Stopped in to rexford for a tasting. This is a really good SCM winery. It is a father and son winemaking team, and to hear them talk is informative and entertaining! I enjoyed all the wines I tasted here and will definitely return! read more

Rexford Winery easily has the best wine in Santa Cruz. I'd venture to say Rexford is top three in all of California for terroir focused, complex, full flavored, and fairly priced wines. We are shocked the secret's not out by now but the father and son duo at Rexford are true masters of the craft. White, red, rosé, and bubbly are crafted to perfection. They source from only the best growers and they absolutely pull every bit of complexity and flavor out of each varietal. In a market filled with noise and misdirection, Rexford delivers a pure reflection of what wine can be at its best and truest composition. read more

This is the perfect hole in the wall spot. If you like great wine without a gouging tasting price and friendly company, then this is your spot. We talked about the appellations of the wine to movie characters to food and drink of France and Italy. We bought the Chardonnay and a bottle of their Pinot. Chardonnay was spectacular! Must check this spot out read more

If you are a fan of everything wine, you've definitely found the place where your tastebuds will have you wanting more. Went with some friends for a tasting during our day trip and this was definitely the best place we could have ran across. We were all very pleased, needless to say we all got a bottle to take home. From Riesling to Zins, they got you covered. Amazingly abs delicious to the very last drop. This father and son wine tasting venue will be on our list every time we hit Sabra Cruz. read more

See all

I recently visited the Rexford tasting room for the first time on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Two hours after we entered, we left with three bottles of wine (a Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel) and dozens of stories told and shared with the head winemaker, two club member visitors, and a few groups who wandered in curious about what the fuss was all about that would keep us all deeply engaged in conversation while sipping our glasses of wine. The most unusual group were looking for wine labels with animals on them. One of them had nearly 2000 in his collection already! Rexford's labels are animal free, but we sent them across the street to a local winery that had hedgehogs on some of their labels (Sones Cellars). The rest of us simply came to try the latest wines and bring something back home for our troubles. I recommend the Chalone Pinot Blanc and Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay (oaked and unoaked versions are available) as well as the Lime Kiln Valley sourced Zinfandel, but the other reds also are quite nice expressions of cooler climate Santa Cruz Mountains style, including Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Tempranillo. Tastings include 5 wines for $10, and a bottle purchase will waive the fee. It would be a shame to go Westside weekend wine tasting and miss out on the gems and hidden treasures that Rexford has to offer! read more

Rexford Winery - Open weekends from 1-5 pm or by appointment. - Wineries Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Really nice winery genuine wines excellent taste The winemaker Joe Miller is an Astro physics professor don't winemaker very interesting knowledgeable to talk with The winds are amazingly good genuine read more

Rexford Winery - Wineries Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Lovely family operation. Great wines, friendly folk who know what they are doing.we have been club members and could not be more pleased with their efforts. Highly recommend read more

A very carefully selected, and therefore, always Incredible wines from this winery. ALWAYS excellent. This winery should be much better known because its choices are always impeccable. . .and reasonably priced. read more

