What Not to Miss at Grand Wine Tasting at Mountain Winery, March 24

March 12, 2024 – If you haven’t secured your VIP and Library Tasting tickets yet for the biggest Grand Tasting of the year for Santa Cruz Mountains wines, get on it. Bask in the history and beauty of The Mountain Winery, with its panoramic views of Silicon Valley. Your VIP wristband gives you all-day access to the VIP lounge, where you will enjoy a spread of seasonal fare by Chefs Ross Hanson (Oak & Rye) and Kirsten Ponza (Santa Cruz-based caterer), with access to the 15 + wineries that are pouring their sparkling wines and rosés. 

Add the Library tasting (just a few slots left as of press time), and be treated to older vintages from the libraries of 11 wineries, including Big Basin Vineyards, Cooper-Garrod Vineyards at Garrod Farms, House Family Vineyards, Kathryn Kennedy, Kings Mountain, Mount Eden, Muns, Silver Mountain, Thomas Fogarty Winery, and Ridge. VIP early entry gets you a first look at the silent auction, which will be held in the Overlook Room, where you’ll be treated to exceptional wines from Equinox, Mount Eden, Kathryn Kennedy and Ridge. Tickets are still available, but hurry. 

During the Grand Tasting, you’ll taste from all over the vast region that lies within the boundaries of the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, including the far southeastern reaches of Redwood Retreat Road and even into Gilroy, with Cinnabar, Fernwood Cellars and Martin Ranch, to Los Gatos, where Gali Vineyards has their gorgeous tasting, to the Saratoga Hills with Cooper-Garrod, House Family, Mount Eden and Domaine Eden, and up the Peninsula to Woodside and Portola Valley, where Kings Mountain, Maison Areion, Neely Wines and Woodside Vineyards are located. Farther north still, there is Thomas Fogarty Winery, the northernmost winery in the AVA represented at the tasting, along with sister brand, Lexington Wines, sourced from the Gist Vineyard above the Lexington Reservoir: both are made by star winemaker, Nathan Kandler.

In the Summit area, we have Burrell School, Lago Lomita, Muns Vineyard, Silver Mountain and Wrights Station, and in Scotts Valley, Brandon Armitage is making his Armitage wines at the old Hitchcock estate (formerly home of Heart of the Mountain). On the coast in Santa Cruz, you’ll find Birichino, Equinox, Madson, Rexford Wines and Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard. Up in Bonny Doon, we have Beauregard Vineyards and McHenry, while in Soquel there’s Bargetto, and further south in Aptos, you’ll find Charmant, Doon to Earth, Sante Arcangeli and Aptos Vineyard.  The beautiful Corralitos area is teeming with talent, including Alfaro, El Vaquero, La Vida Bella, Lester Family, Storrs, and Windy Oaks. Furthest to the south, Integrity Wines in Watsonville rounds out the pack. 

That’s a lot of territory to cover. Fortunately, a Grand Tasting like this brings all these widely scattered wineries together in one venue. 

Also, you don’t want to miss exciting new-ish wineries that are making headlines with their well-deserved great scores in the major wine media, including Madson and Sandar & Hem, plus new to this tasting, we have David Bruce, McCarthy, McHenry and Vidovich. 

We talked to some of the wineries about what they plan to pour, and while some are still sorting that out, others had already developed a plan. 

Alfaro Vineyards will present at least these wines, according to Ryan Alfaro: 2021 Trout Gulch Chardonnay, 2021 La Playita Gruner Veltliner, 2021 Heirloom Clone Pinot Noir and 2021 Trout Gulch Pinot Noir. 

Alexandra Baker of Aptos Vineyard told us she thinks they will pour their 2020 Merlot made by winemaker Brandon Armitage, and most likely the 2019 Pinot Noir (DaLarDi) and 2020 Pinot Noir from Saveria Vineyard, made by John Benedetti. 

Bargetto will be pouring 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2022 Chardonnay and 2021 Reserve Merlot. 

Ryan Beauregard of Beauregard Vineyards is planning to pour the new 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon from Beauregard Ranch and the new release 2021 The Lost Weekend. Says Michael Phillips, Tasting Room and Wine Club Manager, “Ryan does like pouring some special wines, as you know. Usually, we grab those the day of or day before whatever inspires us at the moment!”

