I don't know what I like more- The breakfast burritos with the tomatillo salsa, the variety of hot sauce, the wine, or Jessica! This place is amazing. We accidentally found this place, after taking the inlaws to a very closed apple hill... We figured we'd stop for a snack before heading to madrona and jack Russell. Little did we know what we were in for. This place....is amazing!! If I could spend a few hours here, I would! The food is amazing!! The wine tops most we've tried. So much so that we brought 7 bottles home and signed up for the wine club! It's definitely no Napa, thank goodness!! It's relaxed, they have an amazing sense of humor. It's a great time! My husband and I both are extremely excited to go back in a few weeks and pick up our first order!! Don't miss this place! read more

I love love love this place! The wines are superb and the food is even better down at the bistro. The staff is out of this world and the chill vibe of the place makes it definitely the place to be! read more

Went wine tasting for my birthday. Kim made it very fun! She was nice and energetic. I will definitely be returning

Sunday was my first time going wine tasting and I couldn't have picked a better place. Crystal Basin staff was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. I learned so much and had an wonderful time drinking and laughing nonstop! Their pomegranate bubbly TO DIE FOR!!!! I will definitely be going back with more of my family and friends! read more

We took a weekday drive up to Apple Hill near Placerville and found this place on Yelp which is right up in Apple Hill. Their menu with photos looked great on their website so we gave it a try. The food was really excellent, my husband had a grilled ruben and I tried the pork tacos. The atmosphere is very casual and there is a small patio if you like. We will be going back and happy to find such a nice place for lunch with reasonable prices. Their winery is right next door. read more

My wife and I and our good friends from Placerville were wine tasting today. Crystal Basin Winery was our last stop of the day. Not only do they have great wines but great people! Kim and KZ are some of the nicest people we have ever met! They made this visit one of favorite wine tasting experiences we have ever had! Thank you so much Kim and KZ for an awesome wine tasting experience! We can't wait to see you again! Owen and Pischieri families! read more

Crystal Basin Cellars is one of our favorite wineries in the State. We have only been going there for 3 years and are wine club members. The wines have been excellent, with some outstanding red blends. You must taste their wines as they are often not what you would expect. They have had a merlot, that was very complex and drank more like a Cab, and a Cab that was very soft yet still had the cab taste. My favorites have been the GSM blends. The tasting room is small, but the service has always been very friendly and helpful. They are proud of their wines (as they should be) and often allow barrel tasting. I have purchased four cases on futures and always wished I had purchased more. Crystal Basin Cellars is a must stop when you are in the Placerville area. read more

Great location right off the freeway so it's very convenient. They have a good selection of delicious wine! It's a cute little place with great service. Will definitely come back! read more

Be sure to stop at Crystal Basin winery next time you are visiting the Apple Hill area or going to or from Tahoe on hwy 50. With over 70 small wineries to choose from in El Dorado County, this is by far the best! I've been to many, but it always seems I drink these wines first, because I like them the best. I now belong to TWO of their wine clubs, and I've never done that before with anyone. These are top quality affordable wines and the wall covered with ribbons and awards in the room adjacent to the tasting room tells you others think the same. The people who own the winery and work here as well as the Bistro next door are some of the nicest, most fun people you will ever meet. And speaking of the Bistro, do drop in for a bite to eat. Very fresh and oh so delicious! Dog lovers too, they are welcome! I love this place. read more

First time coming. Super fun atmosphere. GREAT wine and loved all of the different trinkets. Will definitely be returning.

I LOVE this place! The staff is amazing! The wine, bistro, and environment is awesome. I highly recommend all of the above.

I love crystal Basin cellars had the best time tasting and enjoying the wine with the beautiful Kim on a Tues afternoon ....

Lovely people and great wine! Came in through a Groupon and couldn't have been more engaging and delightful. Loved it so much bought a case of their futures. What a fun time. read more

This is a really nice winery but management is not friendly to groups. I was with a wine tour recently that made a stop at this and two other wineries in the vicinity. Chateau Davell and Bumgarner Wineries were very friendly, knowledgeable, had excellent wines to sample and purchase. Some of our group visited Crystal Basin and after taking a tour of the winery and purchasing products, they were told they could not use the restroom. Even more peculiar and unprofessional was that when the bus was about to depart, the owner confronted the tour driver to tell him his restrooms weren't for the public and that his guests never buy anything, etc. We found this experience to be embarrassing, awkward, and hugely disappointing. read more

Absolutely Horrible service!!!!! You would think an establishment like this one would know how to treat their customers. The wine is just ok, nothing special, but when you have rude people behind the counter serving the wine, it makes it hard to enjoy! Would highly recommend going to Chateau Davell tasting room instead. They are very welcoming and make you feel good about spending your hard earned money there. read more

