I visited the tasting room at this winery this week and I was pleasantly surprised at the high level of customer service as well as the friendly Yellow Lab (Dozer) we encountered. It is tucked away off Carson Road and not a fancy entrance, but the wine is good and it was free. My only knock on the place was the price of their wines for sale.....Try the Cabernet Franc, Renegade Red and my favorite, the Mouvedre. Definitely worth the drive up to Camino. read more

As it usually happens when you find a great place we stumbled on this winery as our first stop of the day on a day wine excursion from Lake Tahoe. This is the most friendly winery I've ever visited. They have complimentary tasting of many of their more popular wines and even invited us back to taste futures. Their whites were good, but their reds were all extrordinary. After a week in Sonoma and Napa I didn't join any wineries' clubs, but I joined here and now can't wait for my next shipment. A+ all around! read more

I've never been able to drink red wine...it always gave me horrible headaches....but after meeting Mike and trying their red wine I am a convert. I particularly like the Renegade Red and the Cab Franc. They also host great events and are terrific people to be around. However, If you're not able to get to the winery in Camino to buy their wine they do have an online store on their website. http://www.crystalbasin.com/store They will deliver right to your door! Debi read more

We were a group of four; went wine tasting for 2 days this week, visiting many wineries in the area. Of all of them, this is the only one I would tell people to avoid. Their wine is OK, but the two men running the tasting room have a surplus of bad attitude and obvious disdain for their potential customers. I buy wine at every winery I go to, and I do not appreciate seeing my friends insulted by snide comments. On the other hand, the bistro next door is really good! So, skip the winery, eat at the Bistro! read more

First time wine tasting in El Dorado Hills AVA. This was our favorite stop. Interesting and fun wines made and poured by interesting and fun people. The winemaker / proprietor Mike was too cool and accommodating and his wines were spot on across the board. If you are lucky enough to land there on a Tuesday (or a Wednesday when she's covering) you may get Vivacious Kim as your pourer. She slings wit like Billy The Kid swings a 6-shooter. Watch out! Or you might just have too much fun :) read more

This winery is whimsical and awesome. Chris took great care of us with 15+ tastings. I highly recommend this place. They do actually have 26 wines that "don't suck". read more

Melissa is just about the most perfect wine room diva you can find! She runs the show & knows the ropes! Gr8t place! read more

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Shout out to Barbara in the reserve tasting room where the barrels are located as well. She was super informative about the wine and the winery and even helped me get the wine I wanted to buy without breaking my wallet. This tasting room had over 30 wines to taste from with decor to match the winery's personality. There are hilarious signs scattered throughout the main entrance room to provide your eyes as well as your group with entertainment. Heck, some of them could even be conversation starters. The tasting cost $5 per person but can count towards $5 off any wine bottle purchase. I would be lying if I said I kept count of how many tastings you get for this price but it's definitely a lot and you can receive some hefty pours as well so enjoy that!! ha. But I digress...there are pretzels to snack on in between tastings that can be joined by different dipping sauces as well. Each dip is located in different spots on the bar but All of them are delicious. Enjoy the great company and make some new friends while you relaxing and drink some amazing wine! read more

Love a winery that invites you to the back room for barrel tasting. Loved it enough to buy a case of wine futures.

Wine tasting with Kim absolutely fabulous.. Was not a fan or willing to try red wine after drinking from a bad bottle.. the staff talked me into trying their wine. The wine was so good I joined my first wine club and bought futures. Small intimate venue everybody fun atmosphere. MY friend and I went to the bistro for dinner afterwards the food was absolutely fantastic love it and would recommend it to anyone read more

Great place for a good time, food and wine. try the Renegade Red... Lovely... and they are dog friendly! You will fell like your one of the family. Check their events on the weekend. read more

Mike owen is the best, wines are amazing!!!! But what truly made me go and become a club member is the fact that I was able to bring back a bottle of wine and replace it with a new or different labeled one! What a great policy and it assures that you will find the right one for you thanks again. read more

