Such an amazing first experience place! We came to do the wine tasting for $20 per person and met Michelle who was helping us. Amazing choice selection, great explanation of all wines and homey ambiance. Would Take for a date or special night. Small and comforting vibes. Bring some snacks!! read more

Silver Mountain Vineyards - Firenze - Wineries Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

2013: it was a different time in America. Barack Obama was barely into his second term after winning re-election the previous November, and Hills and Bills were picking out drapes for their planned triumphal return to residency at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW (rumor had it that "Slick Willy" was also thinking about adding a convex mirror to the ceiling of the Lincoln bedroom, but maybe this was just "fake news"). How much things can change in six years. Except not atop Silver Mountain, that is. 2013 was just another year, one that blessedly was spared major earthquakes, wildfires, droughts, or damaging weather at harvest time. So, the grapes picked were good, and the winemaker was confident in his technique, and the results - while unknown at the time - would prove to be wonderful, indeed. Flash forward to November 2019. No Clintons in the White House, but there are great 2013 vintage wines available for tasting at the Silver Mountain Vineyards Westside tasting room. Estate Chardonnay from organic vines planted decades earlier using a highly prized Mount Eden clone; and a reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from a Grand Cru Classe vineyard, the fabled Bates Ranch, located on the Santa Clara County side of the Santa Cruz Mountains, close enough to Gilroy you'd swear there would be touches of garlic on the nose, but there isn't. Just rich, dark, brooding black fruit brimming over with brambles and flower scents and a minty touch of eucalyptus - not unlike Heitz Cellars' famous Martha's Vineyard Napa Valley Cabs, except at a mere fraction of the price (1/5th, more or less). Silver Mountain has a backstory like you wouldn't believe. Even I can't make this up. A WWII pilot who returns from combat saving America and much of the known world from fascism and Japanese imperial aggression who then makes a mint in the commodity futures trading business (which sounds scarier than flying an airplane in combat, if you ask me), and then promptly dumps a good amount of his personal fortune into rehabilitating an old apple orchard 2100 feet above the Pacific Ocean overlooking majestic Monterey Bay, high above the sleepy but quickly growing university/beach town of Santa Cruz. Years later, after rebuilding his home and winery following a major earthquake (1989's Loma Prieta), said vigneron eventually transfers some of the winemaking operations to an assistant, who was a Shakespearean actor from England who makes his own wines under the "Sonnet" label and who can quote from the Bard just as easily as he can craft a great bottle of single vineyard Pinot. At some point, this vigneron (let's call him "Jerold") decides to open a satellite tasting room on the Westside of Santa Cruz, as part of the so-called "Surf City Vintner's Collective," driven in part by the success of Randall Graham at Bonny Doon. That's where we end up, at the Westside tasting room, sipping 2013 vintages of organic estate Chardonnay and Bates Ranch Cabernet while Mark Knopfler songs echo from the stereo and a young toddler with his proud parents are quaffing Bottle Jack wines (the parents, not the toddler, you understand. We aren't all savages out here, you know!) across from the wine barrel table you're using to steady yourself as you finish off your 5th or 6th pour of Silver Mountain wine, and as someone in Washington, D.C. prepares to leak something to someone in the media about what some Ukrainian official promised to do for some sort of American shadow diplomatic fixer and go-between. Will a visit to Silver Mountain Vineyard's Westside tasting room solve all the world's problems? Will having a 2013 Bates Ranch Cabernet in your cellar for Thanksgiving help to drain the D.C. swamp? Or tear down walls? Or save American democracy? Maybe that's asking a lot of a single bottle of wine. Better buy a second bottle, then, just in case. read more

Silver Mountain Vineyards - 2013 estate Chardonnay & 2013 Bates Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon. - Wineries Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

I have been a wine club member for several years and have always enjoyed my quarterly shipments and complimentary tastings at the west side tasting room. Yesterday I finally made it to a pick up party at the winery and I'm so glad I did. It was lovely and they had beautiful charcuterie from Honey Brook Boards which made it extra special. I hope they continue to offer that, it felt like normalcy during very abnormal times. Silver Mountain is comprised of excellent wine, friendly people, no pretentiousness, and extra touches that make it very special. read more

