We visited McClain Cellars on Saturday, November 14th with a 5pm reservation for a tasting. Reservations are currently required during the current time. We were seated promptly and after our server (wine specialist as they call them) arrived, they kept on top of everything and never let us sit for very long. The service was incredibly friendly and we thought the wines were quite tasty. There was also some live music on Saturday night, which made the environment all the more charming. We would definitely come back again in the future. read more

Our server was phenomenal, and they were kind enough to let us bring our own snacks. The place was empty when we went, so that was probably part of the reason why we could get away with it. Most of the wines we tried were pretty good, and we ended up getting a bottle to take home! I would definitely be back, especially since we frequent the area during the summer time! read more

McClain Cellars - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

My husband and I stopped at McClain to grab a glass of wine. We left with three bottles and a membership! This wine tastes absolutely fantastic- my favorite being Love & Happiness. We prefer red wine, and I did not try one I did not like (and I tried several). Our host Juliana was a delight- absolutely personable, generous, and approachable. The winery is right next door to a few restaurants and bars, so perfect for a night out. We are excited to support a local winery that is close to home and cannot wait for our next visit! read more

McClain Cellars is a delightfully wonderful hidden surprise. The ambiance and decor is wonderful. We were attended to by a knowledgeable and attentive server, Agnes. The selection of wines is superb and the hot hor d'oeuvres were very tasty and artfully served. We really enjoyed the live music; it was not only musically very good but also not so loud that we could not enjoy our conversation. We had a fabulous Sunday afternoon and I highly recommend visiting this terrific winery. read more

I decided to come to McClain Cellars opposed to other wine tasting lounges cause of all the great reviews on yelp! When I arrived, I was a bit surprised to see only a few other guests there. But in hindsight it ended up being really nice cause it wasn't too loud to where you can't hear anyone. It made the tasting more intimate among my friends. Once our first drink was poured, our server came in good time intervals for the next wine to taste! She recommended her favorite to be the "Summer Breeze" wine which I wish was on the actual white wine tasting menu cause it was so delicious when I tried it afterwards! They do give you a little clipboard with a score sheet to keep track of the wines. Unlike some reviews, I do believe the price of the tasting was priced accurately and affordable at $35 for 6 different wines. But, the cheese, meats, and popcorns, I do believe are a bit over priced for the quantity you would be receiving which is why my group and I didn't get any. They offer a prepackaged assortment of crackers, cheese, a meats that they sell for $10 but the retail value of those packs at the grocery store are $4. That was a bummer cause some of the wines would pair so wonderfully with some cheese. Overall, if I'm ever in the area again, I would definitely visit McClain Cellars to taste more wines. read more

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Super cute! Close to Sawdust. Had a great time with my girls there wine tasting. Wine was great with a variety of wines to choose from

We love McClain and have been members for a few months!! The wine is great, ambience is fun and the staff is the best. We love that they recognize us and always treat us like family. Both the canyon and forest location are so much fun. read more

Juliana behind the bar is a wee star. If they had lousy wine, I'd go back just for her. But they don't. Everything I tasted was fabulous. Heck, I even joined their wine club it was so good. Looking forward to visiting their Solvang/Buellton locations! read more

McClain Cellars - Took 3 bottles to go. - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

Love the wine love the service. Taylor was a wonderful host of our wine tasting. The live music was a perfect fit for the ambiance. 10/10 recommend. read more

We used to love this place. We met the owners when they were in the building process & loved their passion for good wine & good people. So much that we became wine club members when they opened. But unfortunately it has gone way downhill. The last several visits to the tasting room have been very disappointing. The staff hasn't been attentive & we miss the friendly personable servers they used to have. But none of that is what has moved me to leave a review. I have to leave a review because of how I was treated when I informed them I needed to cancel my wine club membership. I let them know that I needed to cancel due to a medical diagnosis that significantly limited my wine drinking. The email response was cold & disrespectful, quoting a bunch of terms & conditions. When I let the employee know it was such, she left me a voicemail asking to speak about it. So I gave her a chance & called her back. I was met with "I'm so sorry" followed immediately by "I am just following my training" In other words - NOT SORRY! She was even more disrespectful on the phone than in the email. All in all, extremely disappointed at how this place has gone downhill. read more

