Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz

P&M Staiger

P M STAIGER was established in 1973 on a ridge above Boulder Creek, in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The site had been an early twentieth century vineyard and winery operated by the Jim Locatelli family, but the vineyard and the vines had long since disappeared and only a few large hoops from the old redwood tanks were all that remained of the cellar. P M Staiger was replanted and built a new house and winery, designed by Robert Walker. The varieties planted - Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot,and Cabernet Franc - were determined by the types that had been historically grown successfully with good exposure in the higher elevations of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Pelican Ranch

Pelican Ranch Winery is a small, family owned and operated winery specializing in Rhone and Burgundy style wines from the best vineyards in California. Established in 1997, the winery is located a short distance from Monterey Bay which provides the constant, cool, coastal influence that allows for controlled, slow fermentation. The result is rich, full-flavored, complex wines.

Odonata Wines Salinas

Denis, Claire and others at Odanata Winery

Odonata Wines in Salinas, California is a small family winery. They work closely with the growers to ensure the highest quality wines from the vines to the glass. Their credo is blending of old-world winemaking methods and attitudes with new learning and a continuous search for improvement. The winemaker, Denis Hoey, creates wines that are soft, supple, and feature subtle complexity. Denis and his wife Claire run Odanata Winery together. Inspired by the traditional French style, Denis produces wines that are designed to be food-friendly. They are balanced in fruit, acidity, alcohol, and wood, with flavors and aromas that are cohesive with a lengthy finish. They will always be handmade in small batches to exemplify the unique qualities of the varietal and vineyard. ~

Hours: 

Mon - Sun - 11:00AM to 5:00PM

Osocalis Winery and Distillery

Founded in the early 1990's, Oscocalis represents the second generation of small American distillers to use combination of Old World techniques with New World fruit. California brandy makers have the advantage (and the challenge!) of being abe to blend a large number of grape varieties together for a more complex and nteresting brandy, where as French law strictly limits this practice.

Rexford Wines

Rexford Winery handcrafts wines in small lots using grapes from select local vineyards. Their focus on single-vineyard Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot, and other premium varieties. Rexford wines accurately reflect the varietal characteristics of the grapes and the unique microclimates and soils of the vineyards from which they come. Visitors are welcome at the winery located on the west side of Santa Cruz. The winery is open for tasting and sales Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and by appointment.

NOTE: Rexford Winery is the new name for Hillcrest Terrace Winery.

Rexford is a very small-scale operation that offers high quality wines. 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.

Big Basin Vineyards

Big Basin Vineyards was founded in 1998 on an historic site in the Santa Cruz Mountains next to Big Basin Redwoods State Park. The old ranch property was first settled in the late 1800s. Wine grape cultivation had been started by French immigrants by the early 1900s and continued until 1965 when the property was sold by Justin Lacau, who had named the property "Frenchy's Ranch", to a timber company. By the 1990s, all that remained of the vineyards were redwood stakes and scattered vines hidden by brush and poison oak bushes. The mission has been to restore this historic vineyard site using modern, organic viticultural methods. The winery building was completed in December 2003 on the same site as the original 1890s house/winery structure which burned down in the 1970s. It is a 'Monitor'-style barn with a timber frame construction built using redwood selectively harvested from the estate.

Ruthe Roberts Wine Collective

At California Corks we love to meet the winemakers and become acquainted with the wines of those special little boutique wineries. We have been trying to find a way for those that join the California Corks Winery Experience can enjoy this same experience, to meet the winemaker or have access to some of these harder to find wines. We are glad to say that we have found a way to do so that allows for plenty of opportunity to do both. We are glad to introduce Ruthe Roberts Wine Collective is the first of its kind in downtown Saratoga. A multi-winery tasting room that is home to some of the best and most talented winemakers in California. The wines are offered in pre-arranged flights to allow guests to compare different wines and discover new favorites. The Ruthe Roberts Wine Collective provides a warm, casual elegance in the beautiful courtyard or grab a table in the tasting room. This is a place where wine lovers will find new wines to love, and where smaller wineries can showcase their wines and introduce them to consumers. We a pleased to have Ruthe Roberts Wine Collective as a participant of the California Corks Winery Experience. 

Hours:

Mon-Thur     Closed
Fri       12:00am to 6:00pm
Sat      12:00am to 6:00pm
Sun       1:00am to 5:00pm

Poetic Cellars

Poetic Cellars was established in 2005 with one thought in mind; that of combining the passionate excellence of their winesand with exquisite and original poetry on each varietal. This interesting Santa Cruz Mountains winery is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains on 33 Redwood studded acres. Just minutes from Highway 17, it is only about 40 minutes from San Jose and 15 minutes from Santa Cruz. Bring a picnic Lunch to enjoy the views along with a bottle of Poetic Cellars wine.

Four Gates

The winery itself is likewise a one-man operation. Far from being a modern computer-monitored factory, it's more like an old fashioned one-room school house with me teaching all the grades; all the various pieces of equipment and barrels sit around the room like children of different ages waiting for their turn.

 

The wines themselves benefit from the small scale and individual attention and from the unique qualities of the Santa Cruz Mountain environment. The Chardonnay is a full-bodied white wine aged in American oak barrels. It will complement flavorful dishes like roast chicken or baked salmon or Orah's spicy baked tofu. The Merlot is a substantial red wine. It will complement a holiday brisket or a roast.

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