Our close friends from New York City had rented a house for the week near Monterey, and this past Friday we met them at a winery of our choosing — Hallcrest Vineyards.   Hallcrest, a small, family-owned winery located in Felton, California, opened in 1941 with, as its website describes, “the intent to prove that the Santa Cruz Mountains were the ideal soils and climate for producing premium California varietal wines.” 

The tasting room is located in an aqua painted, wooden building resembling an old schoolhouse that matches perfectly the rustic vibe of a small mountain town.  Inside, the walls are dark wooden and adorned with colorful ribbons, marking the many competitions that Hallcrest’s wines have won over the years.   Tastings are free and, apparently, different selections are poured daily due to the winery’s extremely small production.  The wines we sampled ranged from a Chardonnay and an organic Riesling to the Clos de Jeannine blend.  Nothing that Hallcrest produces is available for purchase outside of the winery, except at certain restaurants.   

The real reason to visit Hallcrest Vineyards, in our minds, is to experience an afternoon picnic (see photo of picnic area, above-right) at this scenic winery.  While Hallcrest typically offers two picnic area options, this past Friday, the winery’s deck, with its wooden tables and chairs overlooking the expansive landscape beyond, was under construction.  We weren’t the slightest bit disappointed, though, because in our view, the more scenic option is located in the idyllic garden below the winery.   While the benches were not arranged in a picnic-friendly manner, they were easily movable, and we even improvised by borrowing a bench from underneath a nearby tree. 

We spent the next three or so hours lazing under the shade of the large overhanging tree, catching up with our east coast friends, and enjoying our bottle of Hallcrest’s Belle Farms 2004 Pinot Noir ($45), which we had purchased to accompany our picnic.  (Note: this wine was not offered at our tasting, but we had sampled it at a recent trade event and were inspired to taste it once again — in fact, we recommend doing your research before you visit, as the tasting room may not be offering samples of Hallcrest’s best wines on the day of your visit).

www.HallcrestVineyards.com
379 Felton Empire Road
Felton, California 95018
(831) 335-4441