Their corks crumbled to pieces as I opened the bottles we purchased from them. Look at the other reviews, a lot of people say the same thing. Emailed them several times and they didn't even bother to respond. Poor business practices. Stand by your brand. If you had a bad run of corks, take responsibility and make it right by your customers. Just plain wrong! Stay far away from this winery. read more

I believe the movie Sideways came out in 2004, and Blackjack has been riding that wave ever since. Because of this I guess they dont feel they need to offer customer service. I was with a fairly good sized group eager to try new wines. However the woman pouring the wines made us feel like we were an inconvenience. In a wine tasting, its nice learning about the wines and pairings...but all she did was pour. With regards to the wine, most were below average. One of the wines made my friend gag...her pallet is a bit more sensitive than mine. However, the DoubleDown Syrah was the only wine I truly enjoyed. read more

On our recent visit to Solvang my wife and I happen to pass by this 'Sideways' Vineyard and even though it was pretty late on Sunday evening we were greeted very warmly by the 2 wine experts Allison and Robin who provided great advise on their 'Reds' and helped us select their best collection. Will visit again surely and this time will pick up the 'Maximus' :) read more

Decent wines but for the price they're not worth it. You can find wines comparible to Blackjack's $30-$40 bottles for $15 at your local wine store. I am sort of disappointed because I ordered 6 bottles and it seems that either/both: 1) the wines have become muted with age, 2) my taste buds must have been shot from visiting the several crappy wineries in the area, and in the land of the blind this one-eyed winery was king. There are really only two decent wineries in Central California: Blackjack and (the only great one) Foxen. The tasting room itself is very nice and the surrounding land very pretty. Very nice easygoing environment. I struck up a conversation with the lady of the winery and found that she is from an Italian family in Brooklyn. I wouldn't mind stopping by for a wine tasting just for an experience, but I doubt I'm going to buy a bottle again. read more

Love the Maximus! We had our kids and they were comfortable hanging in the very comfortable grass area. Such a wonderful end to our Central Coast vacation. read more

Blackjack Ranch - Wineries Near Me - Solvang, California

My concern and gripe is the customer service. I am disappointed with how they handled my concern. I have only been a member for a short while, each shipment I had 1-2 bottles that the cork was broken or partially disintegrated, most of the time the bottles were fine, but there were a few I had to dump. I sent an email including pics, requesting information and wanted to cancel my membership. The website does not take emails as cancellations only snail mail? So 20 days later I am instructed to look for a letter or email to let me know that the cancellation has been approved...I thought membership was elective? Lastly, when I called the tasting room for help because no one has responded to my week old email, I wasn't asked why I was leaving or for what reason, nor was I offered any compensation for the wine I purchased and had to dump. Well, I have since sent the snail mail, along with the cork as proof...In my opinion, I would find a more friendly wine club. read more

Over-priced, Under-whelming... Ok, so I'll start by saying I'm a wine snob {comfortably nestled between Napa and Amador County}. So, here's my take on this place: It felt uncomfortable to me when we walked in. They told us where to stand, and gave us the standard rundown on their process. They were unfriendly and asked us to pay our tasting fee immediately before they lost track of us. Very welcoming and inviting.... : / It was somewhat robotic like that through the whole tasting. But, the biggest difficulty for me was tasting wine that sells for a minimum of $35 a bottle out of a teeny wine glass that hits your nose every time you drink. Kind of hard to really "taste" the wine appropriately. Not sure if the wine was as unappealing as I thought or if the glass just blew it. In any case, let people taste your wine in a decent glass if it's at that price point. read more

Delicious wine and amazing service. There wine is very different from other places I have visited. I ended up buying 6 bottles- 2 Chardonnay black cap , 2 Pinot noir and 2 sauv blanc ! Will definitely visit again to get more. read more

