Comings and Goings in Capitola: Second Tasting Room for Rexford Wines

July 8, 2025 – Capitola Village will soon be home to a second location of Rexford Wines. The space, located at 309 Capitola Ave, is next to La Marea Pizza & Bakery, which used to be Reef Dog Deli. In one of its many former lives, this space was most recently a candle shop. 

Proprietor and winemaker Sam Miller tells us he is sure the place used to be a laundromat because the electrical panel tells the tale of a lot of juice being put forth. Soon, this tiny spot will be serving up some premium juice made by Miller and his dad Joe, who founded the winery back in 2008.

Miller says they just received their ABC license clearance, have their new bar installed and are fixing up some elements of the space before opening. 

“We just finished painting the exterior and are getting ready to install the sign, which will go on the brick facing.” That sign which they used for their Carmel Valley tasting room, has been in storage for four years. “It will work perfectly here,” says Miller. “Nothing like reusing/recycling!”

His goal is to offer a friendly and welcoming space. “We’re not going hog wild with décor,” says Miller. “We’ll have pictures of the vineyards and our cellar. The wooden bar made by Gregory Wood Work (out of San Francisco), is reclaimed redwood on the front and oak on the top. It’s simple and straight forward.”  

Back in 2018, Gregory also made the bar that was the centerpiece of the Carmel Valley location of Rexford Wines for two years until the pandemic forced its closure in early 2020. At that time, they had taken over the initial home of the Holman Ranch tasting room, which then relocated to what used to be Will’s Fargo steakhouse. After Rexford left Carmel Valley Village, their space was remodeled and subsequently housed the Corral Wine tasting room until its recent move to the former Albatross Ridge space in Carmel Valley Village. Life is nothing if not a series of moves, some of which are easier than others.

For Miller, though, Capitola is a long-held dream. He loves the aesthetic of the village, the touristy vibe and the energy of the locals—all of whom are eager to see the doors open and the wine flowing. 

With any luck, this will occur by the end of July or early August. 

“Hoping to get it open before harvest!” says Miller. “Because once that starts, all bets are off!” He’s long wanted a space where there was more foot traffic and visibility. 

“We’ve been looking everywhere, honestly, but Capitola has always been very attractive to me.” He praises the town for being easy to work with and very clear on what they needed and when. 

Rexford Wines has been at its current location on the Westside of Santa Cruz, next to Java Bob’s, since it opened it first tasting room in May of 2009. It’s not exactly visible, but for the waving banner sign on the corner. That has long been a challenge. Miller expects that being close to the action of downtown Capitola will be a natural magnet.  

“Capitola is a world-renowned destination,” says Miller. “I feel good going there.” 

Other Capitola News

The former site of Cork and Fork is now owned by Rodney Wartzock, of Capitola Candy Company, and is called Cocoa Vin (pairing international wines with chocolates), while the new incarnation of Cork and Fork is moving to Clares Street near the Ross store. Armida Winery is now owned by David Drummond, the longtime chief legal officer of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, who bought the winery, located in Healdsburg, last year.

More Sauv Blancs for Summer

During my chat with John Benedetti regarding barrels (BarrelSpeak), he told me that if he could afford to do it for his own brand, he would make one new varietal per year. Fortunately, as the winemaker for Aptos Vineyard (they just moved their AP license to his Aromas facility), he got to make a Sauv Blanc in vintage 2024 for their proprietor, Jim Baker. It was sourced from an old buddy of Jim’s, Frank Remde, whose vineyard is near the Spring Hill golf course.  Benedetti says the chemistry was pretty good and they spiked in a little bit of musquée clone from the Griva Vineyard in Arroyo Seco. 

2024 Aptos Vineyard “Blanc Seign” Sauvignon Blanc, 14.3%, $32 – Leading with ripe pineapple, lime and coconut, this is definitely a tropical vacation. It’s the kind of Sauv Blanc that doesn’t challenge you to withstand its roaring assault of grapefruit, pithy lemon and touch of herbaceousness (typical NZ style), instead offering up beautiful flavors of guava and pineapple. It clocks in above 14% but is still bright and fresh and citrusy.  Benedetti says he wishes he had kept some to drink!  “I had a lot of fun making it,” says Benedetti. He took a conservative approach and innoculated it with a yeast recommended for citrusy stye of SB, then fermented it cold, 68—69 degrees, long and slow, to accentuate fruit. “I wanted it not too grassy or extreme, but instead a friendly style,” says Benedetti.  “We’ll see how it is received. It’s the kind of SB I like to drink.”  

2023 Acumen Peak Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley, 14.5% – Big tropical aromas of passionfruit, mango and papaya, meld with a whiff of orange blossom, banana and warm butterscotch candy. Touches of bruléed wood from aging 9 months in 40% new French impart almost a coconut flavor to the ripe pineapple, pear, starfruit and lime elements. No malo here. The finish shows a bit of green mango and wood lactones. 

2023 Dutcher Crossing Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma County, 13.9%, $42 – Done in 15% new French oak barrels, 56% stainless steel tank and 29% in neutral barrels, this wine made of grapes from Russian River Valley shows amazing aromas of white peach, preserved lemon, honeysuckle and ripe apples. Simply a fascinating expression of the grape, done in a modified Napa style, it delivers scrumptious grapefruit and pineapple flavors with just enough oak to give it body that shows up as lanolin and pressed linen, but not enough to spoil the fun of the flamboyant fruit party it creates in your mouth. 

And because you aren’t always in the mood to drink Sauv Blanc, here’s a really gorgeous Chardonnay. 

2023 Cuvaison Coeurtina Chardonnay, Carneros, Napa, 14.3%, $75 – At first glance, I thought, uh oh, this is going to be an oak bomb. The aromatics showed brioche, orange blossom and lemon drops in equal abundance, stemmed by a bit of grated apple. And, wow, was I pleasantly surprised by the relatively subdued oak on the palate, which works more as a lattice crust on top of this peach and apricot pie wine that has a generous squeeze of lemon and lime. A pretty core of tangerine, coupled with a refreshing lemony finish, is utterly captivating. There is so much great acid here, due to only 50% ML conversion, that it all works really well. Done in French barriques for 14 months, of which 40% were new, score one for Napa. Chardonnay lovers should get some of this. Cuvaison makes many different versions of Chardonnay, but this one comes from the coolest blocks in the heart of the Tai Vineyard. 

Next time, some local red wines, perfect for summer enjoyment.