THE most beautiful wedding setting I have ever seen. My godsister said her vows at sunset under a…read moregroup of oak trees with wine colored silk draped through the branches. The "barn" had one wall open with white fabric panels blowing in the wind creating a romantic passage way in and out of the reception area. White lanterns illuminated the grassy area which housed the buffet tables and a few fire pits with smores fixings available. Inside the barn old jam jars with votive candles lit in the windows and vintage lanterns hung from the open beams. The have a little stage and a little bar area which of course will be serving Firestone wines. It was one of THOSE weddings. The kind you dream about as a little girl and envy as a big girl. The oaks, vineyards and old ranch house looked beautiful as the pink sunset splashed them with golden color. F*&%.

Picturesque and beautiful ceremony; even Mother Nature could not have ruined this perfect venue…read more My cousin just got married this weekend in the hottest, humid, and raining (before the wedding starts & during the dinner)- 102 degree weather! The Crossroads Estate was a last minute changed due to unforeseen circumstances from the original venue at Firestone Vineyard; 5017 Zaca Station Rd. Crossroads Estate is a winery in the town of Los Olivos situated inside the Santa Ynez Valley on Foxen Canyon Road with views of the San Rafael Mountains, features a mixture of grapevines, floral meadows, and dramatic oak trees. It was constructed during the early 20th century, the Crossroads House on the estate is an extraordinary craftsman style home with plenty of rustic vineyard charm. The beautiful ceremony was situated under a very old Oak tree. The Bride came down the path with my Uncle Louie & his wife while a live band playing soft music. She was glowing and very glamorous! It was picturesque and breathtaking. The staffs were in black serving hot appetizers after ceremony. There was a nice table setting with cheese plates and open bar both outside and inside the barn until 9:45PM. The bar had a very nice selection of wines from local wineries nearby; and even serving Belvedere vodka all evening (not your usual cheaply vodka). The buffet dinner was set outside next to a open barn. Pole Barn, which offers an oak bar, raised stage, and iron chandeliers. The salmon and steak was cooked perfectly (not too dry or over cooked). Across the way was a nice selection of the veggies (squash, zucchini, asparagus, portobello mushrooms and mixed green salad bar. They also have a pasta buffet bar serving pappardelle or penne with your choice of cream or tomato sauce and toppings to your liking. I was very impressed with the venue! After dinner they served crepes with sliced bananas, strawberries, freshly made jam, vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of hot melted dark chocolate. I also appreciate the entire staffs. The poor staffs were running around and were very accommodating during the heavy downpours moving the canopy around for the outdoor Chefs and the patrons trying to get their food at the wedding. We danced the night away (while drenched in sweats or rain) in our fine evening wears with a live dj. Most importantly; at the end both the Bride and Groom were very happy! And so were the guests!

This place was so awesome! Amazing. Totally will be back! The wine tasting was one of my faves. I…read morebought a couple of bottles here. We came with someone who was a club member and got a few yummy tastings! This place did it for me. The service was subpar but their wine made up for it. I will definitely be back. We sat at the outside patio and it was soooo nice. All in all this winery's got my vote! Yum!

This winery is named after an American actor named Fess Parker. He founded this winery after his…read moreacting career with his son. The winery is set in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley, perfect for picnics, kids, and fur-babies. I saw many people set up with a blanket on the grass. However, our main focus was the wine tastings. Unfortunately, I was not impressed with the tasting here. I ended up pouring essentially all the wine we tasted in the dump bucket.

My wife and I had a very fun evening at Mattei's. rhe wait staff were just fab, informative and…read morefriendly. When they found out it was my birthday, they treated me very nicely and that was greatly appreciated. The Tavern is also a pretty space for dining and that made it even better. My wife had the kale salad (she loved it) and we shared the fried cauliflower and mashed potatoes (also good) The one downside was that I had the pork chop as my main and it was way overdone. It was a bit tough to eat. Otherwise Mattei's would have been 5 stars for sure. The next morning we went back and visited the coffee bar. Drinks were excellent, we got the cheesy eggs/toast which was very good and they have a nice seating area.

