We drove up to Big basin winery Sunday afternoon. It was an amazing day! There were butterflies all over! We arrived at the vineyard and were seated outside in a sunny, but cool area. It was lovely. Our server dropped off glasses and a tasting menu and proceeded to talk about the wines and the winery. We were seated about 20 ft from where our wine was grown. Impressive. We enjoyed our tasting at this beautiful winery. read more

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Absolutely superb tasing with Edward on this sunny Sunday. We came in last minute with no reservation and Edward kindly sat us right away. We got complimentary Rose before our reasonably priced wine tasting. Edward was a wonderful host. Down to earth and knowledgeable. The vineyard itself is quaint; the back patio overlooks the vineyards. He even took us for a spin on his motorcycle to tour the vineyards. I can't wait to come back! read more

Big Basin Vineyards - Beautiful patio - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Boulder Creek, California

I know exactly what I'll be doing once I get out of quarantine. Having a glass of rosé... no wait; let me make a correction on that. Having SEVERAL glasses of rosé! Right here. At Big Basin Vineyards. Oh, it's happening! So get ready for it. What a find! Located just a few miles down the road from Big Basin Redwoods State Park, you'll find this charming little winery nestled behind a residential neighborhood. It's quaint but oh so inviting and of course, very beautiful. Stopped by with a friend last year for tasting after hiking Big Basin, and we almost didn't wanna leave! Everything was right; the weather, the view, the service, the WINE! My oh my, just heavenly. Big Basin Vineyards sources their grapes from a lesser known AVA known as the Gabilan Mountains which sits right above the Santa Cruz Mountains. Technically, they aren't really their own AVA quite yet, but they are in the process of establishing their own AVA region separate from Santa Cruz (but still within Monterey County). The climate here is a lot warmer during the summer which makes for a more robust type of wine style. Usually that isn't really my style, but what's nice is that they offer a great variety which also showcases their more refined wines. Their tasting area is outside only, and the little indoor area that they do have is basically used by the staff. It's best to come during the warmer/non-rainy months because there isn't much protection. However, it's PERFECT for a beautiful day out! They have several covered picnics style tables and a few comfy couches too. Their tasting area overlooks some of their beautiful vineyards right on the hill! They have two different menus, and a tasting is $18 which is waived with a purchase of two bottles. I really enjoyed their soft and fruity Pinot Noir. However, where they truly shine is with their ROSÉ! Their Chardonnay is lovely as well, but their rosé is flippin' amazing. So crisp and fruity! My friend and I shared a bottle and instantly fell in love. We actually lucked out because we took one of the last bottles that they had in stock. This stuff sells out fast, so you must get one while you're there if they have it. Trust me, it's to die for! Service was exceptional. We LOVED Hana! She was so fun and personable! She us a wine map of the Santa Cruz and Gabilan Mountains and informed us about all of the specs of the wines. She was such a great host! We loved our experience here. Can't wait to drink the day away after this quarantine is over. Rosé ALL day! read more

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When I first heard about Big Basin, it sounded like something extraordinary. Too fancy for my tastes at the time. Too beloved by the critics. Too much ambition to supernova into the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA universe of ultra premium Rhône, Burgundian, and Bourdeaux varietal wines. Then, after becoming part of their entry-level wine club, Big Basin became something entirely ordinary. Ordinary, in a really good way. Routine visits to their winery and tasting room to pick up shipments, attend events, listen to live music, and get to know the place itself a bit better instead of the 90+ accolades splashed all over the top-tier sections of the global wine press. It was just another special place in our immediate vicinity that made living in the San Francisco Bay Area such a fantastic privilege. Then, Big Basin was almost lost. Nearly consumed in the devastating wildfires that scorched so much of the surrounding area in late summer 2020. The owner's majestic house on the hilltop collapsed in dust, smoke, and fading embers. The redwoods and vines were wounded, but they recovered. Barely. It was a near miss. And a signal that life isn't just about ordinary and extraordinary experiences. Life flows deeper than all of that. It's about the interplay of transience and constancy. Passing moments and persistent connections. 90 point scores are blips on radar screens. Vineyards emerge from the ground and return to ash, one day. People die. But the spirit of it all in a holistic, all-encompassing sense remains. Big Basin means something else to me now at this stage. It's Bradley and Blake and Emily and all the rest of their dedicated team. It's Old Corral and Coastview and 62 Terraces and Odeon and Alfaro and all the rest. It's foggy mornings and sun-splashed afternoons and sunset under blankets accompanied by red wine and close companions. It's a level of intimacy that I rarely encounter outside of my own domicile and home ground (my personal terroir, so to speak) and that I generally don't talk about on social media. Look: there are 10 reviews of this on place on Yelp. That's about 1000x fewer than it deserves. It's that extraordinary. Or ordinary. Or transient. Or persistent. Take your pick. They are just words and stars, after all. They aren't real. But this place is. It really is. Try rating that on Yelp. It can't be done. I know, because I've tried. read more