We had such a lovely time here! We are from out of state, and I was definitely looking forward to tasting some delicious CA wines. We got so lucky in finding McClain Cellars, and would highly recommend them to anyone! Seriously, anyone. We brought our kids, and the wine ambassadors were so accommodating to our little family. We chose to sit outside, far from the bar, and the kiddos enjoyed gourmet chocolate and McClain Cellars delicious popcorn (okay, we had some too) while we sipped. We went for their happy hour special, which was a total steal. I want to say it was ten dollars. As I type it out, that seems too good to be true ... but hey, I think it really was the case. We also went for the owner's favorites for our other tasting. Between the two tastings, we were there for a couple hours and the pours were very generous! I had such an enjoyable time, and struggled to pick out just one bottle so we left with two! Both my husband, who is not easily impressed with wine generally, and myself (I love wine, generally) agreed that this was the best wine we have ever had. Everyone we interacted with here was so kind and helpful. We enjoyed hearing the owner's heartwarming story, and were so pleased to be able to meet him ourselves! Such a genuine guy, and so welcoming. As a mom, I always feel a bit like I'm annoying others when I bring my children to a nice place (don't worry, we make sure they behave to the best of our abilities) and the owner kindly said that he wanted families to feel welcome at McClain Cellars. The tasting room, also, was very beautiful. Again, I'd recommend to absolutely anyone! My only wish is that we could please get this wine in Austin, TX. read more

McClain Cellars - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

Fantastic location and fun place to enjoy fabulous wine and the people who come to visit! It's family owned, which I love to support! It's a must on my top ten list to enjoy! read more

Get a loan before you go. Prices are very high. Every item had a twist on it. When you eat you are trying to figure out what it is.

We enjoyed their wines so much we joined their wine club on a trip to Buellton. It was pick up time for this quarters shipment so we had the opportunity to visit the Laguna Beach tasting room. Chelsea and Shane were very welcoming. Chelsea did our Member tasting and she was very bubbly and friendly. She knows her wines and obviously she enjoys sharing her knowledge with her customers. She made our visit memorable. We would love to come back on a live music night and experience an evening with the team. Definitely recommend! read more

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Outstanding service and ambience, little pricey but hey it's Laguna!!! Very friendly people!! read more

First time here...will not be the last. Great job distancing and doing all the wine tasting outside. The Hive is a lovely area in Laguna Canyon. We enjoyed each wine in our tasting. I brought a newbie with me. She was visiting from Nevada. Loved the entertainment. Felicia Dunne has a beautiful voice and her song selections were perfect with her added flair. Staff was attentive, only advice I have is offer more background on origin of the grapes (vines) and the process in general ....especially for those new to wine tasting. read more

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I used to work for Jason back in the day and truly love him and his family! So I thought I would come try out his wines at his winery in Laguna! I was super impressed. The wines are smooth, the service is great, and the atmosphere is excellent. Though, I was the only one there (it was a Tuesday afternoon) it was still very pleasant! The wine ambassador that helped me was very knowledgeable and friendly. I will definitely be back. I will be becoming a member and frequent flyer because the wines are really that good read more

McClain Cellars - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

Wine is so subjective, it's difficult to write a review. From my perspective the service at the tasting room was very friendly. The tasting flights we severely overpriced as was what they were asking for the wine. Most of the wines that we tried in the flights were good, but but we would not purchase bottles at the high price points being asked. We are members of VML and Pali Wine clubs and have been members at a dozen other wineries over the last 15 years. When you have a similar price point as VML or MedLock Ames, you really need to bring your "A+ game" and produce interesting, unique wines. The wines we experienced reminded me of what we had at Bottlest in Central Coast a few years ago which produces a lot of house brand, and white label wines for other brands. Like I mentioned, the wines are okay but somewhat overpriced in our experience. read more

For Christmas eve, we wanted to find a winery nearby that would accommodate bringing a dog and this place offered just that! They had an outdoor patio with heating lamps and was accommodating with our dog (even brought him some treats!). We ordered a wine flight (and they had a variety to choose from - such as all white, all red, and a mix). We ordered uniquely flavored popcorn to go with our wine tasting. The service was really great as well. Our family had a great time here! read more

This is little local gem good wine tasting for couple or group at reasonable price for Laguna Beach, it's a little area just need reservation ahead, also there's no other menu except little snacks, should have tried the truffle garlic popcorn. Chris is super, can't wait to come back. Parking lot is limited, there's packing in the back. read more

McClain Cellars - White flight. - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

We have been to McClain a few times. Each time we have come, the service has been exceptional! Not only is everyone so sweet & accommodating, but they also give dog treats to our little Boston terrier who joins us! LOL Waiel was our wine ambassador & Garrett helped us as well. Both were so kind and made us feel so welcome. After coming a few times and always having exceptional service, we decided to join their wine club. Who doesn't love discounts for great wine!? Highly recommend McClain to everyone & if you have a pup, bring them too! read more

Nice selection of wines and excellent service. Don't leave without a bag of popcorn... A gem on Laguna Canyon Road.

