No lavender tasting wine, cool cheese, the workers don't explain what wines mean to new people.

This review is about the intern for a day program at the actual winery on Hunt Road off of Hwy 4. It's a very bumpy road for about 10 to 12 minutes so be prepared. The owners Rich and Siri are wonderful folks - very laid back and friendly. We arrived at nine a.m. and were greeted with freshly brewed coffee and scones. Then we helped punch down the cap (with our bare hands) on bins of Mourvedre, Syrah and Roussanne. Then bins that were ready to press were then dumped into a pressing machine to extract the juice. We helped scrub and wash down the bins and then watched as they did lab work - pH, titratable acidity and Brix (%sugar). We tasted fresh Viognier juice pressed the day before and compared it to finished wine that had aged a few months. We then were served cheese and crackers along with Roussane. Lunch followed - delicious salad with dried cherries and almonds along with two flatbreads - a roasted tomato, basil and fresh mozzarella version and a prosciutto one. The dough was crispy on the bottom with a tender crumb and great flavor, perfect amount of salt too. Dessert was lavender ice cream (they need to strain out the lavender leaves though - was like having popcorn kernels in your teeth - a little weird) and gluten free brownies (not sure why if we had full gluten flatbreads for lunch) that weren't very sweet and a tad salty. Wines served were syrah and petite syrah (better, more full bodied.) The assistant winemaker Ryan was very informative as well. Our only suggestion is that they ought to have a little more of a curriculum explaining wine making to fill the time. They should also set up a tasting of the wines at various points in the process to show the levels of fermentation and aging. We had to ask to taste the fresh pressed versus the bottled Viognier. read more

The wine was good. The people were really nice. I liked their little shop they had and smelled nice. And the pairings with the wine was delicious and fun. read more

As a foodie, I really liked this place. They had so many interesting foods like jams and cheeses. They also have a ton of lavender scented personal care products that I wanted to love but were too strong smelling for me. The guy helping us was engaging and helped us with our wine and cheese pairings. A must try if you make it here. We did not care for the fancy Swiss on the tasting board but the other two were great. We didn't love all the wines but took a few home that didn't make it through the night. The cheese and foodie ambiance was the highlight for me. read more

If I could give this place a zero star, I would. Their wines are horrible and the place has an overwhelming smell of lavender - probably to cover up the horrid taste of their "wine". "Sommeliers" are a joke and so incredibly rude. I do not recommend d this place. read more

We stopped in Murphy's last Friday afternoon. We've visited Lavender Hill before and wanted to grab some wine and a tasting. When we inquired about tastings we were promptly scolded by the woman who was working that they and all other tasting rooms close at 5. We said, "oh we didn't realize that", she then said "we also have lives and want to do things on the weekends!" Um, ok. But you also don't open until 11am, and you chose this job, so there is no need to be rude about it. She also made other snide comments to our friends, but the man who was working there was helpful. We ended up buying 7 bottles of wine, but if we ever go back and she's working, we will choose not to give our hard earned money to this business. read more

Excellent pairings. My favorite winery in Murphys. They also make excellent charcuterie boards. They offer wine club which I signed up for totally recommend read more

The chenin blanc is my favorite. Our server was from South America and he was extremely helpful during our visit, he helped me to find my new favorite wine varietal which of course I took home a bottle to savor for later! Me and my best friend absolutely love this place! Lots of cute gifts for purchase as well. read more

A nice guy served us nice wines! They were even considerate enough to send us home with a small ice pack to keep cool the cheese we bought there. Friendly service with a lush lavender ambience. read more

This is a great tasting room and shop! First of all, they have all of the lavender products you could possibly my want. I like the section they have with travel size care products so I could buy something and bring it in my carry on for flying home. With all the lavender items, they also have wine tastings that come with cheeses to try! I wanted to buy all of the cheese they have because they all seemed so good! read more

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Lavender Ridge is my wife's favorite winery up here. Im not a drinker but she was dying to bring me here to check out the cheeses. I really liked there artisan cheeses so I picked some up :) She got a few bottles of wine and joined there wine club. I also got some homemade lavender and rosemary shaving cream there that im excited to try lol. Very cool place and make sure you have a reservation if you have a large groupe read more

I spotted the Lavendar Ridge Vineyard & Winery on Main St. & just had to go in & sniff my favorite herb. The scent was heavenly. A group was just beginning a Wine Tasting, so I joined them. Kevin, the sommelier, was a fun guy & knowledgeable. He paired artisan cheeses with the wines. The selection of cheeses Lavendar carries is huge. It's a very attractive shop, with other wine-related kitchen & gift items displayed. I bought my 2 favorite cheeses:: Point Reyes Toma & Seascape + bottles of 2013 Cotes de Calaveras & 2013 Syrah to savour the following week in my Point Arena condo. As I stayed inside a couple of days while it was monsooning & flooding, I enjoyed every sip & bite. read more

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Wasn't overly impressed with any of the wines for taste that day. They provide excellent service despite having a packed shop but the wines were one of our least favorite in town. Excellent cheese pairing and options for purchase. Great gift shop. read more

Came to this tasting room during A power outage. Was impressed that they were open, but the person working there was less than enthusiastic about having to do a tasting. Also didn't have any cheeses available which I think is their gimmick. If you're going to be open during a power outage you might as well just be open and enthusiastic and still have cheeses . I'm sure there was cheese somewhere in the building. Bought a bottle because I often do just because I think I should. Opened it at home and it was... Meh. I think this place definitely caters to the tourist crowd with their gimmickness. Lots of lavender! read more

This place is great on so many levels. The wine tasting was generous for fifteen bucks (waived with the purchase of just one bottle); a tasting of six wines and cheese to match. The staff is so kind and the whole place smells like lovely lavender. Aside from being a good deal, six of the seven wines we tried were super delicious and unique. I will be back again! read more

Want to taste smooth and delicious wine AND speciality cheeses? Head to Lavender Ridge has a wonderful Mourvèdre ... and it's a new wine for me, and I left with a bottle. The tasting room is extremely welcoming and even for someone like me who's not a sommelier! Get to Murphys and visit Lavender Ridge! read more

Ooooh, so good! They pair some delicious...I mean, really delicious cheeses with their wine tasting and you are totally, in heaven. Kelly, is there now, having left another winery where she truly adds the spice to make Lavender Ridge, a must stop! You will love it and hands down the best cheeses I've ever eaten while tasting wine. Kudoos! read more

Hands down our favorite tasting of the day! The customer service here exceeded our expectations! They are friendly, genuine and kind and we enjoyed the wine and cheese. read more

Cute little shop, but we weren't impressed with any of their wines. All of them had a sour after taste. The bar tender was nice and the shop had a bunch of cute little things though. Because of COVID-19, the tasting would normally include a cheese tasting, but did not even though the price is the same. Something to keep in mind... read more

Super cute tasting room in downtown Murphys. If you like wine, cheese, and lavender, you should absolutely stop in for a tasting. They have a flight of Rhone varietals, several of which are served with a complimentary cheese pairing. We thought the pairings were good, and they had a respectable range of quality cheeses available for purchase in the shop as well. They also have a ton of lavender-themed products around the store (e.g., lavender honey, lavender lotion, lavender bath salts, etc.). It would be a great place to shop for gifts. It's dog-friendly, which we appreciate. read more

Great tasting but very few details were provided about the wine. We had to ask a lot of questions. The cheese pairings were stellar. We bought cheese, Calaveras Rouge, Rose Sparkling and the Cab. All were fantastic. Would have purchased more but the place was crazy busy and too long a line. read more

Okay, so we bought wine from this place and the service was decent. Love that they have a lavender theme everywhere, AND cheese!!! Cheese tastings with your wine, cheese to buy, MMmmmm cheese. This was our second tasting room and the alcohol hit me harder than expected. WHOA. I had to sit down and they even had a powerful air conditioner cooling the room. The downgrade in star is because two of us decided to share a tasting, and the barista made us also share one slice of cheese -- I thought that was retarded. I shared the tasting for a reason -- I can't take that much alc anyway. I also looked over and saw that two girls received a cracker with cheese -- we didn't receive that same service and I'm not sure why. I would give this place another chance, though the likelihood of coming back is slim -- Napa is a closer drive for me. read more

Great wine selection, delicious cheese, incredible lavender walls. My first stop in this incredibly charming, romantic town. Heaven=wine, lavender, and cheese. Staff were inviting and friendly. They stay open a bit later on the strip. Make this a necessary stop on your trip. read more

Lavender Ridge Vineyard - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Murphys, California

This was another stop on our wine tasting around the Murphys area. It was $10 each for the tasting, with the fee waived per bottle bought. I believe the tasting included 5 or 6 wines. A few of them also included a cheese pairing. Unfortunately I didn't really like any of the wines. They were pretty acidic and tasted cheap to me. The cheese, however, was excellent. They had a sharp cheddar cheese and a gouda cheese that were fantastic! They had a huge fridge full of unique cheeses in the shop and we ended up buying a couple of those. The rest of the store included fancy soaps, lotions, etc and lavender items. They all smelled nice but were expensive, as you'd imagine. read more

Ok so the place smells amazing because I love lavender! However, the wine is terrible. I really wanted to love the wine but I just cant! The service was good but skip this place if you want excellent wine read more

Great wine. Love the products they sell also. The cheese section is awesome and the monthly cheese classes are great. I learned how to make an awesome fondue! (I'm a wine club member.) read more

Came here for the first time over the weekend. Highlights: 1) each tasting comes with three cheese pairings 2) enthusiastic and fun serving staff 3) gift shop for light shopping The wine was pretty good. Not my favorite in the world but definitely drinkable and enjoyable. Pricing was fair and well worth it. Would definitely come again. read more

My friends and I stopped by here yesterday, with their kids to celebrate my birthday with wine tasting. It was a pleasant experience! All the wines were great, and all the staff was attentive and knowledgeable about the wines. I really like that they paired a couple of the wines with cheese samples. Also the atmosphere of the shop in general made for a good experience. So cute, and smelled of dried lavender read more

The wine and cheese tasting was delicious!! Unfortunately the experience was ruined due to 3 couples who took up a majority of the space with their 2 toddlers and a a baby in a stroller. While we waited for our turn, we had to endure the adults and the children's obnoxious behavior laying on the floor! Children do not belong in a wine tasting room, and I really wish the owners had stepped up and explained this to them. 3 in our party were so irritated with this, that they left to go next door to the other tasting room. Trying not allow this to ruin our experience there, we bought our wine and delicious lavender cheese. Had the owners/ employees addressed this situation, I would have definitely rated this 5 stars. But like I said, an hour and half watching children in the floor while their parents slipped away... and 3 out of 9 of my group leaving gives you a 2. read more

After a long week this was the type of wine tasting experience we needed. As soon as we walked in we were greeted by a staff member behind the counter and Tyler, who we realized later is the person in charge of the wine club. We didn't have any reservations for tasting but they got us seated right away. We did a cheese pairing with the wine and what a difference that makes. This added to the whole experience. We were also able to purchase all the cheese options that were paired with the wine. They had many more meat, cheese and cracker options for us to choose from as well. My wife loves dessert wines and when Tyler heard this he quickly offered us a sample of two different choices. Bonus visit here was that when were were done Wine maker/owner Rich Gilpin was there with his label log dog (Lucy?) and he spent time answering any questions we had. I hear the best event for this winery are the vineyard tour events so we will definitely be back. Walking around the town of Murphy's was enjoyable. Felt like old time California towns. First time visit but not the last. read more

One of our favorite tasting wineries in Murphys. Tasting fees are only $10 but refundable with any wine purchase which start around $17. They paired the tasting with some chocolates and cheeses. In the end we came home with a couple of their Rose bottles. Would come back! read more