It took me more than a decade of living in the Santa Cruz Mountains to discover Silver Mountain wines. Finding their summit winery isn't exactly easy, even though they have been there since the 1970s, when Richard M. Nixon was still the President! Even the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake didn't dislodge them. They just dug in their heels and rebuilt, using energy saving methods that were still revolutionary at the time. What could be more American than that? I guess that's what I would tell you first about the wines of Silver Mountain: American to the core, in the best way possible. Hearty, rich, and abundant with lots of grit, character, grace, and charm. Innovative but inspired by the traditional ways of Europe, especially France. The estate Chardonnay is very classic and tastes great with age. There is full range of vineyard designate Pinot Noir wines, but on the occasion of my first visit, I jumped over them all in favor of the wonderful Bordeaux red blends and reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. My hands down favorite from the tasting was the 2013 Bates Ranch Cabernet, but I am partial to wines from this heralded vineyard in general. I also loved the Merlot dominant blend, called Oscar's Wild Red, which I am sure that the writer, Oscar Wilde, would surely have adored. Alloy is a Bordeaux red blend using the four main varietals (Cab Sauvignon, Cab Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot), and it's different each year. A small amount of rose of Pinot is made each year as well as estate grown Chardonnay and Pinot. Silver Mountain is one of the oldest continuously operating wineries in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and also one of the best. It may lack the name recognition of Ridge or Mount Eden, but make no mistake, this is a living legend with wines of rustic elegance that define mountain winemaking at its highest expression. The Westside Santa Cruz tasting room offers an easy point of entry into this heritage. $10 is almost too easy to spend here for sampling wines this well made. Highly recommended for wine lovers who are interested in affordable and expressive exemplars of the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA. read more

Silver Mountain Vineyards - Inside the tasting room. - Wineries Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

See all

I've been a member of the Silver Mountain wine club for many years and they never disappoint. Their reds (pinot noir, syrah, cabernet sauvignon, and blends) are varying levels of great, and even their chardonnay (not my favorite varietal) is quite drinkable. The mountain winery experience is lovely, and the Santa Cruz tasting room makes for a convenient way to pick up wines when visiting the Boardwalk. Several years later, they're still my favorite wine club, and the staff are always a delight to chat with. read more

I was so excited when I learned that Silver Mountain would be opening a tasting room in one of my favorite spots in Santa Cruz! While the vineyard tasting room is a little closer to my house in San Jose, I visit Santa Cruz often, and usually like to stop by for tastings at other tasting rooms/lunch at Kelly's any time I'm over on the west side. They share a space with Bottle Jack (not my personal favorite, but might be yours!), so you can easily hit up multiple tastings in one visit! read more

This was my personal favorite of the whole Saturday Passport weekend. As we drove up the driveway they had a nice man directing traffic to make sure people parked so everyone could get in and out easily. I totally appreciate that! Then they had this wonderful old yellow lab greeting folks on the porch as they entered the tasting room. The first thing I noticed was the decadent spread of local sausages, wonderful cheese assortment, fruit, and crackers to munch on as you tasted. Then they had it also brilliantly set up in 2 separate stations of white wine and red wine so if you only wanted one or the other it was easy to just head to that one station. The only confusion was in the stamping of the passport which was going on in the same location as the people buying wine - and boy were they buying wine! This was easily forgiven because obviously if people were buying, it was worth the extra few minutes to get our passports stamped to start the process of tasting. The whites were OK but that is not my favorite anyway. The reds on the other hand were numerous and a couple were so yummy we had to buy a case. We don't usually feel moved enough to buy that many bottles of the same wine so this is saying a lot. They had a wonderful large deck to hang out on and enjoy the sunshine as you savored the MANY pours they offered. We counted how many wines they were pouring that day and it was a number I don't currently remember but it was high. In the end we ended up buying the Oscar's Wild Red featuring a picture of that beautiful old yellow lab who greeted us on the way in. I also very much enjoyed the 2001 Alloy we tried. Both of these wines are Bordeaux blends. Oscar's Wild Red is a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Franc, Gold: Denver International Wine Competition, $15 bottle, $153 case. 2001 Alloy is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, Silver: Santa Cruz Commercial, Bronze: San Francisco Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, San Diego International Wine Competition, $26 bottle, $265.20 case. This place is not usually open for tastings except on Passport Saturdays but they sure do know how to put on a good party on those days. I will be back! Since then, I have discovered the Oscar's Wild Red being sold for a bargain of a price at my local Wine Mine on Telegraph in Oakland. I better get there to get some soon because my stash is almost gone! read more