If you are a lover of small batch Californian wines sourced from local vineyards known for producing high quality vintages, you need to visit Rexford (formerly known as Hillcrest Terrace Winery) for a weekend tasting on your next Santa Cruz sojourn. The father and son winemakers, Joe and Sam M., are experienced craftsmen with a scientific attention to detail, on the one hand, and artist's appreciation for elegance and beauty, on the other. This makes sense if you consider the fact that Joe was an academic researcher and astrophysics professor, while son Sam is a skilled guitarist and jazz music scholar. Making wines together is an inherited family passion, one that they enjoy sharing with visitors and club members regardless of their level of wine knowledge. In theory, you could visit here for a tasting never having done anything like this before. Don't expect a Napa Valley Disneyland tasting experience, however. Rexford's Santa Cruz facility is a working winery - with an emphasis on "working." Wines will be fermenting, aging in barrels, or resting in bottles all around you. The main decor on the wall are high definition images of the vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Monterey County, and San Benito County where the current Rexford portfolio of around a dozen different wines are sourced. It's only open weekends from 1-5pm (or weekdays by appointment), but there is also a Carmel Valley tasting room with more extensive opening hours, and the wines are available at either location. If you'd like to meet Father Joe, who started the winery and guides his son in the finer arts of making naturally fermented, barrel aged, unfiltered wines, probably the Santa Cruz tasting room is the better bet. Son Sam often is based in Carmel Valley, where you'll also get to sample around 5 different current releases for $10/person, and the fee is waived with 1 bottle purchase - a great deal considering the fact that the wines are also very fairly priced ($30-35 in most cases). If you are a Pinot Noir fanatic, the Fambrini Vineyards Santa Cruz Mountains bottling is worth purchasing even if it's not being poured. The one acre vineyard is just north of Santa Cruz in a limestone rich location very near to the Pacific Ocean, and Rexford has exclusive rights (a "monopole" in French Burgundian terms). Otherwise, check out the Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc wines from the Santa Lucia Highlands and Chalone, which are fruit driven but extremely well structured and balanced. The newly released Zinfandel from the Lime Kiln Valley (Gillian Enz Vineyards) is a remarkable expression of this quintessential California grape, and all of the Santa Cruz Mountains wines (Merlot, Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, etc.) are sourced from well respected vineyards whose names may be familiar to you if you've been to other tasting rooms in town and the surrounding valleys. If you have time and room for two tastings while in the area, my recommendation is to begin here at Rexford and then head over to Stockwell Cellars, on Fair Avenue next to Verve Coffee and across the street from the New Leaf Community Market. The Stockwell tasting room is considerably larger, and the wine style is similar but not identical. I wouldn't advise a third tasting unless you can handle it, but the next obvious stop would be the Birichino tasting room on Church Street, near to the main downtown shopping, dining, and entertainment districts. To my mind, these are the "Holy Trinity" of small batch wineries in the area whose winemakers are truly world class as well as nice people, to boot. Getting to meet winemakers while sampling vineyard designate, naturally fermented wines sourced from the Santa Cruz Mountains and Central Coast that also cost less than $50/bottle in most cases is quite rare in California these days, especially in Napa, Sonoma, and Paso Robles. All the more reason to come to places like Rexford, Stockwell, and Birichino instead. Your wine loving friends will be impressed by the new additions to your cellar and marvel at your cleverness. Don't tell them you learned about it on Yelp, if you'd like to claim the credit for yourself. I won't tell. It will be our little secret! read more

See all

Small but cozy winery. The staff is extremely nice and welcoming. And the wine is good and fairly priced. We bought a bottle of Pinot noir after our wine tasting! You can't go wrong with this winery! read more

We have been wine club members here a couple years now. It's always a nice visit to go down and taste and pick up the wines. Very good local wine and the people working there are a joy to do business with. They had to change their name because of legal threats from Hillcrest in Oregon. read more

Rexford Winery - tasting area - Wineries Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Wonderful tasting room in the "wine ghetto," as my dad calls it! My dad is club member here, so I've never paid for a tasting. I love the atmosphere here, and enjoy our conversations each time we go. I typically opt for the reds, but they have a fantastic Pinot Gris this season! Their reds are light and pair well with the amazing meals my dad likes to whip up. My mom, being DD, also enjoys sniffing the wines, ha, but they have such a delicate aroma! (Nose-feel? Haha!) FYI - They were know as Hillcrest Terrace previously, but changed their name to Rexford. read more

Rexford Winery - Sampling a pinot noir! - Wineries Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

A very industrial looking small winery which the winemaker used to make wine at home. He's very knowledgable and friendly. Love the rose, crisp and balanced, with nothing more or less. Overall the white wine seemed to be better than the reds. read more

See all

Rexford produces excellent Pinot (and other varietals), but I think what makes this winery really special and a stand out is that this is owned and operated solely by Joe and Sam, father and son. From crush to production to bottleing, marketing & management -- they do it all. We've been members of Rexford for a few years -- this is our favorite club. Everything they do is perfection. They purchase all of their grapes from some really wonderful, established vineyards. Our recent favorites are 2013 Pinot Blanc, Chalone, Antle Vineyard, their Pinot Gris, and anything from the Fambrini Vineyards. Oh, and the Merlot! Everything here is very, very good (small lots, produced in their warehouse / tasting room). Mostly reds, but they do make a few whites. We really enjoy tastings here -- Sam and Joe are equally kind to members and new comers alike. If you are lucky enough to go to a member party / barrel tasting, you will see how much they care about their members. Everyone who attends is so passionate about Rexford, it really does feel like family. If you hit the warehouse wineries in Santa Cruz, don't miss this gem. It's in the building across the street from Kelly's French Bakery -- it's right next to Java Bob's Coffee Roasting. read more

Santa Cruz hosts a surprisingly amount of great wineries, and Rexford is among the top. As a smaller operation, they have the ability to be a little more adventurous....and it shows in their wine. The two winemakers are knowledgeable about their craft (and generous with their pours). Joe and Sam know what they're doing and I am happy to benefit from it. read more

This winery opened up a couple months ago across the street from Bonny Doon Winery. My girlfriend and I decided to pop in and check it out. Why not? I'm glad that we did. This is a very small-scale operation that offers high quality wines. We tried a Sauvignon Blanc ($19), a Pinot Noir from Monterey ($29) and a Cab Sauv from Carmel Valley ($32). All were delicious and well made. We chatted with the winemaker. He teaches astro-physics at UCSC and decided to break into the commercial wine business after making some good homemade batches. He was knowledgeable and friendly. While I enjoyed the wines a lot, he mentioned that they were primarily produced at Galante down in Monterey County. It's hard to say what he will release for his next vintage. Nevertheless, Hillcrest has me intrigued. I'll be back! read more

This is a great, newer winery. What really stood out for us was the converstaion. It was like walking into a room filled with old friends. We were all UCSC Alums and learned that the owner, Joe, used to teach Astrology there. We wondered if we ever had him as a teacher, I mean who remembers college, really? All the white wines were great. The reds were on the lighter side which is my preference. My friend bought a bottle of the Chardonnay. Yumm. We hung out here for a while, having great talks and laughs with the owner and his hilarious, multilingual friend from Argentina. Yay! Good times. And good wine. Come here. You won't regret crossing the street, I promise!! read more

Small with a nice setup. The gentleman behind the small bar was quick on pours, knowledgable and willing to chat. Now, on to the booze: 1. The first Chardonnay on the tasting list, which was unoaked, was a revelation to me and the wife who normally do not like whites. It was very good and would surprise those house guests that demand non-red bubbly. The Pinot that we tried, which was locally grown, was also very good. 2. The cost of the tasting is not charged if you buy something. 3. This is a good place to go regardless, but it stands as a great reminder of what wine tasting should be compared to Bonny Doon across the street. read more

This is a newer place, since it wasn't around a couple years ago when I last went wine-tasting in Santa Cruz. The folks at the counter were very friendly...here was a very large bachelorette party tasting at the same time we were there but we didn't feel neglected. All their wines were pretty decent, but my favorite was their Pinot so we got a bottle of that. This place is worth a stop if you're wine tasting in the Santa Cruz area. read more

Rexford Winery was stop #3 on my very first epic wine-tasting adventure and probably the least memorable of all the wineries I visited. For $5 (fee waived with purchase) tasting fee, my friends were offered three wines to taste. Knowing that red wines aren't for me, I opted to sit this one out and simply enjoy the atmosphere. The man at the bar was a bit awkward. I'm sure seeing three young women in their early 20's was not his usual audience, but he didn't have to be so awkward about it. He barely said a few words to us. I tried to break the ice by asking for a business card. After pouring the first round for my friends, he disappeared into the back to find one. I can understand disappearing to look for it, but when he returned he wasn't any more pleasant. I tried AGAIN to start conversation when I saw a translucent red wine and asked what a "Red Rose" was. He responded with "You mean a Red Rosé. It's just a really dry Rosé". Okaaaay. That answered absolutely nothing about my question. I essentially learned that I'm a moron about wines and made a fool of myself by pronouncing it wrong. Ugh. Won't be back. For $5 you can get more tasting else where without feeling like an idiot. read more

