We are an urban winery located in Carlsbad featuring several varietals of high quality red & white wines. Wine Club available! Tasting by Appointment Only.

Ray Schnorr and Jeannine O'Brien, owners, farmers, and winemakers, began their journey with a simple landscaping idea—planting 10 Zinfandel vines alongside their home in Rancho Bernardo. They sourced the plants from Sonoma County, stored them in a hotel during a trade show in San Francisco, and planted them in the spring of 2004. A year later, as the vines thrived, the question arose: “What are you going to do with those grapes?” What started as a casual interest in wine evolved into a full-blown passion for winemaking. After acquiring the necessary equipment, building refrigerated storage, and eventually purchasing land for a vineyard, their amateur label, "Slippery Slope," was born.

During this time, Ray immersed himself in winemaking, taking classes at a local community college and online courses from UC Davis. He became active in the local home winemaking community, earning recognition and accolades in county and state winemaking competitions. Jeannine, too, became a winemaker, producing a gold medal-winning vintage. More recently, she passed the rigorous exam to become a Level 1 Sommelier in the Court of Masters.

In 2007, they acquired their property in Highland Valley and began construction on their winery and vineyard in 2009. Acknowledging the region’s rich history of grape growing, which spans over a century, they named their estate Highland Valley Vineyards and designed the winery in a 1920s craftsman style.

Their approach blends traditional winemaking techniques with modern technologies to craft wines of distinction and character. They specialize in producing bold red wines with full body, balanced fruit, and a rich finish. To complement their estate-grown grapes, they source fruit from San Diego (South Coast), Mexico, Paso Robles (Central Coast), Amador County (Sierra Foothills), Lodi, and Dry Creek Valley (Sonoma County).

As winemakers and farmers, Ray and Jeannine now oversee the full journey from earth to bottle, practicing sustainable farming to enhance fruit quality while minimizing environmental impact.

Turtle Rock Ridge is a Ramona winery located in the beautiful back country of San Diego County. Our name was inspired by our very own granite monolith that towers above our vineyard. Our wines are made from the very best grapes grown both in our vineyard and sourced locally within the Ramona and California wine region. We feature a selection of red and white wines, and have a velvety smooth port style wine called "Chocolate Turtle". We are very proud to share the fact that many of our wines have won awards. Monday-Thursday - Call for an appointment (760) 789-5555