Found this place as I was driving to POM and wanted to visit. Then when I saw an online voucher it drew me in quicker. We taste wine to purchase all around California; Napa. Sonoma, Healdsburg, SYV, Ventura Wine Trail, OC Wine Trail, Santa Barbara and Oregon. You get the drift. .. in comparison I enjoyed most of their wines, although we felt their price point was 20% over priced and would say their more like Napa in price. The tasting room, while small, has made good use of its space. And offering charcuterie items is a plus; which you can enjoy in their sitting area. They also make cold pressed flavored olive oil, from their estate trees and seasoned popcorn. Now as for the wine and tasting.... Our host was informative and attentive. It was a quiet day and assume that was due to the rain and was why we were only ones there. I love that they have tasting cards for each wine, including pairing notes. And speaking of notes. I usually bring my tasting note sheets but forgot. Wisely they offer Tasting Note pad paper and pens. It's little details like this that matter. After tasting we purchased a bottle and sat on their comfy couch, watching the rain fall. The view of parking lot is camouflaged by their evergreen planters and is a nice place to sit & sip. Parking was readily available just outside tasting room. I am sure this place will find success among the various wineries in the OC, who source from northern California vineyards We wish them success. Oh and I've heard from a couple independent resources that you may see some growth for McClain, but I don't want to release any corks (cats) out of the bag, I'll leave that to the McClains. I just hope to be a part of the first to enjoy this growth since were community neighbors. (I knocked one star for high price point of wines) read more

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The wines here are very good! There is something for everyone's taste! The atmosphere, ambiance, staff - are spot on! Customer service is great. I've gone there alone to just sit and relax. I've gone with friends and had an amazing time! Wine tastings are definitely worth the effort it takes to fight Laguna Beach traffic!! read more

We were able to swing by McClain Cellars on Sunday afternoon. It is in a great location with several other local businesses in a row. The shop was really nice. They had both indoor and outdoor seating. They also had heat lamps and blankets. They also had live music which was great. I will say everyone who worked there was very kind, but our service overall was very slow. My fiancée had a tasting and at one point we waited 30+ minutes for a pour. Another waiter did offer him a pour of some wine - I think he noticed. We ended up closing out with a different waiter than ours due to the amount of time it was taking and never had the last two pours in the tasting. I would definitely come back to give it another shot. read more

A long while back, we went with some friends to enjoy a wine tasting experience on a lovely Sunday afternoon. The wine was good along with the tasty snacks. We enjoyed the experience and decided to share it with some other friends. We purchased a Groupon in November for a four person wine tasting flight. We gave our friends the gift in December and had planned on setting a date to use it. Unfortunately, we went back into lockdown due to Covid and everything closed back up again. We were not able to physically get out and redeem our Groupon before it expired. When I recently called to ask if they would honor the expired Groupon (as many other businesses have done due to statewide closures,) the gal on the other end very rudely said, "No, sorry. I have to do what I have to do." I asked for the number of the person in charge and she gave me the name and number. Turns out the number she gave me was wrong. I found the correct number on the internet and also her email. I left a voicemail message and sent an email. The events manager emailed me back and said the gal at the tasting room did not have the authority to make decisions such as honoring expired Groupons. But she would offer me a two for wine tasting the next time I chose to visit their tasting room. I told her I was not put off by WHAT the gal said, but by HOW she said it to me. Her tone was very condescending and rude and I did not appreciate how she spoke to me. I will NOT be using this "two for one" coupon as I do not want to give this facility my business. I received a full refund from Groupon as did my friends who also purchased the same deal. Oh, and the wine tasting experience? We took our friends to Pali wine company in Anaheim. They did choose to honor our Groupon and we had a lovely lunch and wine tasting experience. We already have reservations to take some other friends back next weekend. Unfortunately, I will not be back to McClain cellars. They have lost my business for good. read more

Appetizers should not be the reason you come here, just had to put this out there. Great ambience, nice live entertainment., it's a little pricey. Well, I come again maybe. read more

