Premier Cruz

An exclusive tasting of Cabernet of the Santa Cruz Mountains featuring 16 cabernet producers. A 3 hour wine tasting salon with strolling lunch hosted at Vidovich Vineyards at the top of Montebello road. Wineries each pour a current release and a rare and older vintage, showcasing show the ageability of Santa Cruz Mountain Cabernet.

Premier Cruz is an exclusive tasting of Cabernet Sauvignon produced from the Santa Cruz Mountains American Viticulture Area (AVA) where each winery pours a new release and a rare and older vintage to compare and contrast. Premier Cruz is an opportunity to meet an array of the Cabernet producers from the Santa Cruz Mountains region as well as taste some world-class wines, enjoy a strolling lunch prepared by Chef Ross Hanson of Oak & Rye 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.

Host or Publisher Wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains