I’m one of the winemakers at Martin Ray, and would love to join if at all possible!
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We were drinking the 2021 last night and it was lights out!
I’ve got a few bottles with bottle age myself, am interested.
Got you down already😻. It will be a couple of lunches in Westchester. I am figuring a weekend to make it easier.
Madson needs to be on there.
Alfaro and Farm Cottage (son/winemaker’s label) - they manage Trout Gulch. Don’t be afraid of the much lower prices than those who buy the fruit.
Bob Varner made the Spring Ridge vineyard wines for both the Varner and Neely labels. The Neelys own the property and have continued making wine, expanded plantining and opened a tasting room.
Are you local? Robert’s of Woodside is a great place to find SCM wines on the peninsula. That’ll include Sandar & Hem and other recognizable names and some tiny producers.
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If you come to the mountains, we put on amazing tastings. Lots of collectors of historic SCM wines and industry figures. Ask Dan. We just need an excuse.
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Had a couple of 2004 Mount Eden Cabs this year and they were stunning.
I have not tried Varner’s SCM bottlings but K&L had some of their Santa Barbara chardonnays a while ago and I liked them.
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Another vote for Sandar & Hem, terrific SCM wines from Berserker Rob Bergstrom.
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Awesome thread, have learned a bunch and added a bunch of these to my to try list
Hopefully not to derail too much but wonder how feasible it is to use rideshare to get to some of the SCM tasting rooms from the city? Or maybe hitch a ride to Palo Alto on the Caltrain and grab an uber from there. If anyone has tips definitely let me know
Which city? (I’m guessing SF?)
Oh yes sorry, SF!
$30-$40 from the MV station to Eden or Ridge. Getting back is tougher.
Everything looks close on a map but they are on different ridges (
) and mountain roads.
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I would highly recomend against using rideshare. Unfortunately the region can be difficult to taste through, many wineries are up windy mountain roads. There can be poor reception and often ubers/lyfts will cancel the ride once they see the hassel of the drive
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Thanks both. Suspected it would be a bit of a mess and nice to have that confirmed. Will just take a bit more planning!
Not very feasible. As noted, they are spread out, and it can be hard to get picked up from the remote wineries.
Neely would work, being on Portola Rd. in Portola Valley. They have a nice covered patio looking out at the lower vineyard. Great for a group visit. Appointment only. From there, you could Uber up to Fogarty, where you don’t need an appointment, but do have the pick-up issue. (Though, that seems to be greatly improved from a decade ago.) There are good restaurants near some of the Caltrain stations.
Taking a weekend in Santa Cruz might be a good option. There are clusters of wineries and tasting rooms, so walking distance, and others a short ride away. Good restaurants, live music and other stuff to do.
A lot of these are wineries you might want to spend more time at than you’d think. Scenic views. So, if you are going to remote ones, two a day might be plenty. (Maybe with a contingency of a non-appointment visit.) There are sensible groupings and unrealistically ambitious.
You could look into town car services.
There are also multi-winery events. Check “The Wineries of the Santa Cruz Mountains.”
I hope to get out there again after harvest, I vouch for Wes and his friends pulling out some of the world’s greatest wines… and these are wines that (quite literally) money cannot buy.
Agreed that ‘winery-hopping’ like in Napa is simply not feasible. Mount Eden and Savannah-Chanelle are less than a mile apart as the crow flies. Over five miles and up to half an hour by road.
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Event this Thursday: Taste of the Mountains at Testarossa Winery Winery Events in the Santa Cruz Mountains
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Thanks for the recs Wes and Dan. Wasn’t on my radar that Santa Cruz has a load of tasting rooms. Getting a weekend out there sounds like a fabulous use of time. Any that are must visit in your opinion?
Still new to the region and getting more serious about wine in general, but the ones that opened my eyes to exploring more here were the Ceritas Trout Gulch Chardonnay and the Arnot-Roberts Peter Martin Ray Pinot. They were both so lovely that I simply had to go down the rabbit hole!
When I was in Santa Cruz recently we tasted at Birichino. The sparkling wines were kind of odd, but the red flight was good.