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!

Became new members at the Pescadero location, so decided to drop by this tasting room on the way…read morehome. We ended up leaving with the Ananda Pinot Noir and a C3 Chardonnay that wasn't offered at the Pescadero location. They offer the same flight of 6 wines at both locations. My favorites are the Rose and Integrato Pinot Noir. Nobody was there when we arrived mid afternoon. After an hour, every table inside and out were filled. Katie did an impressive job catering to everyone on her own. We greatly appreciated her service, big kudos to her. This tasting room is connected to a shoe shop, so you could literally bring your glass over and shop while you sip. I liked the beautifully crafted hardwood tables inside, they really elevate the room and tasting experience, haha! I am not usually a Pinot Noir drinker, so if you're not either, I say don't be shy, give it a try!

Great wine, great atmosphere, great service, thank you Jen, and just all around great place.read more

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.

Wow, what a beautiful hidden surprise. A special dear friend of mine suggested this place to…read morecelebrate a birthday of a friend. Four of us ladies enjoyed a lovely drive to the Winery and when we arrived we were greeted by one of the owners, Joe who poured us a tasting of their wines. He is very kind and personable. We sat at one of the outside patio tables and was joined by Pamela who is Joe's wife and Owner. We had the best time ever. We all felt right at home. The tastings kept on coming and they just got better and better. Wines are amazingly smooth. They brought us a taste of their Olive Oils that are made from their olive trees. This place is a must. Thank you Pam and Joe for this amazing experience and allowing us to celebrate our dear friend, Ruth Ann's birthday. Cheers, Elaine

Wonderful family owned winery! A local favourite, not only got their delicious wine but got…read moreequally tasty olive oil!! Joe and Pam are gracious hosts during tastings. Sit outside surrounded by olive trees and gorgeous foliage. My husband and I both highly recommend!

I enjoyed their wonderful outdoor tasting in July with complimentary baguette and lavender herb…read morebutter under big trees. We loved Sarah who was really attentive and made sure we had a good time. We liked their wines also, Pinot Noir was my friend's favorite and Chardonnay mine. This visit was so nice that we went back with the third friend in August for their Vine & Wine Walk with French Worker's Lunch! We missed the turn at Robert's Road from Love Creek Rd. both times but that was just a little extra scenic drive. The place is beautiful with plenty of parking, lots of shade, and gorgeous views. I highly recommend Robert's Ranch Vineyards for their wines and events.

Wow, what a beautiful property! I saw on Eventbrite for a tomato jam canning workshop and thought,…read morewhy not try something new and different! This completely blew our expectations, it was so much better than what we had imagined! The setting up in the hills of Ben Lomond is mesmerizing. The home is set up perfectly and it's very comfortable and relaxing. Nothing is pretentious in anyway, just friendly and organized in every way. The light lunch that was provided for this event was delicious sandwiches and a gazpacho that was fresh and executed just right. The homemade ice cream with the cacao bits, completed the meal and you left full! The canning workshop was fun and extremely educational! We learned so much. Hands down a wonderful little experience! The wines are ALL good, the Pinot is exceptional but the rose and Sauvignon Blanc was a real surprise! We ended up buying a case! Trust me, you'll want to buy something! Cannot wait to come back!

I've been trying to get my hands on some great McHenry Pinot Noir for months now and K&L has been…read moreout of stock since my last visit in October. Fortunately the Santa Cruz mountain wineries open with Passport season, but only 4x per year. I wasn't going to miss this opportunity to get my hands on a few bottles of the good stuff. My girlfriend and I made a day trip of it with a stop in Half Moon Bay along the way. The roads are a bit windy and the recent storms left quite a bit of debris in its wake, but it turned out to be an amazing drive to the Santa Cruz mountains along Highway 1. When we arrived, we were greeted by the McHenry family proprietors and offered a tasting of some lovely vintages including the 2012 and 2013 Estate and Swan Clones, and the 2009 Estate (the smokiness which reminded me of bacon). They were even kind enough to open a bottle of 1996 Massaro which was described to me as having a "barnyard" odor. Upon first sip, the barnyard really kicks you in the face, but after letting it breathe a bit, it definitely started to grow on me. I ultimately left with a bottle each of the 2012 and 2013 Swan Clones that I think will be really great with the steak I'm making next week, but I was really impressed with the Pinot selection and the hospitality of the hosts. I highly recommend taking a trip out to visit McHenry Vineyard during the next Passport opportunity!

Fabulous! We came here not knowing what to expect and we found a charming wine maker and some…read moreinteresting wines. We tried 2002 Pinot Noir which was musty but still fruity, 2004 Pinot Noir Swan Clone was musty, 2004 Pinot Noir was light and yummy, 1996 Pinot Noir Carneros was a little more sparkly and a little musty, 2001 Scotts Valley was sparkly and light, and 1999 Pinot Noir Carneros was fizzy, balanced, fruity, with a little tannin. We loved everything about McHenry!

We drove up to Big basin winery Sunday afternoon. It was an amazing day! There were butterflies all…read moreover! We arrived at the vineyard and were seated outside in a sunny, but cool area. It was lovely. Our server dropped off glasses and a tasting menu and proceeded to talk about the wines and the winery. We were seated about 20 ft from where our wine was grown. Impressive. We enjoyed our tasting at this beautiful winery.

Absolutely superb tasing with Edward on this sunny Sunday. We came in last minute with no…read morereservation and Edward kindly sat us right away. We got complimentary Rose before our reasonably priced wine tasting. Edward was a wonderful host. Down to earth and knowledgeable. The vineyard itself is quaint; the back patio overlooks the vineyards. He even took us for a spin on his motorcycle to tour the vineyards. I can't wait to come back!