Silver Mountain Vineyards - Oscars Wild Red - Wineries Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Not bad wines for sure....several were quite nice actually. They just weren't THAT impressive in my book. The tasting room is cute and has a bunch of cool art up on the walls, my favorite being the B&W photography. The little bar is cute and the servers are quite friendly. Tasting fee is $5 per person for 5 pours....in order to let me and my husband taste everything on the list (10 wines total), our server suggested we share each other's glasses. Good idea! There is one white wine (Chardonnay), one Rose, four Pinots, one Syrah, and two red blends (Alloy). The Chard was okay but I liked the Rose a lot. Out of the four Pinots, I think the Muns vineyard one was my favorite. The rest of the wines didn't really make an impression on me, but then again I'm not a big fan of reds anyway so maybe I'm the wrong person to ask. Worth checking out for the friendly service and of course the $5 tasting. That's a pretty good bargain if you ask me. read more

Silver Mountain Vineyards - Wineries Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

I know there are two open business listings for this vineyard. One is for the 402 Ingalls Street address which I believe is their downtown Santa Cruz tasting room (West side). So this one, I assume, is for the physical vineyard high atop the Santa Cruz mountains. I have never been to the tasting room downtown. I have been to the physical vineyard so I'll make my review here. Incidentally, there very well should be two separate listings because a retail tasting room is far different than actually visiting the land where the grapes are farmed and the wine is made. You can have the retail space. I'll take the land. I LOVE this vineyard and have great respect for the owner/wine maker, Jerold O'Brien. Super nice guy and super talented wine maker. If you have a chance to visit his vineyard do it - but buy some wine when you are there to make it worth the time of the staff who provide a real education about wine making, organic farming, sustainability, etc. These guys do it right. And they make amazing wines!!!!! read more

Silver Mountain Vineyards - Silver Mountain Vineyards - Wineries Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Always have a good time here! The wine is great and staff is extremely knowledgeable as well! Andrew has helped us multiple times and always helps us have the best experience possible! Highly recommended SC tasting room! read more

Only open for special events (but they also have a tasting room in Monterey, so you can visit there - check the website for details), we stopped here on a recent Passport Program weekend. I found some of their wines to be good but not quite what I was looking for this time around. One of their Chardonnay and their Bordeaux style blend stood out in particular, for me. But otherwise the Zin was too jammy and the Pinot was okay but for the money I'd go to Oregon. Would I turn it away if someone wanted to drink a bottle with me.. probably not, and lots of people were buying lots of wine.. so YMMV. I freely admit that I am picky. ;) Aside from that, I really liked everyone who was working there. They handled a tour bus of rather umm... how shall we say... loud... folks with grace and aplomb, and were kind to us when they found out that we were locals.. and uhhh...not with the bus. Heh. These types of events have to be hard on these folks so I appreciate their effort. Anyway, I would absolutely visit them again... wine is such a changing thing that I think if I keep trying (someone has to do it) I'll find something they make that I have to have. You should try them too. read more

The ladies here are super accommodating and fantastic. My friends came here on a whim and were pleasantly surprised. One signed up for the wine club and is super excited. They have lots of snackies! The pricing is decent and you can hang out and chat without feeling rushed/pressured to buy. Will be back!! read more