Great little place off the highway near Apple Hill. Went with a group of friends to celebrate a birthday. Excellent customer service. Really enjoyed the atmosphere which was cozy and down-to-earth. Saw several people bring in their dogs while they were tasting and noticed that the staff greeted multiple visitors by name. Seems that they get a lot locals and repeat customers, which is a good sign. There was a gentlemen rolling cigars and he took the time to explain the process/basics of cigar smoking to us which was really interesting. The shop also had a good collection of arts/crafts/books which was pleasant to browse through. I was DD so unfortunately I really didn't get to sample the wine - the few sips I had were good though. I'd love to come back sometime. read more

Good wine and lots of tastings for only $5. I was with 2 older women and we wished we could have sat down. But we thoroughly enjoyed the wine and the people were very helpful and kind. read more

Wow! What a surprising afternoon, we received the tasting and food experience as a gift and are not from the area, so didn't know what to expect, were we ever taken off guard! It was the most comfortable atmosphere and friendliest people, we practically felt like family by the time we left. My palate has been trained in the Napa/Sonoma wine tradition, so it took a little getting used to Mike & Jack's renditions, but that was easily overlooked by the overall experience. My partner liked the wine so much that he bought some, so! Their little Bistro has excellent food & atmosphere and we will definitely go back next time we are in the area! Thanks everyone at Crystal Basin! Bev & Jim read more

For my moms 50th birthday I planned a wine tasting day in el dorado. Crystal basin is my moms favorite so I made it our first stop. I understand why she loves it so much. The owner went above and beyond to make it an experience for my mom to remember. We had amazing customer service and the whole party had a great time. To top it off their wine is delicious and their staff is so knowledgeable. I had an uncle there that doesn't like wine and they were able to find 2 wines that he enjoyed and he bought two bottles. I would go here over and over again and I plan to continue to bring friends up and recommend it as a destination to go wine teasing! read more

One of my favorite wineries ever! Nothing fancy, just great people and great wine! Mike and Melissa have made this a "Cheers:" kinda place to visit (google it ) You wont find nicer people and then there's Uncle Bob! A true legacy! After the wine tasting go to the bistro for empanadas and their fabulous artichoke ravioli, Check out the local music too. A whole new reason to "go up the hill". read more

Had an amazing experience at Crystal Basin Winery the owners are great and the people that work there are professional and full of information about the wine. Not only that the bistro has the best selection of food that pairs with there broad selection of wine it is hard to choose. Also there Friday night and weekend venues for entertainment is off the hook a real must see. So don't just take my word for get there and experience it for your self you won't regret it. read more

Today my family and some friends decided to give the Crystal Basin Bistro a try. The food was good, and the staff friendly. After our meal, my husband, four year old and one year old son went playing in the field between the Bistro and the winery. My four year old son ventured to the end of the lawn, and... fell into an open hole of wine waste in the ground. There was no fence, no sign - nothing. He was waist-deep in purple sludge. It was a horrible mess, and of course he was upset and scared by it. I went to the winery, which I assume is owned by the same people who run the Bistro, and told a staff member there what had happened. She was nice and apologetic, but that was it. I am shocked that such a hazard is there with no warning. This is a lawsuit waiting to happen. If our one year old had fallen in it could have been a tragic story. This establishment needs to take better care of their premises. read more

My boyfriend and I love this place! The first time we went and wine tasted we tasted about 10 different wines. The people that work there are super nice and friendly as well! We had a tour and also got to taste wine out of the barrel. We joined the wine club its very fairly priced especially considering you can wine taste for free and bring people with you! The food at the bistro is excellent. Pretty much, we love this place and you will too! read more

Kim and Jack made our trip to Crystal Basin Cellars memorable and fun. So much so that my friend became a wine club member. Kim was friendly and full of information! We will go back to Crystal Basin Cellars and Crystal Basin Bistro on our next trip to Tahoe! read more

Every wine that I tried at this winery was of excellent quality, regardless of my personal tastes. We went home with 7 bottles that were especially fantastic, but I may not have gone home with any if it weren't for Kim. She was sweet, personable, and funny. We walked in when she was serving 9 people by herself, in a small tasting room, and never once felt ignored. Knowing that she works Thursdays, I'll be traveling back to see her again soon. Love this place! read more

Have been a member for quite some time now...the staff is awesome and Mike even brings me my wine in Reno when he is here for a CBC event!! Looking forward to next trip to Camino :) read more

Kim made sure we had a fun time, and she was very knowledgable about the wines she had for us to try. She was quite the energetic lady! And the wines were great! read more

