We stopped by David Bruce kind of on a whim when driving through that area a couple months back and were pleasantly surprised. They do a number of small production Pinots from the Santa Cruz and Santa Lucia area that are quite a bit better than their more widely distributed stuff.
Nothing is really “close by” in the SCM’s. One of the toughest regions to get around, but Thomas Fogarty is worth a stop.
Is Ridge only by appt now? We just walked in a year ago. Was crowded on a weekend. It’s a good 30 minute drive up a narrow mountain road. Beautiful setting.
Fogarty, Beauregard, SCMV, Sante Arcangeli in Pescadero, Alfaro, Windy Oaks, Odonata on the Westside, Equinox Sparkling are all worth stops. I heard Armitage opened in Aptos too. Also solid.
We walked into the Big Basin tasting room in Saratoga a few weeks ago and had a great tasting! Matt who runs the tasting room is a Berserker. He was also super helpful as we were looking for a great hike in the area and he pointed out a couple of great ones we were able to get to quickly.
On our way to the hikes, we drove by the gate at Rhys…
House Family in Saratoga is open most weekends. Grapes are from their ridge top vineyard, wines made by Jeffrey Patterson of Mount Eden. Good view, too.
So, my suggestion would be Ridge first, then picnic lunch up there. Then House Family. The town of Saratoga is quaint and has some really nice restaurants. You could do some tasting, then go out to dinner. Next to Big Basin is M4, which is a shared space with Martella and Michaud. Cinnabar is half a block away and there’s a couple wine shops that taste nearby. Best restaurant is probably Plumed Horse, but there are several other good options.
Me and wife had a great time at Savannah-Chanelle near Saratoga. Awesome vineyard and tasting room atmosphere to roam around. If you aren’t looking for a spot strictly for what’s inside the glass, i’d recommend it. But if you want places similiar to the 3 you mentioned in the OP, then id pass.
I would agree that Big Basin would make a nice second stop and not that far from Ridge at all. I didn’t know that House had regular hours but the wines are top notch and would be worth looking into. Just a little farther away is Testarossa in Los Gatos which may be an option as well.
It’s been 5yrs but I made an appointment and tasted wine with longtime winemaker Jeffrey Patterson at Mt Eden. I wouldn’t taste with anyone but a winemaker there though as the rest of staff seems relatively uniformed. Jeffrey is legend and a really cool guy who believes in making wines with vineyard transparency. We tasted on his porch of the original home overlooking the vineyards.
Thanks Mel! Glad you stopped by and also went up to the hiking area I suggested.
A new project to be aware of is Mindego Ridge. I visisted last week. They are a stones throw away from Rhys’ Alpine vineyard. The wines are made by Ehren Jordan - very, very much worth a visit - appointment only. Dave and Stacey are very nice and the location is one of the most remote in the region, not a drive for the faint but rather serious Berserkers…
Yeah. My omission of Big Basin (former employer) is pretty inexcusable. My lame excuse is I was only picking places on the Santa Cruz side of the Santa Cruz Mountains.