Came here with a large group for a friend's birthday. There were 25 of us and this winery did an awesome job at keeping track of all of us and making sure everyone got all their tastings. We went to 2 other wineries as well, but this one was definitely the most organized. The lady that helped us was great at explaining each wine and the story behind it and was very knowledgeable when we asked questions. None of the wines really stuck out to me but it was definitely worth it to come for the experience. We were also on a tight schedule and she did a really good job keeping track of time for us. This is definitely a great stop if you have never been wine tasting before read more

Stopped here during a recent Santa Barbara wine trip. Very generous pours during the wine tasting with some hilarious women working behind the counter - very laid back environment. Really preferred their reds to their whites. read more

10 tastings and delicious wines. Brandon poured and served us. He is extremely knowledgeable. Bottles were purchased. We bought the chardonnay 21 yummy. We'll visit again. Thank you! read more

We have visited blackjack on several occasions over the years and recently was the end of August of this year. We purchased a case of 2006 allusion wine for $199,,after opening 4 bottles the corks were split and the residue and taste was rancid. I called and texted the vineyard and tasting room with not one response. Don't go here, don't buy their wine it's old nasty and rancid. read more

Eh it was ok. Oh hey incase you don't realize when you're there they were in SIDEWAYS. Don't worry they will remind you a couple dozen times. Go get some sandwiches and go to Fess Parker. Eat outside in the sun and sip on some vino. You won't regret it. read more

This place has to be one of the best wineries in the area! All the wines were fabulous :) I think we got lucky because we were the only group in the tasting room on a Saturday afternoon in July. So we got attention from the whole staff and all of them were very nice and knowledgeable. The tasting room is beautiful, wood bars and lots of interesting photos and art. They make Rhone-style wine so if you don't like Rhone blends then you won't like this place but if you do then this place is outstanding. We bought the Harmonie red blend, and two Chardonnays. I can't believe it took me so long to try this place, I'll definitely be back every time I'm in the area. read more

Wonderful little tasting room that was featured in Sideways, with a server that had a nice Bronx accent that made the tasting room all the more charming. I'm a big syrah fan, and I loved the Double Down and Maximus. I was a little more focused on showing my longtime friend around a few wine tasting rooms than on really exploring everything in detail myself this particular day, but these syrahs were "big" as they say. ;-) read more

I LOVED this winery. I'm confused by the poor reviews on here. I liked all of their wines, the woman working there was very nice, knowlegable and accommodating. The tasting room was cute. All in all I had a great experience here and would definitely recommend stopping by. read more

While I was a fan of their wine while tasting, what they send you is NOTHING like what you taste. I don't recommend joining the wine club you will get ripped off and they won't cancel your membership, even after dozens of calls to dispute. read more

We went here over the weekend. I wasn't really impressed with the place from the moment we pulled up....way too many rules: no dogs, no kids, no smoking. Not that I had any of those...it just seemed like an uptight place. The lady who did our tasting was friendly but didn't seem too passionate about the wine. It was $10 or $12 for a tasting of about 8 wines. They were good but nothing special and especially not for the price. Overall, I thought the place was a bit too commercial - should have known since they had a sign at the front drive announcing that they were in the movie "Sideways." I could recommend many better places for the price and all. read more

Teresa was awesome! She walked us through each wine and would describe it to the T! We took a bottle with us to taste it at home with our hearty foods. Perfect getaway and great location. Ask management to take a cherry or two from there tree. read more

Maximus is by far the best wine they have. Was ok place seemed a little uptight, made too much out of the sideways movie, they should focus more on the wine. Staff was very good. Good for a one time visit. read more

Wow.....1st class wines...Allsion and Brandon are such great hosts. Now on to the wines...So many good ones. Try the Harmonie, Allusion and Chardonnay varieties are nice as well. Their Maximus is a thing as well. Cant wait to pair their wines with a filet mignon, chicken and fish. We had a lot of fun and will be back. read more

