Everyone working there was extremely friendly and generous with the servings. The tasting room has an open layout with a decent-sized counter and several tables. The tasting room is warm and inviting with a rustic feel. Barrels line the walls and serve as the base of the tables.  Ancient Zinfandel - Courtesy Randy Caparoso

Alfaro Family Vineyards is everything a local Santa Cruz Mountains winery needs to be. The owner is incredibly passionate about his work and drove us over his lovingly cared for property in his pick-up truck. It was an adventure to remember! Fun fact: he is so passionate about the local environment that he re-fenced his property so that the deer can go through it, without being able to access his vineyards. I had a great time touring the vineyard and an even better time tasting the wine. There was a wide variety of wines available for the tasting, and all of them were both tasty and very reasonably priced. Everyone we met here was a great conversationalist and really made me feel comfortable and relaxed. I wish I lived closer so that I could come to taste wines every Saturday for their open tastings! Open Saturdays from noon to 5:00 pm year-round; Sundays June 16 - September 1. Enjoy a flight of 7 or more wines.

Founded in 1905 and deeply rooted in Napa Valley, Ballentine Vineyards is more than a winery; it’s a celebration of a century-old heritage. As a multigenerational, family-owned and operated winery, we pride ourselves on being an enduring symbol of quality, sustainability, and authenticity in Napa Valley.

The son of Van and Betty Ballentine, Frank Ballentine has seamlessly blended his passion for wine with business acumen, crafting his own major at UC Davis, crowning his academic achievements with an MBA at Fresno State, and continually augments his expertise through executive management programs at Stanford and Harvard. After college, Frank was a winemaker in the San Joaquin Valley and Fresno. Transitioning from winemaking to food manufacturing and distribution, Frank held senior roles at Odwalla during its meteoric growth and currently serves as the President and CEO of GreenLeaf for 25 years, a prominent purveyor of high-quality produce and specialty products. In all of these pursuits, Frank has ceaselessly sought best practices to elevate his family business.

In 2012, Frank joined forces with his aging parents to oversee the Ballentine Vineyards. Here, he rekindled his love for the land and the intricate science of vineyard management with his wife Linda and children Ryan and Audrey by his side. Collaborating closely with Winemaker Bruce Devlin, a shared vision emerged. 

Claiborne & Churchill is a small, premium family-owned winery located in the Edna Valley of San Luis Obispo. Founded in 1983 by Claiborne (Clay) Thompson and Fredericka Churchill Thompson, former University of Michigan teachers, the couple transitioned from academia to the vineyards of California in 1981 to pursue a new life in the wine industry.

With its first crush, Claiborne & Churchill announced its special focus by producing 565 cases of Dry Riesling and Dry Gewürztraminer, inspired by the fruity but dry dinner wines of the French province of Alsace. Today, Claiborne & Churchill produces about 8,000 cases of wine each year, sourcing grapes from vineyards in the cool maritime valleys of California’s Central Coast and its own small estate vineyards.