Inversion Wines Opens In Scotts Valley

October 11, 2022 – There’s a new wine tasting room in Scotts Valley called Inversion Wines, featuring wines from very small vineyards tucked away into the small reaches of the Santa Cruz Mountains—an area that sprawls like fingers of fog into every nook and cranny. Inversion is named for the climatic impact

It’s in the same complex as Kissed By An Angel tasting room, whose owner Larry Olivo saw an opportunity to turn a former hair salon into a wine tasting destination for the family-oriented community that is already embracing them.

Brothers Cody and Taylor Muhly, owners of Inversion Wines, grew up in Happy Valley with a love of vines passed down from both sides of the family. Personally, they have been planting and caretaking vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains since 2007. Taylor is a viticulture and vineyard management major at Cal Poly, who found his career installing mega-vineyards in Paso Robles and other areas of the Central Coast a bit too corporate for his taste. Cody, who majored in Public Policy at Stanford, intended to pursue a career in law, but ended up working as a fireman in Santa Cruz. “Before marriage and kids, I worked two days on and four days off. I had time and Tay was sick of the corporate hours, so we decided to go into business for ourselves.” 

And thus Coastal Range Vineyards was born. “We started installing small backyard vineyards in Silicon Valley and in Corralitos,” says Cody. “Mostly for people who want landscaping to look at. They don’t want to maintain it: we do that. And we make wine for them, usually a barrel’s worth. Most of these vineyards are very, very small.”

The first vintage was a one-quarter acre Pinot Noir vineyard on the corner of Freedom Blvd. and Pleasant Valley Road. “The owner insisted on Freedom rootstock at the time,” says Cody. “This was a very bad idea, but he was enamored with the name.”

To date, the brothers have installed more than 150 vineyards over the 15 years they’ve been in business. 

One of the largest is their father’s vineyard in Happy Valley, where they grew up. 

“It was a Father’s Day and we thought it would be a great idea to surprise Dad with the idea of installing a vineyard on his property in Happy Valley,” says Cody. “We suggested that we would plant Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, which we knew would do well.” Dad, however, had different ideas. “No Pinot, no Chardonnay. I want Syrah!” he said.

Cody and Taylor were pretty sure they could convince their father this was not a good idea. “It will never ripen here!” But their Dad insisted, rather bluntly. “I don’t want Pinot Noir: I want Syrah!  If you don’t plant Syrah, then don’t use my land!” 

The brothers made a bet with their Dad. “Ok, if we plant Syrah, we’re going to meet in 3 or 4 years and have an ‘I told you so!’ moment.”

Three years later, they were having a very different conversation. The fruit in the vineyard was amazing: big, beautiful, ripe clusters that blew them all away. And the wine? “Pappy’s Syrah turned out to be amazing! We love cool climate Syrah, and this is a great example,” says Taylor. Truly, this is one of the standouts of their lineup.

“Syrah goes with everything!” says Taylor. “From chicken to fish to beef to lamb—whatever you serve, Syrah can work.” 

Of course, growing good grapes planted in the right spot is most of the deal. But it’s that last 20% of effort that turns amazing fruit into wine. 

About 8 years ago, Cody and Taylor met winemaker Peter Kirchner, who happened to be working for Devine Wine Consulting, another backyard vineyard installation company that had been operating in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Timing is everything: Kirchner came to work with them and began to make wine for their clients. The company was growing.

The brothers converted their Dad’s garage to a winery, and that’s where Inversion Wines are made today. “The basketball hoop we used as kids is still on the front, though,” says Cody. 

Each of the wines at Inversion is named for one of their steadfast and beloved crew members. “We employ our crew full time and we pay them full benefits,” says Cody. “They are critical to our success.”  

There’s a Fernando Chardonnay and a Carlos Chardonnay: like the individuals they are named for, they could not be more different. Same with the two Pinot Noirs on the list, and the two Syrahs. Each has its place at the table and each has its own place card that goes way beyond Martha Stewart table etiquette. For those who toil in the vineyards, to have your name on a bottle of wine is to attain the utmost validation of all that hard labor. 

Taylor says, “Our team members take such great pride in everything they do. When we were redoing this place, they were all hands on. They are the best problem-solvers out there. They’re not painters, but it was so great to see them taking such incredible pride in making this place look its best.” 

That’s the philosophy that guides Coastal Range Viticulture, and in turn, Inversion Wines. From a string of little backyard hobby vineyards has come this wonderful collection of stories, named for the people who make it happen. 

Inversion Wines is open Friday from 2pm to 8pm, Saturday from 1pm to 7pm and Sunday from noon until 6pm. They have a fun and happening tasting bar, a couple of tables out on the front porch, ample outdoor seating in the back courtyard, and a private tasting lounge downstairs, with comfy couches. There are many ways to enjoy Inversion wines. Just don’t wait too long to do so, as their wine club is filling up fast. The “Brendy” Merlot from Los Altos Hills is fantastic, the Syrahs are amazing and the Cabernet Sauvignon is quite impressive. 

“We’re going to tune as we go,” says Cody. “This is a family oriented community, so we kind of operate around sports schedules: soccer in the fall and baseball in the spring. It’s a wonderful community, and we want to do our part to be supportive.” 

The tasting room is located at 75 Mount Hermon Drive, Unit C, Scotts Valley. Taste 4 wines for $20, with wines available by the bottle and the glass. Reservations are not required, but it’s a good idea of you have a party of 5 or more. This place is already the talk of the town. 

More at: inversionwines.com 831-201-4892