Premier Cruz

An exclusive tasting of Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet featuring 15+ producers. Join us for a 2.5 hour wine tasting salon and strolling early dinner featuring savory pairings from Oak and Rye. Hosted at Lexington Hills Estate, nestled in the hills above Los Gatos, wineries will each pour a current release alongside a rare, older vintage, showcasing the ageability of Santa Cruz Mountain Cabernet and allowing guests to experience a side-by-side comparison.

Premier Cruz is a vibrant, annual tasting that celebrates Cabernet Sauvignon produced in the Santa Cruz Mountains American Viticulture Area (AVA). It’s an opportunity to meet an array of Cabernet producers while enjoying world-class wines, gourmet bites and a silent wine auction.

Since the late 1800’s the Santa Cruz Mountains has been recognized as a premium Cabernet-producing region, when local winegrowers began to win acclaim in national and international competitions. At the Judgment of Paris in 1976, a blind tasting proved that California wines could equal and even surpass the great French wines. One of the twelve wines chosen to represent California was Ridge Vineyards’ Monte Bello Cabernet from the Santa Cruz Mountains. The tasting was repeated in 2006 with the same vintages and the Ridge Monte Bello was judged the top rated wine.

The Santa Cruz Mountains is a special place for growing Mountain Cabernet. The region offers an array of individual microclimates, hot days and cool nights, marine influences, high elevations, distinctive soils and fruit from 80 acres or less, all contribute to the distinct flavor profiles of a mountain Cabernet unlike those of Napa or Sonoma. There are several notable wineries in the region producing unique mountain cabernet including: Ridge Vineyards, Kathryn Kennedy Vineyards, House Family Vineyards, Burrell School Vineyards, Cooper-Garrod Estate Vineyards, Fernwood Cellars, Mount Eden Vineyards, Lexington Wine Co., Left Bend Winery, Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard, Silver Mountain Vineyards and Woodside Vineyards.

Tickets are $135**All ticket pricing is inclusive of food, wines and gratuities. All events are open to the public and reserved for guests 21 and over. Tickets are non-refundable.

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Host or Publisher Wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains