(Tasted 10/26/13 SA @ 3:00pm): A bit pricey but magnificent wines!
Thanks to an outstanding Living Social offer (www.livingsocial.com), a coworker, her husband, her sister, and I were able to try several wineries in the Ventura County area - among them, Magnavino Cellars.
The Living Social deal was a voucher for a "One Harvest Wine Passport" offered by the Ventura County Wineries Association and valid at eight wineries ($80.00 value for $40.00). Magnavino Cellars was our fourth and last stop of the day (to be continued later) on our tasting tour, and I had to say they were the busiest and most popular (or maybe it was simply later in the day). Here was how the tasting went (mostly reds), and please by no means am I an oenophile - just a simple fool who enjoyed wine: http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=rYFNKhqJBSn4LBNySH7huw&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw
2012 Beautiful White Blend: (ranked #3) The only white in the bunch, I enjoyed it's light body and fruity nose...but dammit, what's the blend!?
2010 Trifection: (ranked #7) The Grenache was overbearing in this blend which ruined it for me.
2010 Zinfandel: (ranked #1 - $29.00) This was a lovely light and soothing body, but then our winetender snuck in their "Old Vine" version which was heavenly with tastes of cherries and raspberries. I grabbed a bottle and ran!
2010 Cabernet Sauvignon: (ranked #5) Bold, I was sensitive to the hint of tobacco, and I felt the finished lingered a bit too long for my liking.
2010 Syrah: (ranked #4) Get me a lounge chair and the warm California weather and this was good to go! However, the spices tended to be a bit strong.
2010 Petite Syrah: (ranked #6) This one seemed very busy on my palate, and although I liked the chocolate taste the other dark fruits masked it. It had a hearty finish.
2009 Syrah (ranked #2 - $32.00) An extra off-tasting menu selection, again, our winetender was ever the salesperson and did a wonderful job! I found this less spicy than its 2010 sibling and may not share it with anyone!
Souvenir Glass ($8.00) - None of the previous wineries provided complimentary wine glasses with our tastings so I bought this; I liked the crest. http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=egrODd7Q5zLJTBg0FyYKAA&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw
Service - Not much to it as we simply walked up to the tasting bar, showed our passport, and the tasting was on! It was rather busy and crowded, but the bar was staffed with three people, and they still provided us personal attention. And boy did they sell us! All was good!
Parking - There was sufficient free parking on the lot they shared with other businesses.
Atmosphere, décor, ambience - The business was located in an industrial area with an unappealing storefront that lacked eye-level visible signage (this was it http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=cNLxzi4Ls9Z2g-G-BzEA5A&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw). However, once inside it was extremely spacious. You entered through a lobby area that opened to a high-ceiling facility with a tasting bar, a private party table area, numerous couches to lounge on, and the cellar off to the right http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=UbhERM0qPBhu4Jn4W7mZmg&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw. Hung on the cream and violet walls were some framed paintings, and a few tall green plants placed in corners. There was plenty of lighting - mostly electric), although there was an annoying skylight. I liked the chandelier http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=GH9G3dmaWxn3_m8CJgkr7g&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw! I didn't notice any TVs or background music.
Attire - It was totally casual so I would normally be in a t-shirt, boardshorts, and flip-flops.
Overall, Magnavino Cellars was the most complete of the four wineries we visited this day. Their price range ($18.00-$38.00) was higher than I'd like, but that I bought two bottles said something to the quality. I still can't get used to the whole urban winery located in industrial areas as the whole romanticism of a vineyard view was reserved for those more conducive areas such as Napa, Santa Barbara, Sonoma, and Temecula - just to name a few in California. But as long as they produced a good product I guess it didn't matter, right? It's not like Ventura County lacks farmland, so I'm just saying.... I found very good value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (total experience was around $80.00 based on 50%-off tasting of $10.00; no tip required). Thank you for the extra tastings and more than the usual five tastings. And, there were complimentary crackers to aid with the tasting. No complimentary tasting glass. And, they accepted my credit card of choice...AMEX! read more