Lavender Ridge is the softer, more intimate half of a tasting room duo in Calaveras County's Sierra Foothills AVA that also includes Coppermine in nearby Vallecito, just off of CA-4, the main access route into Murphys from the Stockton/Central Valley side of the state. It is the brainchild of a talented local winemaker, Rich G., who along with his wife, Siri, help to make the Murphys wine scene a bit more diverse, varietally-speaking, than it otherwise might be. That's because of their interest in Rhone and Bordeaux grapes, and because both places use creative food and wine pairing options to amp up the sensory overload potential of one's visit. This is the more historic of the two tasting rooms - a quaint but sturdy-looking stone building filled to its high-beamed ceiling with drying lavender bunches, lavender-scented food and beauty products, and one of the nicest cheese selections that you're likely to find outside of your nearby Whole Foods, both in terms of European imports and northern Californian, specialities like Cowgirl Creamery of Marin, Vella of Sonoma, and Cypress Grove of Humboldt counties. Although it is likely an intentional design and marketing decision, Lavender Ridge is the more "feminine" tasting room, including beautiful bottle art that allows the colors of the wine to show through the light and dark glass. Coppermine, with its sleek, bullet-like bottles sporting deeper hues and less florid font styles, seems more masculine in make-up. It may make sense to separate the wine styles like this, but it also has the downside of breaking up the winemaker's limited supply of available wines into two smaller halves. Some of our tasting room friends, for example, only like to drink white wines, while others are drawn exclusively to reds, and they would have to visit both places back-to-back to have their whistles wettted, so to speak, since you can't combine the wines into a personalized tasting experience. What you will get if you come here is a well-balanced lineup of about 6 wines and 3-4 cheese pairings, made up of estate vineyard white and red blends (Cote du Calaveras - a traditional southern Rhone GSM blend - and CdC Blanc, using Rousanne, Marsanne, Viognier, and Grenache Blanc grapes), and single varietals sourced from vineyards in Calaveras, El Dorado, and Amador counties, which (along with Placer County) collectively comprise the Sierra Foothills AVA. The exceptions to the Rhone-driven rule - red wines made from Carignane and Petite Sirah - are in some senses more intriguing than the classic Cote bottlings: deeper, denser, more brooding in fleshy fruit and tannic structure. Equally compelling is a 2014 Clondaire Vineyard Grenache Blanc fermented on its lees in a concrete egg, which allows for a constant circulation of the wine while it's being made and adds some real elegance and layered depth to the finished product. The other standout wine for us on a recent weekday visit was a 2014 Mansfield Vineyard Grenache from El Dorado County, really lush and inviting fruit, floral, and mineral notes, and very enjoyable after only 9 months of oak barrel aging - about half of the usual time in barrel used with other reds on offer. Partially this is a supply-and-demand thing, putting the 2014s into circulation earlier than usual, but for whatever reason, we simply liked the 2014s better than the other vintage years poured that day. The dry conditions helped to consolidate flavors in smaller crop yields, while also softening the tannins and keeping ripeness and alcohol levels in the low 14% range, which preserved more of the aromatics of the Grenache and Grenache Blanc grapes. Dialing back the power potential of the wines kept the delicate levels of acid and fragrance intact and simply made for more balanced mouthfeel and finishes than a higher octane offering would have done, where the fruit simply steals the show at the expense of its secondary tasting notes. If you like Tablas Creek wines from Westside Paso Robles, or have been to Los Olivos lately to see what Rhone Rangers like Larry S. at Tercero are doing with single vineyard bottlings of Grenache Blanc, Grenache, and Mourvedre, then it makes perfect sense to come here to see how these very appealing wines are made by one of Calaveras County's top-notch winemakers. The added benefits of getting cheese and lavender products as gifts only makes the whole experience that much more of a standout in a town that definitely punches (or perhaps jumps) well above its weight when it comes to exploring the boundaries of new Californian winemaking. If you're sick of the traffic and high tasting fees in Napa and Healdsburg, you really owe it to yourself to make the drive out to Murphys to see what the men and women of Calaveras County have got cooking up in their small-scale but high-end wineries and tasting rooms. read more

Lavender Ridge Vineyard - Tasting room sign. - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Murphys, California

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Have been here twice to try their wines and haven't found any that I like. The tasting room is very nice but I don't base my review on the nice room. The people that were working there that day must have been hung over because they were bordering on the rude side. It got to a point where I just gave them 5 bucks, said thank you and left to nevermore return. nuff said read more

I think Lavender Ridge is one of my favorite places to taste in Murphy's. Full discolsure: I'm a Rhone guy. I freakin' LOVE Viognier and white Rhone blends. I also love a nice juicy Syrah and red Rhone blends as well. Lavender Ridge only does Rhone, so they have a fan in me right off the bat. Chardonnay and Cabernet are so over done. I love coming to a place like Lavender Ridge and taste something you don't see everyday. Value is another great reason to hit up Lavender Ridge. I love their Cote du Calaveras Blanc. At 16 bucks, it's totally worth it. With 10 wines to taste for free, quantity is another reason to check this place out. Everything was decent, half of them really were interesting. I was mostly surprised by the Petite Sirah. I don't usually like this varietal because it can be too tannic to enjoy. Theirs was tannic, but well-rounded. Good steak wine. Their white port was freakin' awesome. I love dessert wine, and this made me want to tear my clothes off and run around. Lavender Ridge is on my must-visit list when I'm on a Murphy's tasting adventure. read more

