hearst corporate, effective immediately. I should sue those A-wordholes for workplace sexual harassment for every penny that they and their next of kin are worth. D-wordhead male executives and that spineless female editor ice queen in chief B-word who carries out their orders. Idiots! [E. locates the Petite Sirah bottle, now lying half empty on the ground, and takes a long pull]. E: Well, ya' can't be ma' driver no more, Boke, but that don't mean we can't steel be freens. [E. and B. both drop back fully into character for a moment]. B: Miss Moblee, no'ne at Hearst nah an' otha' place in dis' heah world can come b'tween us na'more. We haz a boooond that'l bend from time ta' time but will nevah break! I tells youz whot .. E: Ain't that the truth! Boke, I luvs ya', and that ain't the wine talkin' neithah! We is freens - fahevah! [E. and B. take turns killing the rest of the Petite left in the bottle]. E: Tell ya what, let's us grab a drink somewhere - a REAL drink mind ya' and not just some more of this heah wahn - and figa' out what we is gonna' do next. Whatcha say, Boke? B: I knowz jes' tha' place, Miss Moblee. Jes' tha' place ... [E. and B. walk grim-faced to the Tesla, to "Redemption Day" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHmVzQIZGiQ)]. [End of Act IV].

Nice little tasting room located in a warehouse plaza that we frequent (since we love the 11th hour…read morecoffee shop!) It's pretty basic, there's a couple seats inside and outside, no view of anything, but at least the chocolate/ice cream shop is right next door! It was $20 for a tasting and i got to choose my 4 wines. For not having a view, and the bartender not saying more than a sentence about each wine, it was little steep for the experience. Luckily, the fee is waived with just a one bottle purchase which I did get!

Thoughtful people making beautiful, honest wines. Come for the Pinot, stay for the Syrah! Also,…read morethis is now a Dave (cellar dog/mascot) appreciation account.

Madson tasting was a lovely experience. We used groupon & it was very reasonable considering a 5…read moreflight tasting plus 2 extra ones. Our host was friendly & gave us a tour & some history. We also got a bottle for our enjoyment.