Great place to hangout and sip away while visiting the art fests nearby. Servers are very nice too, but I don't recommend wine club, it's pricy and I had a difficult time canceling. read more

UPDATE: Unfortunately I have to reduce my rating from 5 stars down to 3 stars. I was excited to bring some friends for my 3rd visit in August but was SO disappointed this time! I was embarrassed that I had raved about this place to my friends and the experience was SO different this time. As I had done before, I made reservations through Open Table. But when we arrived there was no host/hostess, only a sign that said "seat yourself". Now I have no problem finding my own table as there were several available. However, every open table was dirty with empty glasses and trash. I had to request that one of them be cleaned. They came to take the trash away but never wiped the table down which was covered in cracker crumbs. I also noticed there were not as many servers (I saw 3). This meant that the service was WAY slower than my previous 2 visits. I realize that a lot of places are short staffed these days, but my previous 2 visits were before any of the COVID restrictions were lifted and the service was way better. They only give you shot glass sized water cups, which we drank immediately in the heat of summer, but we never got any refills. We ended up buying bottled water from their deli case, which is probably what they want you to do anyway. Our server was okay, but after pouring our last tasting she was in a big hurry to close us out, even though there were still plenty of open tables. We decided to get full glasses after our tasting and that is when we got a much more pleasant server. But then the first server came back to close us out and was in a such hurry that she didn't even hear my friend say she wanted to buy a bottle. Their loss. After this latest experience, I'm not sure if I will be going back. read more

This was a quick find. And boy it didn't disappoint. Loved it. Will be back. The atmosphere was so fun. Wine was great as well. Service was amazing hard to find that these days. read more

Good wines and nice outdoor atmosphere. Try the popcorn sampler, but not with the wine. The popcorn is to die for but it does not pair well with the wine. read more

McClain Cellars - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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Join the wine club and enjoy members night on the first Wednesday of the month. You will enjoy some great wine and charcuterie with people that won't be looking at their cell phones but will actually engage in conversations. read more

Stopped by there for Father's Day. Our server was beyond kind. There were 4 of us and we all enjoyed the wine. Going back for sure!

Let me tell you about my new favorite wine bar that's conveniently located next to the Sawdust Festival, Pageant of the Masters and the beach! Their wine is delicious and the atmosphere has a very relaxing, friendly vibe. I say "relaxing" because you can sit outdoors under a tent WITH YOUR DOG and enjoy a glass of wine, meet some new people around you and listen to some music while appreciating the ocean air. The wine is spectacular and how they source their grapes is a pretty cool process to hear about. I tried Three Daughters and Sacred Love, both Cabernet Sauvignon and both equally tasty. I leaned more towards Sacred Love though because it was bit sweeter and in my opinion, smoother. To each their own. McClain does offer some snacks inside like meats and cheeses, I didn't get around to trying those. Service is great, everyone is very friendly and very knowledgeable. I don't know a thing about wine, but the way they share wine/vineyard details, share their favorites- kind of makes you feel like you're "in the know". Listen, I can't wait to go back and enjoy some more wine. My only suggestion is that perhaps they consider a more well rounded music selection? The musician playing while we were there was fantastic, but blues and wine together, doesn't always liven up the place. Again, just my opinion. Thanks for a great time! read more

Great atmosphere. Friendly staff! (Thanks Connor!) Highly recommend! Loved the Hope & Faith Red and the Olsen Ovation white! . read more

Awesome lil gem. Had a beer and some food next door @ the Brewery and swung through for a glass of wine for my wife. Excellent service, great vibe and atmosphere. There was a husband and wife rocking it out playing some relaxing live music. Can't wait to be in the area to visit again. read more

The wine is superb! Excellent outdoor environment and beautiful surroundings with artwork and comfortable seating. Service team exceptional. read more

Omg such a great place! Great vibe, live Music while we were there, GREAT wine! Highly highly recommend! I've only been during Covid so nice outdoor space with great fire features! read more

the team is friendly...and knowledgeable..... Wine is wonderful....and the other guests are so happy... read more

Good people, good vibe, great story. We love McClain cellars and this is def our new spot. We discovered it last week and have already been back twice. Only thing we would love is charcuterie !! Even a simple one or smaller cheese selections where you could grab a little thing of Brie, meat and crackers and build your own platter. We would have stayed all night for a couple extra glasses if that was the case. Can't wait for our next tasting night. read more

McClain Cellars - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Laguna Beach, California