No idea about the wine. Stood at the counter for tasting while they talked to others and didn't even acknowledge us. Oh well, there are many more wineries here to move on too. Very rude though! read more

When you can walk into a winery tasting room and feel like you are family, it's a good thing. My husband's family lives not too far from here but we discovered Crystal Basin during a barrel tasting event put on by the El Dorado County Winery association. I don't think I have ever had a bad glass of wine here. We last visited during the Bring Out the Barrel even in January and had a great time. read more

All the staff is very personable and helpful! Joined one of their wine clubs yesterday during my visit. Kim and Guy made our visit special, we had a great time! read more

One of our absolute favorite cellars in the Sierra Foothills with a wide variety of award-winning, gold medal wines from major wine competitions. On my first visit over 3 years ago, I immediately became a member after savoring their luxurious Reserve and Ascendance wines. The reds are just awesome, am partial to the Cab Franc, the Pinot Noir, or the Victorie. You really can't go wrong with anything here, there's something for every taste and every budget. The staff is extremely personable, funny, passionate about their wine, & highly committed to showing everyone a good time. LOTS of tastings for a minimal tasting fee. The gift shop alone is worth a visit! Lot of fun, funky wine souvenirs, signs, accessories for any occasion. The Bistro next door has fabulous, upscale, fresh food for picnics or sharable plates after tasting -- fun, casual spot with fine dining at down home prices. Highly recommend Crystal Basin Cellars!! Get on their mailing list so you can stop by for special events (barrel tastings, concerts, passport weekends, etc). Easy access off Hwy 50. This area is Napa 20 years ago -- no pretentious or bustling crowds and great value for the money. Just good people making great wine for good times. read more

I purchased a groupon deal for Crystal Basin Cellars without reading any reviews or knowing anything about it. We were not sure what to expect when we headed there from Sac (about an hour drive). The deal was for tasting, 2 shareable plates in the bistro, a barrel room tasting and a bottle to take home. I figured we would get to taste 3 or 4 wines, have a pitifully small plate to share and some decent wine. Obviously my expectations were not high. We were certainly surprised! The wine was great and we tasted approx 10 wines in the tasting room. We then headed to the bistro were we were served large portions of fabulous food! We came back and did the barrel room tour after being offered more samples of wine on our way to the barrel room. The barrel room tasting was fun and gave us a little more history on the wines and how they are created. We purchased a bottle of the Merlot which was great! The staff was really friendly and we really enjoyed ourselves! The tasting room is a little small and was very crowded but I never felt like we were being ignored or not taken care of. This was one of the best groupon deals I have purchased! read more

Took my visitors to this winery on a Thursday in late July. Underwhelmed by the tasting room server and the overpriced wines. Will not be back. Had warm welcome elsewhere. read more

My wife and I had a wonderful time at Crystal Basin Cellars. Mike and Chris in the tasting room are incredibly personable and it made the whole experience relaxing and enjoyable. We must have tasted 10 varieties and I can honestly say that they were all enjoyable. We signed up to be club members on the spot! We also enjoyed the Crystal Basin Bistro's excellent dishes before returning home. Do Not Miss This Winery! After reading some other reviews, I can hardly wait to come back for the barrel tasting tour now that we are club members! read more

Our entire wine refrigerator is stocked full of Crystal Basin Cellars wine!!! This is our favorite place to get our wine & we bring our entire family and our best friends to many of their fun events. We love the Cabernet Franc and recommend it to everyone! read more

Love this place. Decent (not great) prices. Other than that, absolutely no complaints.