Big Basin Vineyards has some new wines to share, including the 2021 Kimari Chardonnay (new), 2021 Estate Old Corral Pinot, 2021 Ascona Pinot Noir and 2019 Estate Rattlesnake Syrah. 

Eug Theron of Charmant Vineyards will present a multi-vintage Lé Refugié Pinot Noir, 2020 Tondré Grapefields Chardonnay (aged 18 months in French Oak), and 2020 Juliette’s Block Pinot Noir (a new single block, single clone estate Pinot Noir aged 42 months in French Oak).

Owner Ron Mosley of Cinnabar Winery, headquartered in Gilroy, with a tasting room in Saratoga, says he’ll be pouring 2020 Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay, 2021 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir, 2023 Lake County Sauvignon Blanc and 2021 Mercury Rising. The 2023 Cinnabar Rosé will be featured at the VIP Sparkling and Rosé Bar. 

Cooper-Garrod is planning to pour 2022 Viognier, 2019 Cabernet Franc and 2018 Test Pilot F-86 Sabre Jet (75% Cab Sauvignon, 15% Cab Franc, 10% Merlot). They will be pouring a yet to be chosen gem at the Library portion of the event. 

Matt Oetinger of Fernwood Cellars on Redwood Retreat Road in Gilroy, says he will be pouring one of his older Cabernet Sauvignons, but hasn’t decided which one yet. 

Janice Gali of Gali Vineyards (vineyard in Watsonville, tasting room in Los Gatos) plans to pour their 2022 Rosé of Pinot, 2022 Pinot Noir Cuvée and 23 Chardonnay, all from estate grapes. All the wines were made by winemaker, Eric Baugher, formerly of Ridge Wines, where he spent over 20 years making internationally acclaimed wines, including many vintages of the revered Monte Bello blend, as well as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Gali Vineyard, prior to his departure. Ridge Wines will be pouring his 2016 Monte Bello in the Library area of the event. 

Jim Cargill of House Family Wines says they’ll be pouring their 2018 Pinot Noir, 2018 Estate Chardonnay and 2016 Estate Cabernet. They’ll be pouring the most excellent and age-worthy 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon in the Library area. 

Integrity Wines will pour a vertical of their Cabernet Sauvignons, vintages 2017, 2018 and 2019, sourced from Perry Vineyard, which was a privately owned vineyard in Saratoga. It subsequently sold in 2019, and is now called Russell Vineyard. Winemaker, Mark Hoover, used both French and American oak on the wines, in different percentages. The Merlot in the 2019 comes from Regan Vineyard in Corralitos. 

Mark and Robin Porter, winegrowers at Lago Lomita Vineyard near Loma Prieta Mountain off Summits, will be pouring their 2021 Pinot Grigio, 2018 and 2020 Pinot Noir, 2020 Cabernet Franc and 2021 Nebbiolo, all made by winemaker, Dan Lokteff, of Wrights Station. Fruit from their vineyard won Soquel Vineyards a Best of Class and Sweepstakes berth for the 2022 Soquel Vineyards Nebbiolo at the 2024 San Francisco Chronicle Competition. 

Pamela Minnis of La Vida Bella in Corralitos says they will be pouring their 2020 Amar Pinot Noir, and both the 2020 Brut Brillante and 2020 Sparkling Rosé of Pinot Noir will be poured in the VIP lounge area. 

Marty Mathis from Kathryn Kennedy promises something that tastes amazing: for sure one of his beloved Santa Cruz Mountain Cabs. He’ll wait to see what seems to be ringing all the bells the day before. But he also might pour the newly bottled 2023 Albarino, which he put in screwcap just last week. 

Kings Mountain will debut its first ever rosé, made from their estate Pinot Noir grapes in 2023. Boathouse Rosé, named for the beautiful little spot on the lake on the 40-acre Kings Mountain Vineyards property in Woodside, will appear in the VIP area. They’ll also pour vintage 2019 Pinot Noirs and 2002 Meritage for the Grand Tasting, and the 2014 Martini Clone (Clone 13) Pinot Noir in the exclusive Library area.

Winegrower Richard Hanke of Left Bend, whose vineyard is located adjacent to Mount Madonna, says he will pour both the current and previous version of MashUp, v7 and v6, respectively.