Silver Mountain has probably some of the best pinots we've had in the area. And definitely one of the best Syrahs we've ever had! While it's a bit of a drive for us to get here, it's so worth it for the wonderful wines! read more

So happy we discovered Silver Mountain wines and this tasting room. It is conveniently located in the little West End area of restaurants and wineries. Very friendly staff and great wines. Tasted their pinot noir and decided to join the club, then discovered their syrah which I liked even more. read more

Love this area for wine. Silver Mountain has some great pinot noirs and Bordeaux varietals to taste. Great staff too! A must try if you are in the area. read more

Silver Mountain Vineyards - Wineries Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Came here on a rainy afternoon with a friend to catch up while tasting some delicious wines. We were immediately greeted by a very friendly server and very happy customers. Although it was very busy, our server was very accommodating, friendly and knew her wines. I also really liked the ability to purchase glasses of wine in addition to tasting and bottle purchases. I plan on coming back and would recommend Silver Mountain to anyone. read more

My significant other and I enjoyed our first visit here several weeks ago. We are wine club members and frequent the location in the mountains, but this one was lovely as well. The staff was nice and we enjoyed the peanut butter pretzels offered to us. Thank you, we will be back! read more

I love having the Silver Mountain tasting room on Swift Street! It's in a complex with many other tasting rooms, a brewery, and a few restaurants. It's a great place to come on an afternoon and hang out. The people pouring are always so nice and knowledgeable about the wine. It's also really convenient if I want to get some wine but don't want to drive up to the winery at the summit. read more

A nice new addition to Santa Cruz!! And a fun stop to add to the weekend plans. Silver Mountain is one of my favorite wines in the Santa Cruz mountains so I was thrilled to find they opened a tasting room at a convenient location in town. Their staff is incredibly nice and informative adding to the experience. They have a host of great red blends as well as a their Chardonnay, Cab, and Syrah that are my personal favorites! read more

Off the beaten path of Highway 17 is Silver Mountain. Located up a windy mountain road is this small but charming winery. If you are a fan of Pinot, this is the spot for you! Tasting is 5 bucks per person but is waived with any bottle purchase. The tasting covers 5 tastes of your choice. The Rose is a perfect picnic wine and a steal at $17 a bottle. Most of the other wines are about $40 per bottle. They had at least 5 different Pinots on their tasting menu. They have a nice deck in the back and a small amphitheater/gazebo area with tables in the front that are perfect for a picnic. They have a dog named Spencer who is friendly and cute as can be, he's even on one of their labels. I would recommend this place for small parties and to call ahead if you have more than 6 to see if they can accommodate. Stop at Summit Store if coming from Los Gatos to pick up supplies for a picnic. They only have wine at the vineyard and a couple of small bowls of bar snacks. It's not really a destination winery but a nice stop along the way. read more

Silver Mountain Vineyards - View - Wineries Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

See all

Love the tasting room as it is so darned easy to drop by. It's a real treat to taste a number of different wines, and enjoy a discussion about it with other friendly people and especially, the knowledgeable staff. But if you've never gone wine-tasting and are worried about being out of your element or intimidated, don't be. The staff are welcoming to everyone and delight in helping you learn a little bit about wines in addition to tasting them. But I also treasure the interesting moments. I think it's on Fridays when a gentleman stops by with a "mystery wine" for the staff to try and see if they can guess what it is. Fascinating! read more

Attended the grand opening of the tasting room yesterday and enjoyed my visit! There's a medium-sized room with a large U-shaped granite tasting bar. It's in the same complex as Bonny Doon where there are about 6 other wineries and a brewery next door. Service was fine - although there were still some kinks that needed to be smoothed out. $5 gets you five tastings of your choosing. There were about 10 wines to choose from. I opted for the Chardonnay, 3 Pinot Noirs, & the Syrah. They also offered some bourdeaux blends and 2 zinfandels. Bottle prices ranged between $15-36 a bottle. Overall I thought the wines were pretty good. Most of the Pinots were very enjoyable and well made. The chardonnay was reasonably good and the syrah was decent. My friends seemed to mostly enjoy the others. They had a great deal on a 3-pack of Pinots so we walked out with those. I'll probably be back! read more