We've just spent the last few days visiting vineyards around the area (and I've done this in France and Italy as well various places in the US) and Crystal Basin Cellars has been one of my favorite stops of all time. The wine is amazing and I can't wait for my quarterly cases to arrive at my doorstep. I promise you're not drinking wine this great if you're buying it at your local grocery; it's time to upgrade. You won't be disappointed! read more

We love this winery. They have many awesome red wines that are full-bodied and flavorful. The staff is fun, friendly and helpful. Mike, the owner, has a great sense of humor and never fails to share some bit of historical knowledge that pertains to wine and grape growing. We buy futures at this winery, which is a great deal because we get to pick a mixed case of the wines that appeal most to our palate. In addition to great wines, Crystal Basin Bistro has some of the best food in the foothills. This is truly a destination worth visiting! read more

By far my favorite winery in the area! My parents met Mike and Melissa a few years ago when we moved up from the Bay Area and we have been family friends ever since! From trips to Mexico and Christmas dinners, there isn't a time I don't enjoy any of the wines from CBC. They hold live music on the weekends and are very dog friendly (a winner in my books)! If you are in the area or driving through, you're almost guaranteed to find something at Crystal Basin - whether it be drinks or a bite to eat at their bistro, let yourself indulge at CBC! read more

What a great find! Close to my mom's house and such nice people in the tasting room. The wines were very drinkable as well. If you buy a bottle, they wave the $5 tasting room charge. It is not hard to find at least one bottle to buy. read more

Hi Mike! Joe and I had a wonderful time a your beautiful tasting room! We really love your wines! We really appreciate your wonderful staff and your amazing hospitality!! We really appreciated you sharing that wonderful wine in the barrel room, we will be back soon! Thank you Mike you and your staff are amazing! ~ Joe & Diann read more

I purchased a Rush49 deal that included tasting in the tasting room, two shareable plates at the Bistro, barrel tasting, and a bottle of wine to take home. I was surprised at the number of wines we were given to taste. We had a great time here. I even got tattooed by Uncle Bob! Everyone was incredibly friendly and we left with some adorable pajamas and two bottles of wine. The food at the bistro was very good. This was really a fun tasting experience - one of the best I've had. I recommend making a reservation for early in the day. The tasting room and bistro were very busy after about noon or one. We went at 11 and it was perfect timing. read more

Vivacious Kim on Tuesdays. She knew what she liked & was very honest. She made the tasting Fun. She went from no one, to just us, and then a full house within 15 minutes. Handled it like a pro. We enjoyed the selection of wine and bought some Renegade Red for the midweek dinners. The wine and tasting room is highly recomended & we will return on our next trip in the area. read more

Stumbled across this place on my birthday due to the reviews. I was still a bit of a wine newbie there, being more of a beer fan, and most of my experiences at wineries had been pricey and nothing special. From the moment we walked in we were made to feel at home. Their staff is always nice and personable, and they're so down to earth. The $5 tasting fee is applied to the bottle if you make a purchase, and they typically offer several pours with their tasting. Their wine clubs are very reasonably priced and they allow you to swap out your shipment if you don't like what is in it. Most importantly, they have quality wine and a lot of variety, so you can be sure to find something you like here. The restaurant across the parking lot is also amazing and has become a new favorite. read more

Love their wines. Service is always a little sketchy. The staff always seems to be talking to a client, meaning the newer client doesn't get great service when they come in. I was pretty annoyed with the woman pouring this past Tuesday when I went in. She was un-organized and flustered, which would have been fine, except that she kept making comments about my friend's and my ages. We are both 22. I understand that people who are younger tend not to know what they are doing with wine, and most can't hold their liquor but we intentionally shared pours so as to not get drunk. I had one sip off of a few of them and gave the rest to my friend so I could drive. The woman behind the counter tried to cut my friend off (she wasn't drunk at all) unless we went to the Bistro and had lunch. Considering both of our states (acting completely sober), this was irritating. We were going to try the bistro anyway but the pressure of "you can't try the rest of the wines unless you go" when I'm a member just came off as a gimmick to get me to spend more money, rather than genuine concern. This added to the rude client who was also carrying on about our age made for an unpleasant experience. I would encourage the staff to learn to cater to all clients, especially when the clients seem out of the norm. I walked away from my pickup where I was supposed to get 3 bottles with 10 bottles that day. She probably could have sold more if we hadn't been ignored and then mocked. read more

Another winery we are members of. I believe my wine rack at home is currently full of only Crystal Basin wines. The whole menu is drinkable and the atmosphere is fun. Many a weekend we stop in and say hi to the staff and end up making new friends with the other people who are tasting/purchasing wine. Try the Chateu MeauFeaux (spelling??) if it's in. DELICIOUS bagged wine. Fans for life! read more

Very warm and welcoming.. Informative and great tastings. Definitely add this to your list.