Before I even walked in, this place had me at hello. I told it, "You complete me," and we made sweet lavender and wine-scented love. But then the relationship started to sour. It started seeing other people and treating them better than me and made me pay for all our nights out together. Yeah. This place SMELLS amazing just walking up to it with lavender bundles hung at the open window. You can't help but walk in. The lavender overtakes you. The tasting room itself is charming -- rustic-looking yet modern. The woman pouring our wines seemed friendly at first then quickly seemed to ignore us for other tasters who were buying cheeses and the like to taste with the wines. That is cool, but don't ignore us, man! The other pourers seemed friendlier, maybe we just got a grumpier one. She seemed like she only wanted to pour us the reds OR the whites, but accomodated when a couple of us wanted to try them all. The wines were mostly good but I wasn't tempted to buy anything (except the bottles are beautifully labeled, that alone may have been worth it). There was all sorts of merchandise in here (most of it lavender-scented), but it was all pretty pricey that I put everything back down after checking the sticker. Overall, I walked away without even finishing the selection of wines to try. read more

We walked by this tasting room like 5 or 6 times during the weekend and never noticed it until today.....guess the outside is just kinda understated. I'm glad we finally found our way in though. The tasting room is nice & big, and they have a great selection of specialty cheeses for sale, in addition to local products like raw honey and apple butter. The tasting itself is an experience not to be missed - many of the wines are paired with cheeses and the combinations are out of this world delicious. I loved the Viognier and the Grenache rose; the dessert wine is exceptional as well. Smooth, tasty, sweet....it's so drinkable, you'd never know it was brandy-fortified. We may have missed these guys before, but we won't let that happen again! read more

The recent trip to Paso Robles has apparently erased all memories of a trip out to the Murphey's/Sierra Foothills area a few weeks ago & until we were thirsty enough last night to crack one of the bottles from Lavender Ridge had also forgotten just how good this stuff is. We had to like it I thought, as there were at least a mixed case worth of their wine in the cellar that we never put away after bringing them home. Oh well, it's like finding a $20 bill in your pocket or a X-Mas present you forgot to give a few years back when you find a good stash of vino! I can appreciate some people's affinity to Lavender (the flower that is) but personally, I can't stand the smell of that crap! Reminds me of that "old lady house" "aging hippie" or the fact that somebody is trying to cover up another really bad smell. So sorry Lea B., I cannot find the bliss & relationship that you had BUT...I can say these guys make some very tasty Rhone's! Especially after the couple days in Paso in which I had some pretty effing incredible white & red Rhone's, the quality from Lavender (& Murphey's in general) was quite comparable. Their Cote du Calaveras Blanc is a perfect expression of some of my favorite grape friends. Marsanne, Rousanne, Viognier & a little Grenache Blanc make up this almost bone dry, slightly fruity, steely & earthy white blend. Pair this with some x-tra spicy jerked chicken, Thai or Indian food & the slightly viscous nectar will calm & sooth any palette. Their red GSM (actually GSMPSAB) Cotes du Calaveras was equally impressive & the addition of the Alicant Bouchet really made this ($18!!) bottle scream. Loved the Mouvedre & would give the Syrah a solid 83 pts. All in all worth the trip! read more

I loved everything about this place. We tasted only whites, they were all wonderful... especially the one aged in a 6 ft tall concrete egg. The cheese pairings were fantastic, definitely try the brilliat...best cheese I've had in recent memory. The store had some awesome goodies as well. We'll be back! read more

The girls that were working here on our last trip to Murphys were very sweet and welcoming. They also offer a cheese and wine tasting option which we did not do but people around us really seemed to be enjoying it! My only complaint is that despite buying 2 bottles of their port, they would only wave one of the tasting fees for my husband and I. At the time we were there I didn't really think to argue about it, we just paid and went on our way, but after I left and thought about it a little more it actually started to bother me quite a bit. We bought 2 bottles, both of the fees should have been waived... just saying. ***Update... I changed this from a 4 star to a 5 star. We went here again a few weeks ago (3/22/14) and have nothing but wonderful things to say about our experience. We did the wine and cheese tasting this time (yummy!). The staff was great, the wines were great, we will definitely be back! read more

Favorite tasting room! Kevin was very nice and knowledgeable. The cheese and wine parings were excellent. The Seahive cheese was the best!!! The Vin Doux was amazing! I'll def be back. read more