Can't really complain about a $5 tasting with generous pours. The ladies working here were very pleasant and made us feel welcome for sure. It was a breezy day and we were diggin the easy breezy atmosphere of this simple little tasting room. I enjoyed their display of Annie Glass for sale - I am a big Annie Glass lover! I'm having a hard time remembering the wine, so this it what brings the A-ok rating from me. We had a great time there, enjoyed the tasting and the pleasantries exchanged with the staff. I would say stop in FOR CERTAIN to take a flight through their wines while you are in the Swift Street Plaza! read more

I've been going to Silver Mountain for well over a decade, and I love their pinot noirs and the Alloy Bordeaux blend. I don't make it to the winery or the tasting room as often since leaving the South Bay, but Silver Mountain is always on my "must-visit" list when I return to the Santa Cruz Mountains for wine tasting. The tasting room location in Santa Cruz proper is quite charming, as are the staff, and it's easier to get to than the winery proper if you don't feel like a drive up the hill. read more

Obv I am going to be a little biased here as this tasting room is where my (now) husband proposed to me a few years ago - with all our family across the street watching in surprise. According to my husband, they were wonderful and easy to work with on planning everything. We have been wine club members ever since and def don't regret it! We absolutely love their Pinots and every time we take a bottle with us somewhere, we always hear lots of compliments. The location of the tasting room is so great / Westside SC with a number of other tasting rooms and the brewery next door. We always enjoy ourselves whenever we stop by! read more

Location! Location! Location! Great little tasting room in the swift street complex. Cute, cozy space with a patio right in the middle of the action. Staff is always friendly and they always many tasting options available. An added bonus is that the tAsting room is shared with Bottle Jack, another local winery, which means even more tasting options. Silver mountain really has a wine for everyone and you can't beat the location in the heart of the Swift street. read more

Love this wine, as I joined as a member ,and that is something I had not ever done, nor have I done so since. the Pinot Noir Club is just lovely. The tasting room is generous with its pours so you can stay awhile and enjoy the experience. I have introduced quite a few people to this wine. Linda Joshua read more

Great deal for $10 per person with 5 tastings (even allowed sharing the tasting between 2 people). Stopped by because we were going to eat next door at West End. The ladies working were nice and gave generous pours. They even split one tasting into trying 2 different wines. They also have complimentary snacks. I would recommend stopping by if you're in the area and have some time to kill! read more

We ventured here right after our horrendous experience @ Bonny Doon (see my review on that; and i recommend you do NOT visit That hellhole). We described our terrible experience there to the pourer here and she was so sympathetic, she made sure we had an extra nice time here- that was really sweet. The wines were good; my friends bought a couple of bottles to add to their collection. We will be back to check out their vineyard up in the moutains. Thank you for making up for the terrible time at the other place; we appreciate your hospitality. read more

While the wines are the same at this location as at the Santa Cruz mountain winery, the "vibe" is just not quite the same. I still love their wines, but have to admit that the tasting room here is more "urban" and not nearly as charming and rustic as the winery tasting room. You have the choice of quite a few very beautiful red wines, including their Pinot Noirs, Alloy Blends (Bordeaux-style red blend), Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. There is usually also a Chardonnay and perhaps a Rose. The wine selections are varied, so most people can find a wine or two that they love. read more

We have been club members of Silver Mountain for quite a few years. We discovered this winery on Swift Street during one of the Santa Cruz Passport weekends. We have a wine room - and try to find wines that will hold up for several years. Buy young...and hold. To our very great enjoyment, the Silver Mountain Meritage (Alloy) is just this! We now have 2009 and 2010 Meritage and it is tasting excellently! The Alloy is a Bordeaux blend. (Cab Sav plus one or more of the following ~ Merlot; Petite Verdot; Cab Franc; Malbec.) Excellent! And one of the best we have discovered. read more