For me, my purpose of wine tasting is to learn more about the wines produced by a particular winery, the grapes used, the process, etc. In Blackjack Ranch, everybody was very helpful, both in answering my questions and sales assistant. The owner, Roger Wisted, even came by and happily offered explanation and brought young wines with his wine thief for us to try, just to see and compare the development of wine fermentation. I've tried wines from wineries in and around Santa Ynez and Santa Barbara area, even the ones with appointment only admittance. So far, I came to a conclusion that wines produced by Blackjack Ranch are the best in the area. Every time I came there, I've always bought more than I've planned. A lot more. But, all the time, I didn't regret buying more. Often, I regret not buying enough, because, to me, their wines are THAT good. Forget the Sideways movie hype for a moment and compare Blackjack Ranch's wines to any other winery in the area within the same price range. I did that, and I still love Blackjack Ranch wines very much. read more

Blackjack Ranch - a sign on the side of a building - Wineries Near Me - Solvang, California

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Ok, I have a new rule for the wineries in Santa Barbara Area. If this winery was featured in Sideways, skip it. Dear wine makers, the winery is not a DMV office. You need to provide experience not just the wine tasting. 1. We were greeted by plastic smile of an attendant chick., who immediately requested $12 for wine tasting per person. The wine dispensing officer actually requested a driver license from by 27 years old brother after shaking us up for $12. 2. You would guess with "upscale" $12 wine tasting, you would get a crackers or, at least some water to clear you palate after each tasting. You guessed wrong... I specifically requested some water and, guess what, the chick gave us plastic glasses and pointed towards the water cooler in the corner of the room. 3. Ok, now about the descriptions of the wine. Everything there is referring to some French style wines. Typical description is Harmonie 2006 "Bordeaux-Blend"... Dear wine makers, if your mom is driving you to school, you ain't a gangster:) If your winery is called Blackjack Ranch you are not in France. Why are you referring to something you are not? You can make an amazing wine, be proud of the place you are, don't try to refer to some big names half way across the globe. I came to you to try your wine, not Bordeaux. 4. Now about the wine. It is totally overrated an overpriced. It is OK for $10-$20 per bottle range, but not more. Sideways move or CNN do not make better wine or better experience for the customers. My recommendation is: Give them a lesson in humility, let them try to do better at treating the customers and making wine. read more

Blackjack rules - everyone was super nice, the wine was great - Love the Double Down. We were wine tasting by bicycle - my bike broke down and Asta ended up driving me into town. They gave us fresh apricots off the tree. All so nice. They made our trip through the valley very memorable. Great People - Great Wine - Great Time - Thank you! read more

My review will be commenting ONLY on the atmosphere/wine tasting experience. I felt like I was just another cow getting its feed. Our pourer gave my bf and I the same speal about each wine to each and every customer. She never changed up her introductions to each wine, just continually repeated her memorized repertoire. Never made it unique for any of the different customers going through the flight. "Double Down, has the best finish, I get a espresso flavor at the end" "Double Down, has the best finish, I get a espresso flavor at the end" "Double Down, has the best finish, I get a espresso flavor at the end" And this went on for all 10 wines she poured! It was a huge turn off. Also there was a inner Oklahoma couple next to us that was pretending to know wine but didn't have a clue. "Uhh this is Amazing! I just can't find anything so oakey and creamy. It might almost be better than that Yellow Kangaroo one...don't you think Earl?" The tasting room is catered for large groups of people and I would not recommend if you want a unique personal fulfilling experience. It is a wine tasting gone Sideways. read more

One of my favorite winery's to visit while in Santa Ynez Valley. It's not fancy, but they make a lot of really good wine. It's a bit pricey but very tasty. It can get crowded so go on the weekdays if possible. read more

Blackjack is really winning me over. So much so that I convinced my boyfriend to join their club. They consistently impress me with their Chardonnays and the reds are growing on me. The ladies in the tasting room are very nice and helpful. They have some of the best deals around, you can usually find a great deal on a case. I picked up a case of Chardonnay at 1/2 price last time I was there. read more