I've tasted here a few times and have always had a good experience. They source most (if not all?) of their grapes from different vineyards, so the wine can be a bit of a mixed bag: I've had some that are just so-so and some that are spectacular, but most are pretty tasty. On my last trip we picked up a bottle of Sauvingon Blanc and a Pinot Noir, both delicious and well-priced. The big selling point for me here is that usually the one of the owners and/or the winemaker are on hand pouring wine, or at least hanging out to chat. They are genuinely nice guys who are very passionate about what they do, and it shows. They obviously remember their regulars, and they were just as friendly to us newbies. I've heard the story a couple times now about how the renowned astrology professor became a winemaker, and it's a unique one. If you're curious about the behind-the-scenes workings of starting up a winery, Hillcrest Terrace can be a really interesting place to go. read more

I think we were one of the first people to try Hillcrest. The wines tasted very new, very young. The man pouring for us was nice. He even admitted that the wines will get better with age. We bought a bottle of their sauvignon blanc (tasting fee is waived with purchase), but was not impressed. I think I'd like to try Hillcrest again, but in a couple of years. I'm interested in seeing improvement. read more

My favorite winery in Santa Cruz! They are so friendly and their wine is amazing! Every time I come home I have to come here

The experience is very good. They make excellent Pinot Noir and this years Pinot Gris is amazing! Joe and his son are delightful to visit, friendly and full of knowledge. Have been wine club members for a few years and this one is a keeper! read more

Wonderful spot right across from the Kelly's French Bakery, with plenty of parking. Our first stop...$5 tasting fee waived if you buy a bottle. I chose the Zin...for the first time. It usually isn't my pick-of-the-day but this one tasted smooth and with no bitter aftertaste on the tongue. Joe, i believe that was the owner's name, was friendly, knowledgeable, and not pushy at all. it gets a little chilly here so do bring a scarf, sit close to everyone =) and enjoy the photos on the wall and the sweet smell of vino! read more

Loved this winery..very knowledgeable, friendly and great wine. Try their dessert wine!

First stop on our tour. Arrived a little later than expected, but Rexford treated us to a very special wine tasting experience. They stayed open late, chatted, and gave us a first class experience. The wine tasting room is rather small and casual. The staff are very friendly. read more

Tiny pouring counter in the same spot they make all their wine. Rexford purchase all their grapes and produce right in this spot. These wines didn't sing to us and the space could be more accommodating. read more

I find it extremely funny when people who don't know anything about wine Yelp a great winery and give it low scores. I've been working in wine since I was 14 and having tasted at literally hundreds of wineries, I think the Rexford Chalone Vineyard Pinot is the single most Burgundian California Pinot Noir I have ever tried.( Did I just say that?) Crisp acidity, European in it's leanness, lower than average Californian alcohol levels. If you are expecting a Russian River jam bomb...and think that's what Pinot is supposed to be, look elsewhere. I do love Russian River though but not the jam bomb ones. Outside of this exceptional gem, his other wines are great too. His Santa Cruz AVA Pinot beautifully shows the appelation of the Santa Cruz Mtns in a classic "taste the AVA" style and his Chardonnays and Viognier are delicious. I appreciate the one Chardonnay going for a more Chablis style but like Chablis, I personally feel a little bottle time will benefit this wine. Imagine that, a California Chardonnay that is demanding bottle age? That is cutting edge for CA chard.. Like I said, I find it funny when people Yelp about things they have no idea about. Rexford is great! read more

I love wine! Especially their wines. Not that I am an expert, but when I sit in their tasting room and learn about the wines I am tasting, I feel like an expert when I walk out. We are club members and have given some of them as gifts. Everyone that has tasted their wines have loved them. We have enjoyed them with so many different meals and they pair up very well with anything. My favorite is their Pinot Gris. I was thrilled when I saw that I could purchase them at Safeway! Go and hopefully Joe will be there. We tell him he is the most interesting man in the world because he can speak on almost any topic. read more

Great place! The man pouring was proud of his winery and his hard work shows. The wines were delicious as well as the conversation.

Great wines, great tasting fee for the quality. Joe is a great guy.

Went the first time because it was close to others in the area. Joined club however over a couple of times we went back w/friends only to find the place closed. Owner seems to run the place as hobby...he is retired UCSC prof! read more

This little place was packed on passport day but they accommodated everyone. The wine was hit or miss depending on the variety and your taste. It's located next to lots if other tasting rooms so no driving needed. read more