Wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains Grand Wine Tasting – March 29th, 2026
Report on the Grand Wine Tasting presented by Wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains on Sunday March 29th, 2026 at The Mountain Winery in Saratoga. This event is held to highlight wineries in the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA. The Wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains Grand Tasting was accompanied by a silent auction during the event.
Wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains helps to promote wineries and wines from the region. The Santa Cruz Mountains AVA was established in 1981, and includes parts of Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, and San Mateo counties. Vineyard elevations in the AVA range from 400 feet to 2,600 feet, with some sites lying below the “fog line” and some above – the varied subregions of the AVA feature a number of different soil and climate profiles. Given the mountainous terrain, it's no surprise that most of the vineyards in the region are small, with a total planted area of only around 1,600 acres. Over 70 wineries, most of them quite small and family-run, are currently members of the Wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains organization.
Chardonnay Seminar
The event began with a late-morning seminar entitled “Chardonnay: The Santa Cruz Mountains Signature.” An exploration of one of the region’s best-known grape varieties, the seminar also presented a case for fruit from the Santa Cruz Mountains’ varied terroir and the winemakers who work with it producing the very finest Chardonnay in California. Moderated by noted wine writer Alder Yarrow of Vinography, the seminar panel featured five vintners whose Chardonnays represent some of the best in the Santa Cruz Mountains: Sarah Green of Neely Wines, Rob Bergstrom of Sandar & Hem Wines, Ryan Beauregard of Beauregard Vineyards, Lauren Lyall of Ridge Vineyards, and Jeff Brinkman of Rhys Vineyards. Each of the five presented two of their Chardonnays for the seminar attendees to taste – one from their current vintage (all from 2023 and 2024) and one from an older vintage (ranging from 2021 back to 2012). The seminar format allowed us to taste and compare the five newer Chardonnays together and then to do the same with the older wines.
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In addition to comparing the wines from the five producers, we were also able to contrast the different sub-regions of the Santa Cruz Mountains from which the Chardonnay fruit was sourced. The region as a whole is noted for tremendous variation in vineyard soil, elevation, climate, slopes and aspects of plantings, and other factors. Each of the five vintners gave us a brief overview of their respective vineyard sites as well as their winemaking. The winemaking in all cases is relatively low-intervention and restrained in style though there are differences with type and percentage of new oak (generally 15-25% except for Beauregard’s “Métallique” bottling made entirely in stainless steel), protocol for bâtonnage and duration of aging on the lees, etc.
Of more interest were the variations in vineyard sites, and Alder helped lead the group of vintners in illuminating the distinctions there. Jeff noted that the geology of the Rhys vineyard sites varies widely even among those in close proximity. Lauren mentioned the limestone subsoil along the Montebello Ridge while Rob and Ryan both spoke of the white sandy soil at Bald Mountain Vineyard, where both Sandar & Hem and Beauregard source Chardonnay fruit. Sarah talked about how the varied topography of the specific blocks at Neely’s Spring Ridge Vineyard significantly affects the character of the wines from each one.
Alder led discussions on several issues related to the Chardonnay vineyards. The panelists talked about the effects of vineyard elevation and whether the vines were planted higher or lower on slopes, specifically on how this affects the soil and ultimately the fruit and the wine. They also compared vineyard locations with respect to fog and wind exposure. Probably the most spirited discussion was on how much the large conifer trees that surround many of the smaller Santa Cruz Mountains vineyard sites affect the fruit – Rob felt that it can have a significant effect while Ryan disagreed.
And what about the wines themselves? There were clear distinctions among them though all of the current vintage wines showed bright fruit and fine acidity on the palate and finish. While some showed a bit more oak influence than others, the oak was a well-balanced component of the wines and didn’t overtly stand out in any of them. As you would expect, there was more variation among the older vintages but all of them demonstrated how well Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay can develop with time in the cellar.
I should note that the seminar was sponsored by dasGLASS stemware, and the stems we used for tasting all of the Chardonnays were very nice. This was a terrific seminar, and everyone really contributed a great deal to the discussion – a very worthwhile start to the day!