The wines were drinkable. The final syrah on the tasting menu really jumped out as a winner. I enjoyed it and might have bought some. The overall attitude though was a bit off-putting. When we walked in at 4:30, we were told that we would only be able to taste a few wines because they close at 5. I understand there are rules to follow. It was the way it was said that was a bit rude. Then they handed us these mini wine glasses like something from a children's play set. They charge $12 for tasting but can't afford real wine glasses? I like the Sideways connection and that was fun to see. The decor in general needs a remodel. The tasting room employee had just started working there, so understandably did not know a lot about the wines. A manager was able to help her out. But the staff was definitely rushing us in an uncomfortable way. That's my two cents. read more

I was hoping to be impressed, but even though the flights were large for the tasting fee, my companion and I both had the same opinion: not for me. None of the wines could compare to Rideau, which we tasted on the same day, and were about the same price. Their tasting room was the busiest of any that we visited, but the wines were just not for me. read more

Ugh, Dbag central. It was packed with obnoxious people whom I'm assuming saw the sign boasting that this place had been in the movie Sideways. Which is fine but don't also go out of your way to be super loud, and make sure people can't walk around you. And the employees were rude. I believe the exact words (in such a put-out manner) were "it's going to be a while before we get to you". Thanks. The wine is good, so just dash in, snag a bottle, and peace out. read more

Stopped in because of the "Sideways" sign, and I'm a fan. Wines were fine, but not so great that I wanted to buy any. Bought a coaster ($10) of their Maximus Syrah that was featured in the film. Good enough! read more

Wine was ok. But the service was pretty horrible. They were rude and dismissive the entire time we were there. If it doesn't bother u then go for a cheap tasting. But don't go for the experience or the service read more

Great service and wine. The two girls that served us really knew and appreciated the wine. The Syrah and Pinot were excellent! Great deal for the wine tasting as well! read more

Wines were decent but the woman pouring should go back east where she came from, thought a lot of herself and at times was downright rude. Not a pleasant experience.. could not wait to finish the visit. Felt like Napa attitude. Not why we visit the central coast. read more

First timers! Good wine, good atmosphere! Great service by Asta!! She's very knowledgeable of the wines and the area!! We will be back!! read more

Very helpful staff and great values to be had here. I am not a wine connoisseur by any means but their Alix de Vergy Pinot Noir 2005 and Harmonie Bordeaux-Blend 2001 were among my favorite reds I tasted while in the Santa Ynez valley. read more

Decent wines. Went in on a Saturday afternoon and there were a lot of people. The service was just OK. I didn't like the fact that I felt I couldn't "pick the brain" of the employees. The wines to me were a bit overpriced for what they are, serving glass was size of a port glass, and if you can afford another 1.5 hr drive up north to Paso, much better wines and feel. read more

Is there a no star option? I give this winery 2 thumbs down. I was not at all impressed by this winery. First, we were greeted by a very rude staff member. The wines may have been good but I couldn't tell since they poured them into tiny port glasses. They were big Bordeaux style wines and didnt have any opportunity to open up to taste the full potential. When I made a comment about the glass size to the staff member she walked away and left the other staff member to serve me. Oops. This winery was also a total sell-out cashing in on Sideways and all the media hype. LAME! They were way too pretentious for my taste without the goods to back it up. read more

I Walked in with a party of 5. I couldn't wait to introduce my friends who Live up here to Blackjack Winery. We were 2 couples with an 18 yr.. To our dismay we were told that no one under 21 was allowed inside. Really? We were up here for 3 days and saw kids a lot younger in every place we went to as well as us. On the door it said no minors. Is an 18 yr. old a minor? And is that the Law? Not only did they lose a customer they lost a potential new customer who actually lives up here! There response was something about the residents who Live nearby which my friends are. Too many wineries that want our money to waste on them! Dr.Turek read more

Love this winery! Great tasting list (ps. they poor 10 wines!! ) and the staff is friendly and fun - plus the fun Sideways history. Highly recommend this winery and tasting room! read more