We experienced this winery years ago when we were members and had very bad experience with being over charged ($500.00+) on our credit card. It took me almost a year to get refunded and was very stressful!!! After that we avoided it. We wine taste often and have always enjoyed the Apple Hill Camino area. Recently my sister in law tasted at Crystal Basin and was impressed (she did have a different pourer). We were in the area tasting and decided to give it another try. The owner/founder was our pourer, he is a pushy sales person that talks negatively about other wineries. We were not impressed with the wines and because our experience was so poor we paid for tasting instead of applying the cost towards a bottle of wine. From the moment we walked in all we heard about was the Wine Club!!! He did not share any information about the wines we paid to taste, but instead talked about signing us up!!! There are so many great wineries with that area and they do not charge to taste or get pushy about signing you up as a member. We always buy a bottle or more... but not at this place. The winery itself is dingy, dark, very cold and small! The location is right off the main drag next to a stripe mall, so it gives you little to experience besides the wine. I did like the yellow lab Dozer, but we will never return. This is the first time I have ever wrote a review about a winery as we have been tasting in that area (200+times) and never had a negative experience! read more

Crystal Basin Cellars is my favorite winery in El Dorado, by far! The people, atmosphere, and of course the amazing wines all are the reason for this! I recently spent a Friday afternoon tasting wine there. I was lucky enough to spend time with the owners (Mike and MelissaOwen) and they were very personable and inviting. Also, KZ in the tasting room always greats me with a charismatic and welcoming hello! Mike gave myself and some wine club members a great personalized tasting in the barrel room! Mourvedre, Tempranillo, Cab Franc and many more. WOW! All beautiful wines made with passion! It was a great time. The bisto was also so welcoming. It has a wonderful setting with festive restaurant and a cool little "gypsy-like" space to sit in and tast the delicious bistro wines. I work in a wine bar/shop in Tahoe and I feel like it is all about having an experience that makes you look forward to the next time! I will be! Thanks Crystal Basin! I will be sending all my friends and customers to see you guys! read more

Great wine, great food, great location, great people and they love dogs! No snobs in the bunch. Every time we stop by they love to tell you about their wines and seem happy to be doing what they do. Really....what else could you ask for. Numero uno in El Dorado. * After posting this I read some other reviews (bad), and if you've ever seen how busy Applehill can get, you would know that they as well as the other wineries located near supper busy intersections can get overrun with people who have been sucked into bad traffic jams and go "wine tasting" to get out of their car/use bathroom etc...and I could only imagine that service might not be as good as a winery with no one in the tasting room. read more

My husband and I love this winery! We signed up for their club and look forward to receiving the shipments because the staff always makes us feel at home. The barrel tasting is the best, as is the dinners they put on. It's amazing! read more

don't join the wine club. never get e-mails about new shipments, only know when i see my amex charge that something is getting ready to ship. i just got $60 worth of wine shipped by air. the air bill was $127 and nobody told me ahead of time that is what it would cost. you would think someone would be intelligent enough to not ship it. read more

The reason for the low rating is that I wanted to return a purchase of some non perishable wine accessories on behalf of someone who lives far away. The receipt and packaging were intact and it was less than two weeks since the purchase. With the receipt, I asked if I could return the items for store credit and the representative immediately took offense to that. "This is a winery, we don't take products back," she stated in an authoritative tone. There's nothing printed about this policy anywhere as I showed her the items were unopened and in perfect order for resale. "We don't accept returns" she interrupted while I asked for clarification as to why they couldn't be exchanged. Her tone and behavior toward my inquiry suggested that she thought I was trying to pull a fast one or something to that affect. Instead of offering to assist the best way that she could and try to be helpful, the attitude was combative and confrontational in nature as if I had a lot of nerve even requesting to return something. As the conversation descended from cordial to a heated debate, I finally told her to just keep the items. The situation had become too irrational, illogical, and incomprehensible. Customer service skills in that establishment need some polishing because not every transaction is straightforward. Any attempt to show concern for the customer makes a huge difference in the takeaway regardless of whether the problem can be fixed or not. In this example, it was a few items that amounted to less than $15. The overreaction on their part didn't seem justified for that total. read more

We love the wines at Crystal Basin Cellars. The El Dorado County AVA wines are generally fruit forward and very easy to drink. My priority is the Barbera, and Syrah. Actually All their Red Wine is pleasant to drink. We have a place in South Lake Tahoe and are season pass skiers. So CBC is a regular must stop on our way up. I hate it when we get to Camino after 5:00PM and they are closed. We always pick up at least 3 bottles if not a 6-Pack (or a case) of Local El Dorado County Red Wines from CBC for our stay. The staff are all super friendly and helpful. As others have said the barrel tastings are fun, and we think we learn more when we "place a bet" and buy futures, and then later find out if our Taste Buds were correct. (never been disappointed) It helps us learn how young wines will turn out - when ready for sale. Good savings for taking the chance. We've been to a several parties at CBC and have been members for several years. A fun place. With easy on/off access from Hwy 50 if you are on your way to South Lake Tahoe. Great People and Great Wine. Highly Recommended. Infact check out all the wineries in this El Dorado AVA you will be impressed. Sorry Napa the secret is out. read more