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"There are three things, and three things only, that can lift the pain of mortality and ease the ravages of life," said Spider. "These things are wine, women and song"... "Curry's nice too" pointed out Fat Charlie" ― Neil Gaiman, Anansi Boys I'd add barbeque to that list but that's just me ;-) This was an unscheduled stop after a 4 hour hike in the rainforest that was Big Basin on this day. Wine seemed the perfect ending and I had enjoyed my visit to Big Basin's space in Saratoga a few years ago. Plus, I had just purchased a six pack of BB wines through the annual sale on the Wineberserker's Anniversary Sale (a bulletin board for wine geeks that wineries participate in yearly). The signs bring you to a secluded winery in a picturesque residential area not far from the park's entrance. It is a lovely setting to taste and has only been open for a few years. It looks like my Yelp Wine Friends Bradley and Camelia discovered this place before and they have described it perfectly so I will keep my review shorter. However, I will say BB's wines are unusually refined and sophisticated. We loved the 2014 Old Corral Syrah and the 2016 Vida Bella Chardonnay. But everything was wonderful on this day and we joined the wine club at the custom case level. Santa Cruz Mountains have two of my favorite wineries: Domaine Eden and Ridge. Now I can add Big Basin to that superior list. Highly recommended! read more

Big Basin Vineyards - A lovely tasting setting... - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Boulder Creek, California

There are not many wineries in Big Basin Redwoods. At Big Basin Vineyards we enjoyed every single one of their wines that we got to taste from the first tasting menu. I loved the setup of this winery. This winery is outdoors and you get to pick an available table and enjoy the view of grapevines surrounded by redwoods. This type of setting is more romantic and private. It is far better than standing next to a bunch of people. We also felt like we could enjoy the wine longer here and we weren't rushed. read more

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We had some time to kill before meeting friends for lunch and we thought a stop at Big Basin was a nice way to do it. It's a bit out of the way, to the point where you start to wonder where this long twisting and turning road is going to take you, but you will eventually get to the winery. We didn't have a lot of time so opted for a glass instead of a full tasting. It's a really nice spot to sit under the umbrella with views of the vineyard. The wines were surprisingly good and we shipped six bottles home. The staff was more than willing to give us a few splashes to try some of the other wines. I wouldn't hesitate to stop in again and if you are looking for a low-key spot to enjoy some wine, this will definitely fit the bill. read more

Big Basin Vineyards - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Boulder Creek, California

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Visited here on a passport day on Saturday 11.17.18. It is quite a drive. I'm feeling that this would do better if other wineries were not 45 minutes plus away. I have a feeling the Saratoga tasting room rocks. On first glance a beautiful property on a steep hill where you can see quite a few blocks of vineyard. Plenty of sitting space. We were asked where we wanted to sit and glasses brought to us. Now honestly we were not too stoked on anything minus the Grenache. We just found at $55 it just was probably $10 over where we would put it. Sounds like they had just finished the last crush of the season. So couple things.... -one Pinot in the tasting menu we expressed we have not been excited about Alfaro fruit prior. The server told us that they had some other great Pinot not on the menu and led us to believe it may be possible to taste those. At the end of the tasting found out that wasn't true. -apparently normally they have a food menu. Wasn't happening today for some reason. Long way out in middle of nowhere. -I can't stand people that bring dogs to wineries. However, if you do allow it maybe ensure that ur employees dogs as well are on leash so the other patrons are not watching after multiple employees make half hearted attempts to separate the dogs that are exactly fighting but not getting along either. -turn down the tunes just a touch. Don't need to raise my voice to speak to the next chair. We will be checking out the Saratoga tasting room see how it goes. read more

Big Basin Vineyards - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Boulder Creek, California

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Rude and pretentious is probably the best way to describe this place. A small group of us came on a Sunday and wanted to do a tasting flight. Apparently that just wasn't an option that day because the lady working was just too busy. Also, she was not willing to open any new bottles; we could only have something already open. Instead we ended up with overpriced glasses of their very mediocre wine. I have no idea why we decided to stay instead of walking right out of this incredibly rude place, but I was hoping maybe the quality of their wine would make up for her crappy attitude. Unfortunately that did not turn out to be the case. My brother had a glass of the GSM, which was supposed to be very fruit forward. It was massively boring; it wasn't really very fruity and had nothing to really distinguish it from any other red wine. The Lester Vineyard pinot noir was probably the best of the wine we tried. It was a decent pinot but I've had $10 bottles that were about the same flavor and quality. And that is my primary complaint - I paid way too much for a single glass of wine that was barely better than 3 Buck Chuck! Overall, just a massive disappointment. read more

We had the most fun time here! The vineyard setting is absolutely beautiful. Prices are amazing. Music was great. Service was impeccable. Wine was soooo delicious. We were able to completely relax and enjoy. Can't wait to come back! read more

Small patio area, limited wine selection, food truck made the whole area smell like burnt cheese. Road to get there was so curvy I was nauseated by the time I arrived. Folk duo took great songs and made them all sound alike. Not worth it. read more

Like Rhone styles? Grenache? Mourvedre? They have excellent specimens and wines for these, plus Cab and Chard. I'd seen the signs while camping at Big Basin and visiting Boulder Creek. I was visiting a nearby restaurant in Ben Lomand and they had Big Basin Vineyards wines in house. The next day I stopped by. The tasting was great. The service and education were excellent. Just went back again this last weekend for the American Abalone popup. I brought some friends who were also impressed and pleased. If you like some grapes off the beaten path, this place is dreamy. You drive down the 236 under the redwood canopy. Then you turn off to climb to the winery. Then you are at a beautiful hilltop vineyard. It is beautiful. Really. I have no regrets about this membership. read more

Great wine great service will continue going! The staff is super friendly and knowledgeable about the wine! If in town I would highly recommend this place. read more