The main dinner courses were very sub-par. I would not suggest having dinner here…read more The chef is trying to make bold pairings that become a disaster on a plate. Pork sausage paired with berries- not good, thin dry branzino swilling in over acidic tomatillo salsa with roti flat bread on the side that tastes like hockey pucks, over whipped mashed potatoes that taste like they have glue added to the mix. They definitely need a new head chef! However the ambience, appetizers and dessert were worthwhile for a pitstop.

Coolest place I have ever stayed. Love every minute. Staff was so helpful abs sweet. Can not beat…read morethe sunsets abs sunrise. Will go again soon!

My husband and I recently got married at the Figueroa Mountain Farmhouse and it was everything I…read morecould have ever imagined. We wanted a low key, small wedding at our favorite area in California and this venue checked all the boxes. It was rustic, charming and had loads of character. The farmhouse is set in the Los Padres National Forest and the backdrop of Grass Mountain and the Zaca Ridge were stunning. We had both sides of the family staying together at the farmhouse before the wedding for a few nights where we cooked dinner with the Santa Maria style grill, hiked around the property and watched the epic sunsets from the front porch. The property manager is very responsive and has loads of creative solutions if you decide to have your wedding here. They also own a rental company located onsite called Barnwood Rentals which made the setup and breakdown a piece of cake! I would highly recommend this venue for ANY event - a family reunion, a wedding, a friend getaway; the history of this establishment alone is incredible! Thank you!

Ruby took excellent care of us today. We stop by twice each…read moreyear, when we're in the area. Carthartt is a must stop. The back patio is charming, with gorgeous wooden seating and tables, several water fountains, lots of shade and plants. Inside has leather chairs and cool decor. Staff is always welcoming and knowledgeable. Tasty wines at area-comparable prices.

Carhartt Family Wines gets five stars for being the only tasting room in Los Olivos that stays open…read morepast 6:00. It was the first of five tastings we did during our weekend in town, and the wines were, admittedly, the least impressive. They went down easy, though, and we had a pleasant visit. We checked into our hotel on Friday around 5:30 and quickly realized that all the wineries on our list were closed. We asked the receptionist where we might be able to do a tasting, and she said Carhartt was our best bet. It was quite open when we walked in, almost intimidatingly so, the live music loud as we rounded the sidewalk outside the enclosed patio. Jack welcomed us into the tasting room and suggested we do a vibe check on the patio before deciding where to sit. We peeked outside and it seemed fun in a way we weren't looking for, a bit of a party atmosphere with a live band and a lot of people. We took our seats in the quieter tasting room, where we were able to enjoy the music from a distance while we drank some wine. We both did the house tasting, which came with five pours of Carhartt wines: the 2024 Top Branch, the 2022 Sin Nada, the 2022 Sangiovese, the 2022 Rebel Roan, and the 2020 Northerly. Jack also gave us a taste of the 2021 Graciano. They were all nice wines, but we particularly liked the Sin Nada, the Sangiovese, and the Graciano, and took home two bottles of each, getting one $25 tasting fee waived with each purchase of three bottles. Jack was a great host, and he told us all about the wines and winery as we went along. (He pre-empted our first question, saying that yes, they were the same Carhartts as the Carhartt clothing label, but not the same company. I guess just the classic generational wealth to winemaking pipeline.) It was a helpful introduction to both the Carhartt wines and Los Olivos, and Jack was good company. I said Carhartt was the least impressive of the wineries we visited, but it's also worth noting that it had the lowest price point. Carhartt isn't gunning for Robert Parker ratings. The wines are accessible and tasty, and I have a feeling we'll go through our bottles very fast.

Excellent resturant. Service is top notch. We always have…read morethe same servers, I appreciate the consistency. I love the fresh salads. It is truly farm to table. The wines are great, we love them all. I like the saganaki. My table got grilled octopus and beets. They said it was the best they had ever had. The server said the chef has been making that dish for 18 years. It is in a beautiful location. I always enjoy sitting outside but the inside is just as amazing. I don't like the bottled diet coke. I wish it was fountain.