I'm a big fan of Crystal Basin cellars. I like that it's a small winery, love their birthday treat (your age discount on your birthday) and their Bistro food is savory and doesn't break the wallet. The staff is very friendly. My favorite wine is the Triumphant. Can't wait to go back. read more

Excellent!!! Great wine & great people. Don't miss Crystal Basin. We were there for the Barrel Tasting event and the wines & hospitality exceeded expectations! The wines were fantastic and again - the people were so fun. Don't miss it and take home a case instead of a few bottles or you will be sorry and have to pay for shipping once you get home and realize you should have purchased a case. Can't wait to return in May. read more

I want to give Crystal Basin Cellars a higher review. I really do. But we really didn't enjoy ourselves there. I had read extensively about how the wines are great and everyone there is treated like family. I expected this to be one of our favorite wineries during our visit this past week. The tasting room is in a big industrial looking metal buiIding. I figured the wine and service would make up for the lack of ambiance. Not so. I do think our pourer was having a rough day, so I understand that she wasn't particularly chatty with us (she had just had some major issues with their computer before we came in and was a little stressed out). There were two other groups in the tasting room, and clearly the other people there were locals and/or wine club members. Our pourer stopped by to pour our wines in a nervous, flighty way, and then moved off the giggle with the other people there. We had very little interaction with her, but when we did, she seemed very tense and kept smiling and moving around quickly. She was also eating her lunch out of a to-go box right there on the bar in between pours. After we left, my husband commented that he felt uncomfortable in there, and he's pretty laid back. I felt exactly the same way. So, even with all of that, what about the wine? I honestly didn't like one wine there, and we tasted quite a few. My husband and I both ended up paying the $5 tasting fee because we couldn't find anything we liked. I felt guilty about that, but I just couldn't justify buying anything. FYI, we walked away from our trip to El Dorado County with four cases of wine, after having visiting 10 wineries. Crystal Basin, our third winery on a three day trip, was the only one in which we didn't make a purchase. Our friends bought one bottle because they felt bad about not buying anything. They later regretted their purchase. I don't have it in me to give a lower review because I know this place is a favorite of locals, so there must be something special about it. However, I didn't have the opportunity to experience that. With all of the wineries to visit in the area, we won't be returning. read more

great wine! The bistro also has amazing food... A definite place to stop at when you can!!

After becoming a member 2 years ago we brought some friends with us. Good wine, Great company, Awesome music. Mike Owen and his crew know how to throw a party! read more

This place is the hidden gem of the Sierra Foothills, Placerville, Camino, Apple Hill, Cameron Park, you are all so lucky to have the CBC Tasting Room right there at your backdoor and also you now have the wonderful CBC Bistro, with the best food around and the Assistant Manager, Mick B. is so charming and knowledgeable about wine. He is well-traveled and it is obvious. Thank you for the tours and the barrell tasting and the crush. I think that it is well worth the trip any day of the week! read more

be sure to stop by Crystal Basin Cellars and their Bistro! Award winning wines, great food, great people! They have one of the very best wine clubs ever - and they know how to treat their members!! There's always some kind of event / music on the weekends. read more

The food was amazing!!! We went and tried almost everything on the menu and nothing was disappointing. The spinach dip was surprisingly good and the lettuce wraps were the bomb. The wine cellar was good but not the best wine we've had. I did end up buying the port and would come back :) read more