Lester Family Vineyards will be pouring 2021 Chardonnay, 2020 Domingo Pinot Noir and 2021 Traviso Pinot Noir. Their 2022 Sparkling Rosé of Pinot Noir and 2022 Rosé of Syrah will be featured at the Exclusive VIP Rosé & Sparkling Wine Bar.

Cole Thomas of Madson Wines says he is planning to pour his 2022 Ascona Chardonnay and 2022 Ascona Pinot Noir for sure, and most likely 2022 Ascona Syrah. Ascona Vineyard is on Skyline Boulevard, between Black and Gist, where his partner in Madson Wines, viticulturist Ken Swegles, lives with his wife Abbey.  

Winegrower Nicolas Vonderheyden of Maison Areion will be pouring a 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon and his 2019 Chardonnay, from the Chaine d’Or Vineyard he manages in the hills above Woodside. 

Winemaker Thérèse Martin of Martin Ranch says she’s pouring three of her exclusive “Soulmate” releases, a project she undertook with her husband and co-winemaker Dan, to express the unique joys of working side by side on wines that reflect their love of farming, the land, the wine life and each other. Taste the 2019 Soulmate Chardonnay from Lester Family Vineyards, the 2013 Soulmate Estate Nebbiolo and the 2017 Soul Mate Santa Cruz Mountains Cuvée. 

McHenry’s Annelisa McHenry and her husband, winemaker Brandon Blanchard, will be joining for the first time, pouring both their 2021 Estate and 2021 Estate Swan Clone Pinot Noirs.  

Ridge Vineyards will be showcasing its 2021 Jimsomare Zinfandel, 2022 Estate Chardonnay, and 2021 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, all from the estate Monte Bello Vineyard in Cupertino. You’ll be able to meet lab manager Lauren Lyall, who will be pouring. The 2016 Monte Bello will be featured at the Library Bar. 

Rob Bergstrom of Sandar & Hem plans to pour his 2021 lineup, including 2021 Mountain Winery Chardonnay, 2021 Le Boeuf Vineyard Chardonnay and 2021 Deerheart Vineyard Pinot Noir. 

John Benedetti of Sante Arcangeli plans to pour the 2022 Coast Grade Pinot Noir, 2021 Saveria Pinot Noir and 2021 Split Rail Syrah. His 2022 Rosé of Pinot Noir will be poured in the VIP Lounge area. 

Jeff Emery of Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard is truly excited to have his assistant winemaker, Georgie Wetheril, pouring three new releases, including the 2019 Las Nietas Pinot Noir from Clone 828 sourced from “The Granddaughters” Vineyard in Corralitos, a 2021 Zayante Zinfandel done in the old-school lower alcohol and spicy style that characterized Zins before the 1990s, and a 2018 Luchessi Cabernet Sauvignon, from a vineyard near Montebello Ridge. That Zayante Zin is the only own-rooted Zin in the AVA and was planted in 1988. 

Silver Mountain will present 2013 “Alloy” Bordeaux blend, 2014 Estate Pinot Noir and 2020 Estate Chardonnay. In the VIP tent, you’ll find their 2021 Rosé of Pinot Noir, and in the Library section, 2007 Muns Vineyard Pinot Noir. 

Pamela Bianchini Storrs of Storrs Winery will roll out the 2022 version of their gorgeous rosé, and will also pour their 2021 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir, 2021 Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay, and 2021 Wildcat Ridge Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains. 

Winemaker Barry Timmins of Vidovich will be pouring 2020 Lake Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Los Altos Hills, and the 2019 Monte Bello Road Cabernet Sauvignon.

Windy Oaks will offer the 2021 Estate Cuvée Pinot Noir and 2019 ‘One-Acre’ Estate Chardonnay at the Grand Tasting, their 2019 Estate Sparkling Rosé of Pinot Noir will appear at the VIP Bar, and a selection of limited release Pinot Noirs, perhaps Native Yeast and/or Whole Cluster will appear at the Library Bar. 

Wrights Station will bring its refreshing and crisp 2019 Unoaked Chardonnay, their popular 2019 Far Away Block Pinot Noir with its candied cherry, strawberry and exotic spices, and their Super Tuscan style 2018 Semaphore Red blend, featuring Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese and Zinfandel. 

To buy tickets click here and to preview the auction lots gathered so far, visit: AuctionLots