We had a wonderful time meeting up with family there. We ate on the patio which was very pleasant!…read moreOur server, Ricardo, a was knowledgeable local. He was friendly and helpful. Our food was delicious! I tried the special lamb gyro, sooo good! The salads we ordered were great but not as big as expected. It was a relaxing atmosphere with great food. Ricardo let us taste the 3 wines we were interested in so we could pick the bottle we wanted. We had a great experience.

Epiphany Cellars and The Bubble Shack are under the Fess Parker umbrella. We whiled away a lovely…read moreafternoon in their welcoming, comfortable and relaxing outdoor area. (Knowing that back home in North Carolina temps were below freezing made the experience that much sweeter). I did the sparkling wine tasting, which was very enjoyable. The Blanc de Blanc was my favorite but they were all good.

We initially visited in March. At that time, the service was excellent and we were made to feel…read morewelcome by Kris, so we decided to join. We were told we could taste at Epiphany, Fess Parker, or Fess Parker funk zone in Santa Barbara. Our next visit was in April to their Santa Barbara funk zone location. It was a windy day so we had to sit indoors. It was semi busy but we were able to get seats at the bar. That's where it started to go downhill. The gentleman at the bar was quite arrogant and basically told us we could only taste a select few wines, unless we wanted to 'upgrade' and pay an additional fee. Never have I had to 'Upgrade' a tasting at a winery I was a member of. It did not give us a very welcoming feeling. We ended up buying a few bottles, as did our friends, but the experience did not make us want to return. Our next visit in June was again to Epiphany. We arrived at about 4:10 and the young man at the counter said he could not serve us a flight as it was too late. I mentioned that we were members and he did give us 2 pours and gave us our shipment. Again, a very unwelcoming feeling overall. We did not feel like members typically feel. Not sure if we will bother to go to Fess Parker or just cancel our membership.

Great winery and tasting experience! I've visited first in 2004 when Firestone still owned it and…read moreagain a month ago with the new owner. Came in on a Friday early afternoon and had the best time because of the staff! We had plans to visit other wineries but pivoted once we realized how much we liked it there. We started with the Chip Tasting that pairs wine chips with their wine. The idea is fantastic but the chips were not our favorite. I would recommend a lighter crispier chip to pair with their amazing wines, these are too dense with fake flavors that tasted off. We had a cheese plate which was premade but still wonderful! Great cheeses and exactly what we needed to remove the memory of the chips. We bought a bottle and one of their candles poured into a wine bottle on our way out. It smells amazing! Beautiful property that can be seen from the windows inside the tasting room. Thanks again to the fellas working that day that made it so fun!

It's always a fun time had whenever I'm tasting. Everyone is always so welcoming and sweet. It's…read morenot just a tasting nowadays, it's coming to see family and catching up over some nice wines. It's basically that now as we've been enjoying it for years and years. Each visit is alway nice. Right from driving through the gates and up the hill. The property is beautiful overlooking the valley from on top. Both indoor or outdoor seating available. This visit, it was somewhat chilly so everyone was indoor. It wasn't that busy when we arrived but alway so great to see familiar faces. The vibes always turns to hanging out with friends and catching up from the last time. And you can't forget the wines. Yes, that's the whole point of us visiting. Everything is alway refreshing and delicious. Of course that's bad in a sense as it goes down so well....lol... Some new releases are alway a good start. My group tends to stick to the reds but sometimes a white or rose comes into the pictures and makes a lasting impression. There's been loads of time when we stopped by and the patio is bustling with people and a live bands. Summer is approaching and the fun is about the start. Plus, lately it's alway been a miss with the members lounge. Either closed and this time it was reserved for a private event. Ugh sucks on our part I guess. Also, it's sad to hear that some familiar faces have moved on but those that are still there are amazing. Until Next time.