Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard

Just ran across this great photo of winery founder, Ken Burnap, so for those of you who don't know it, here's a bit of our backstory: For 30 years, Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard was located at one of the oldest continuously operated vineyards in California, originally established in 1863 as the Jarvis Brothers Vineyard. Ken Burnap started the winery in 1975, setting out to make the finest Pinot Noir possible in California. Ken had done years of research into what conditions w...ere necessary to produce good Pinot Noir, and the Santa Cruz Mountains region ended up being his final choice as the area with the greatest potential for excellent wines. The first release under the Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard label was the highly regarded 1975 vintage. In 1979 Ken hired Jeff Emery for part-time cellar work and vineyard tending, while Jeff was working on a degree at UC Santa Cruz. By the time Jeff graduated (in geology), he was hopelessly seduced by the joys of growing grapes and making wine, and couldn’t possibly look for a real job. A wonderful apprenticeship and collaboration was established between Ken and Jeff. By the time Ken retired in 2002, Jeff had fully taken over the day-to-day business operations and the winemaking. In the summer of 2004, Ken sold the vineyard property on Jarvis Road, and the winemaking operations for Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard moved with Jeff to our present location on the west side of the City of Santa Cruz. We are now open for tastings outside. Appointments are highly recommended, especially for weekends - book on our website: www.santacruzmountainvineyard.com

The holidays are here and we have the perfect gift idea to help you get through this season. Click below to learn about our limited time offer on select Pinot Noirs. https://conta.cc/2WatjmY

Framed from the forklift. High quality fruit is still coming in. Pick early and press light is the theme this harvest. . . . #scmv #santacruzmountainvineyard #quintacruz #harvest202 #arinto #obscure #grape

This is what a 5pm punch down looks like today. . . . #santacruzmountainvineyard #scmv #quintacruz #pinotnoir #redsky #at #night #harvest2020 #flash

This is what a 5pm punch down looks like today. . . . #santacruzmountainvineyard #scmv #quintacruz #pinotnoir #redsky #at #night #harvest2020 #flash

Even during all this craziness, harvest and punch downs continue. A big thank you to all the first responders, firefighters, growers and all the essential people that are still making it possible to continue to provide wine to our community. . . . #santacruzmountainvineyard #czulightningcomplex #harvest2020 #pinotnoir #santacruz

We are so heartbroken to see the damage to our Santa Cruz Mountain community caused by wild fires. Due to air quality concerns, we are not providing tastings at the moment. However if you need to pick up your wine club wines or purchase bottles, someone should be available to help. Call 831-426-6209 if you have any questions. Stay safe.

A big thank you to Charlie Bates and Prudy Foxx(@foxxvit) for hosting a socially distant trip down memory lane. With stories steeped in the rich history of the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA and the opportunity to taste some stellar vintages from Bates Ranch Vineyard, it was a wonderful excuse to reconnect. . . . #scmv #santacruzmountainvineyard #batesranchvineyard #batesranch #cabernetsauvignon #1978 #1982 #1985 #1989

We are excited to announce that we can now ship our wine to 39 states! That means it is easier than ever to get Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard delivered straight to you or your friend’s and family’s door. And we are offering an additional 5% discount on your next purchase for the next week. Use coupon code SHIPSCMV at checkout to help a friend or family member (or yourself) experience the taste of Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard from the safety and comfort of home. Click the Shop ...Now button today! . . . #santacruzmountainvineyard #scmv #quintacruz #shipping #wine #39 #discount #promocode See more

Our summer 4-Packs are now available. Only $89 for 4 amazing wines. Shipping is complimentary on all 4-Packs. Drink great wine in the comfort of your own home. Buy now! . . . #santacruzmountainvineyard #scmv #quintacruz #albariño #grenacheblanc #arinto #grenacherosé #rosé #wine #packs

The only thing missing is you. In case you missed it, we are reopened for tastings and now have additional outdoor seating. Book an appointment today! . . . .... #santacruzmountainvineyard #scmv #quintacruz #outdoor #seating #appointment #winetasting #winebytheglass #reopen #comeandgetit See more

We hope everyone out there is still staying safe. With Santa Cruz slowly reopening, it has given us ample time to go through old boxes at the winery. Here is a throwback to the early 80s when Jeff was working up at the old estate vineyard on Jarvis road. . . . #santacruzmountainvineyard #jarvisroad #throwbacktuesday #whowearsshortshorts

This year due to current circumstances, Dare to Pair, the annual Santa Cruz community food and wine event was cancelled. The event brings Cabrillo College Culinary Program students and local wineries together to create unique food & wine pairings to share with the community and raise funds for the culinary program. It is always a highlight of the year for us to collaborate with the students, eat some amazing food, and support this important local educational program. Unfortun...ately the fundraiser won't be able to take place this year as normal, but we still wanted to do something to support our community. So we are excited to announce the release of three, different 4-packs of wine to help support the program. A portion of each sale will be donated directly to the Cabrillo College's Culinary Program. Each pack contains either additional information about the historical and cultural context of the wines or custom recipes developed to pair perfectly by our resident chef, Andrew Cohen. We hope you "dare to pair" these wines with your own culinary creations. Visit our website to learn more and thank you for supporting this program. Cheers, Jeff #daretopair #santacruzmountainvineyard #quintacruz #food #wine #pairing #cabrillocollege #culinary #donate #support #community

It’s back! Our 2018 Graciano is now bottled and ready for you to enjoy. This organically grown, low-yielding and intensely flavored red Iberian variety is destined to be your next go-to wine. It has it all; a deep core of fruit and spice, tons of exotic aromatics and plenty of acidity. Click Shop Now! . .... . . . #santacruzmountainvineyard #quintacruz #graciano #newrelease #redwine #iberian #singlevarietal #rioja See more

Chicks dig white wine. . . . #santacruzmountainvineyard #quintacruz #grenacheblanc #albariño #baby #chicken #chicks #whitewine #cute #puns

Jeff hard at work on wine club shipments. Working from home ain't too bad!