Wines are wonderful! There's something for everyone's pallet. Jerold does an amazing job with the wines! I've been to many other wineries, but there's just something about Silver Mountain that keeps me coming back! My Favs are the Estates and the Tondre Pinot. The Sparkling wine is delightful and has the right amount of bubbles. It's perfect for a celebration or just because. My wife is a big fan of the Rose, and to be honest, I am too! Whether you venture to the SC Tasting Room or to the winery, Silver Mountain is definitely worth the trip. read more

I've been a wine club member at Silver Mountain for several years and they are the only winery I belong to. Their pinot noirs are beautiful, and I love meeting a friend at the winery for tastings now and then (which are free for members). The staff at the tasting room is always kind and knowledgeable and provide a wonderful experience. I highly recommend a stop next time you are visiting Santa Cruz! read more

This is a great place, with excellent wines (Pinot, Alloy Bordeaux, Sirah, etc). Michele and her colleagues are always friendly and professional, and the atmosphere is so nice. Highly recommended!! read more

They get 4 stars because of their wine! We like their Pinot's and are 2 bottles of Pinots 4x a year wine club members. The Tondre is the best in my opinion...but what I'm writing this for is that their wine speaks better than their sad little winery in the mountains. Thank God for their tasting room in Santa Cruz which is nice! The little outdated house on the hill where some of the vineyards are located was open for Passport this last week and I was a little shocked and sad to see the hillbilly's who lived next door, WT down the road, and just a really really outdated house/tasting room on the property. read more

Always fun to drop in to the West Side Tasting Room. Always a friendly atmosphere and great people.

Visited there today 6/19/10. I was inquiring about the Pinot Niors & was served a variety 4 pinots & a zin. The pinots were the Miller, Muns & the estate. Those wines almost seemd on the verge of oxidation; the 4th, the Amber Ridge I liked the best. What was more oxidized than those other wines was the wine server. She seemed to be having a bad day & would have been better if we weren't there at all. I was trying to have my girl friend enjoy a wine tasting experience & this austere woman(mid 30's), soured her on the wine tasting. If I would have known how my friend felt, I would have walked out but being the diplomat i try to be, i bought the pinot Rose (haven't tried it yet) & the 2nd sampler set. I am an amateur wine maker that has lived in the area over 40 years but wasn't overly impressed with the selection from the Santa Cruz Mountain appellation. The pinot Amber ridge from the Russian River was quite quaffable however. The advice i would give for people that want to experience wine tasting; don't go to THIS tasting room 1st. Actually, i have had a better experience fishing through the wine specials at Shopper's Corner & drinking that wine. At least the people are friendlier read more

Like several of the reviewers have mentioned, we liked the wine, but the people/service at the Santa Cruz tasting room was very subpar. I mean, YOUR JOB is to make people FEEL GOOD and buy your wine, NOT to piss them off. My wife walked in one afternoon about a half hour before they closed. No smile, no how are you, would you like to taste our wines? When we asked to taste a certain wine that was on the list, the woman actually said they no longer had it available because they were closing soon. Finally the guy working there did me A BIG FAVOR and opened a new bottle (imagine that!). My wife was so ticked off by now that she got a glass of something they were willing to pour and sat out on their patio. I'd give them a lower rating, but the wines are really quite nice. I hope they read these reviews and send the staff to finishing school. It just might save the business. read more

The Silver Mountain Vineyards is way up in the Santa Cruz Mountains but it's really not that far of a drive from the Los Gatos area. If you take the back roads instead of Hwy 17 all the way, you get a nice scenic route. A friend suggested that a group of us go up for a tasting and I was pleasantly surprised by the outdoor seating. We brought our own sandwiches to eat outside so we could enjoy the scenery and weather outside. I'm not a big wine drinker, but my favorite was the chardonnay. read more

All right, so I finally got to try the stuff and came home with four bottles of red goodness. The selection of Pinots is quite good, and the "Economic Recovery" special of $49 for three bottles cannot be beat. Repeat: The Pinots are quite good. And the staff was friendly, talkative and very nice. I will chalk my crummy review before up to Passport weekend. read more