Grand Tasting General Impressions
Some Favorites |
OVERALL FAVORITES
Whites, Rosés, and Sparkling
Beauregard 2024 Bald Mountain Vineyard “Métallique” Chardonnay
Big Basin 2023 Rodnick Vineyard Chenin Blanc
Birichino 2022 Peter Martin Ray Vineyard Chardonnay
Centennial Mountain 2022 Carricante (Rhys)
Mount Eden 2021 Reserve Chardonnay
Neely 2024 Spring Ridge Vineyard Bee Block Chardonnay
Neely 2019 Spring Ridge Vineyard Bee Block “Special Selection” Chardonnay
Rhys NV “Perpetual Reserve” Sparkling Wine
Rhys 2023 Horseshoe Vineyard Chardonnay
Samuel Louis 2024 “Les Granitiers” Chardonnay
Sandar & Hem 2021 Bald Mountain Vineyard Chardonnay
Sandar & Hem 2023 Mountain Winery Vineyard Chardonnay
Sante Arcangeli 2024 Split Rail Vineyard Chardonnay
Thomas Fogarty 2023 Siletto Family Vineyard “Petraza” White Blend
Reds
Alfaro 2023 Trout Gulch Vineyard Pinot Noir
Beauregard 2023 Bald Mountain Vineyard Pinot Noir
Big Basin 2022 “Old Corral” Pinot Noir
Birichino 2017 Peter Martin Ray Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Kathryn Kennedy 2022 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
Lexington 2021 Cabernet Franc (Thomas Fogarty)
Madson 2024 Ascona Vineyard Pinot Noir
Madson 2023 Massa Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Maison Areion 2019 Zayante Vineyard Merlot
Neely 2024 Spring Ridge Vineyard Hidden Block Pinot Noir
Ridge 2023 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
Rosscienda 2023 Saveria Vineyard Syrah
Samuel Louis 2024 “Sandstone Terrace” Syrah
Sandar & Hem 2023 Mindego Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir
Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard 2019 Bates Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon
Soquel 2024 Pleasant Valley Farms Pinot Noir
Windy Oaks 2022 Henry’s Block Pinot Noir
Others of Note
Alfaro 2023 Lindsay Paige Vineyard Chardonnay
Beauregard 2012 Bald Mountain Vineyard Chardonnay
Big Basin 2023 Rodnick Vineyard Chenin Blanc
Big Basin 2021 Rattlesnake Rock Syrah
El Vaquero 2024 “Bijoux” Red Blend
Lago Lomita 2021 Monte Sereno Block Nebbiolo
Madson 2024 “Arey” Chardonnay
Maison Areion 2019 Chaine d’Or Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Mount Eden 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon
Rhys 2023 Pajaro Vineyard Pinot Noir
Ridge 2023 Estate Chardonnay
Rosscienda 2023 Estate Pinot Noir
Saison 2021 Coast Grade Vineyard Pinot Noir
Sandar & Hem 2024 Rosé of Pinot Noir
Sandar & Hem 2022 Lago Lomita Vineyard Nebbiolo
Sante Arcangeli 2024 Split Rail Vineyard Pinot Noir
Soquel 2023 “Consonante” Lago Lomita Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Vidovich 2025 Rosé of Pinot Noir
Windy Oaks 2019 “Special Release – Le Chaud” Estate Pinot Noir
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The Grand Tasting once again was hosted by The Mountain Winery, in the hills high above Saratoga. This is one of California’s most notable winery sites, with a history that stretches back to legendary vintners Paul Masson and Martin Ray. A couple of the Grand Tasting events in recent years have been held indoors due to the weather but it was back outdoors again this year. Winery tables were spread out on the spacious winery patio, and even with the good-sized group of attendees on hand it never felt crowded. As usual, this was a very well-planned and well-run event.
Out of about 50 producers pouring their wines at the Grand Tasting this year, I tasted from 24 of them, though as usual there were still a handful I missed that I’d hoped to get to. I tasted most or all of the wines poured at each table I visited though I did skip some of them in order to keep moving along. In addition to the main tasting area, there was VIP tasting on the lower patio pairing white wines from nearly 20 Santa Cruz Mountains producers with caviar provided by The Caviar Co. of San Francisco, plus a selection of artisanal cheeses & charcuterie by Oak & Rye in Los Gatos. Though the VIP tasting certainly sounded tempting, I passed on it in order to visit more winery tables in the main tasting area.
Many longtime and well-known producers from the area poured their wines at the tasting as well as some promising but under-the-radar relative newcomers. Although I was familiar with most of the producers whose tables I visited, I did check out six that were new to me. The Santa Cruz Mountains is deservedly famed for its Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon, but many other varieties excel there as well and it was great to be able to sample some of them. The Grand Tasting event was lenient in allowing producers that focus on the wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains to pour wines sourced from other growing areas as well – I tasted a fair number of them and some are included in my list of favorites.
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I have a big list of favorites this year! This was a splendid showing by so many producers whose tables I visited. My overall favorites included Alfaro, Beauregard, Big Basin, Madson, Neely, Rhys, Rosscienda, Samuel Louis, Sandar & Hem, Sante Arcangeli, and Thomas Fogarty, while, Birichino, Maison Areion, Mount Eden, Ridge, Soquel, and Windy Oaks also poured strong wine lineups. Those wineries were about 70% of the producers I tasted with, an unusually high percentage! And in talking with a couple of friends after the event I know I missed some really good wines as well. While most of the producers above have been consistent favorites over the years, Rosscienda and Samuel Louis were both new to me.
As has always been the case over the years, I had a wonderful time at the Grand Tasting. The Chardonnay seminar was a very fine addition to the event this year, and all of the tastings provided a great opportunity to sample some of the best wines from nearly all of the Santa Cruz Mountains’ top producers. As usual, the quality of wines I tasted at this event was very high across the board, a testament to the strong case this region makes for being recognized as one of California’s finest wine regions. If you’re a fan of the wines from this area or just want to learn more about them, start making your plans now to attend the next Wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains Grand Tasting.
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