Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz

Cinnabar Vineyards & Winery

glasses of wine in front of fireplace - Pixabay

Cinnabar Winery is a family-owned establishment that embraces winemaking as a harmonious blend of science and nature's magic. Nestled in the Santa Cruz Mountains, their vibrant Saratoga and Gilroy Tasting Rooms serve as the heart of the winery, where they collaborate with local growers to transform California's finest grapes into distinctive and approachable wines.

History

Founded in 1983 by the late Tom Mudd, Cinnabar initially planted vineyards and constructed a majestic winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Following Tom's passing, the estate changed hands in 2007, and Cinnabar relocated to its new home in downtown Saratoga.

In 2019, Ron Mosley, the original vineyard manager, took ownership, completing a remarkable full-circle journey. Ron is dedicated to honoring Cinnabar's legacy while steering the business toward an exciting future. Cinnabar's philosophy remains rooted in the joy of creating serious wine with a sense of fun.

Storrs Winery - Santa Cruz

Storrs Winery Sign

Stephen Storrs and Pamela Bianchini-Storrs begn Storrs winery with their first harvest n 1988. Both are trained winemakers at UC Davis, they have wrked at a number of wineries which include Domaine Chandon, Felton-Empire and Almaden before starting their own venture. Stephen and Pamela appreciate the cool Burgundian climate of the Santa Cruz Mountains. This winery grew to a comfortable 10,000 cases per year and in 2001 realized a dream with the purchase of land in Pleasant Valley district of Corralitos.

Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard

woman enjoying wine near the beach

Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard

The seeds for Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard were planted when a young man by the name of Ken Burnap took a prom date out to one of the finest restaurants in San Antonio, Texas. Ken ordered a bottle of wine and mangled the pronunciation of the French variety. The very snobby and pretentious wine steward humiliated Ken with his reaction and in the manner of most of us when barely out of our teens, Ken vowed to learn as much as he could about wine and go back to show that wine steward a thing or two. 

Sones Cellars

woman enjoying wine with an ocean view

Sones Cellars

Sones Cellars is a local, urban family winery producing small lots of fine quality, distinctive wines from grape varieties that flourish in California. Since 2003, Sones has focused on Petite Sirah and Zinfandel from exceptional vineyards in Central California. We also explore other grape varieties for ones that produce top-quality wines reflecting our local environment. All Sones wines are made in small lots with careful attention to detail and with minimal intervention during the winemaking process.

Open every Thursday through Sunday
Thurs: 2-5 PM
Fri: 2-6 PM
Sat: 1-6 PM
Sun: 1-5 PM

La Nebbia Winery

wine barrels all neatly stacked and in rows

Fun, unassuming tasting room. The service was really friendly and I got the impression that the "$10 for 5" tasting is rarely a sticking point. Meaning, they poured my group additional samples and even asked me which one I wanted to try one last time as I was paying. Never with the feeling I was being pressured to buy anything, far from it. Ample picnic area in the back. BYO whatever and enjoy the scenery and play a game of bocce ball in one of their 2 courts. This is a perfect stop on your way to the beach or when heading back home.

RHYS Vineyards

At Rhys Vineyards we aspire to make great Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah from some of California’s most unique and expressive vineyards. This pursuit has led us to search the state for exciting rocky soils that exist within the mountainous, cool, Coastal climate zone.  Over the last 15 years, we have developed seven estate vineyards, six in the Santa Cruz Mountains and one in Anderson Valley, each capable of producing uniquely compelling, distinctive, soil-driven wine.

Silver Mountain Vineyards

grape cluster

Silver Moutain Vineyards

Hidden high in the Santa Cruz Mountains lies a unique winery and vineyard operated by founder/winemaker Jerold O’Brien. Established in 1979, Silver Mountain Vineyards is located at an elevation of 2,100 feet and enjoys a spectacular view of Monterey Bay and the surrounding redwood forest.

Barterra Wines

glass of wine

We found the Barterra winery, located in Half Moon Bay, to be a delightful place. A husband and wife team run this winery. The staff is friendly and they know their stuff when it comes to wine.

Barterra offers premium wines from the finest vineyards in Napa Valley, Sonoma, Carneros, Lodi, Amador, Alexander Valley, Mendocino, Lodi, Paso Robles, Russian River Valley and Madera.  All of Barterra Wines is sold directly to the public.

Their quaint tasting room is located on the main street and the pours are generous.  Their standard wine tasting allows you to sample three wines, but the owner let me try an additional port (and it was excellent!).  We enjoyed tasty white wines and their Ruby Cabernet and chocolatey dessert wine were very good. ~

Hours:

Tues-Weds   Closed
Thur     12:00pm to 6:00pm
Fri        12:00pm to 6:00pm
Sat       12:00pm to 6:00pm
Sun      12:00pm to 6:00pm
Mon     12:00pm to 6:00pm

McHenry Vineyards

grape cluster

McHenry Vineyard is a third-generation, family-run estate vineyard and winery located in Bonny Doon, CA. They have been producing wine for over 40 years. The first vineyards were planted in 1970, and the winery was commercially established in 1980. Situated at an elevation of 1,800 feet above the Pacific Ocean in the Santa Cruz Mountains, just north of Santa Cruz, CA, McHenry Vineyard occupies a sandy slope surrounded by redwood forest. Their wines cater to those seeking exquisite small-batch, hand-crafted Pinot Noir made in the Burgundian style.

CZU Fire Update


At this time we are not open to the public, but we will continue to sell wine.

Although we lost our winery facility (built in 1980) in the CZU Lightning Complex Fire in August 2020, our vines are still going strong and we plan to rebuild in the coming years. In the meantime, our wines will be made by the generous and highly capable hands of Ryan Beauregard at Beauregard Vineyards and John Benedetti of Sante Arcangeli Family Wines.

Contact us via email or phone if you would like to order.
Phone: (831) 222-0379
Email: mchenryvineyard@gmail.com

Pages

Subscribe to Santa Cruz