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Sunstone Vineyards & Winery
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46 reviews for Sunstone Vineyards & Winery
I had lunch at Sunstone over the weekend and I would highly recommend it to anyone. We brought sandwiches and sat outside in their lovely courtyard. Their Rose goes very well with lunch on a warm day.
The staff was incredibly nice and of the wine was fantastic.
Put it on your calendar, this is a must visit place.
Sunstone winery experience goes something like this:
You are with your best girlfriends for a 30th birthday party, you get out of the van you rented, walk into grounds thinking, wow this winery is beautiful, what a nice setup, I cant wait to taste here. This will be the highlight of your tour.
This is kind of how the service goes: "Hi, im super snobby, and I am going to overcharge you, not let you keep the wine glass, give you dirty looks for chattering amongst your friends, scoff when you ask me for the next taste, pour you almost nothing, and give you attitude because i feel like i am better than you."
I mean honestly $15 for a tasting...no wine glass keeping. They try to make it seem worth it by telling you the first 3 tastes are in a seperate little cave, then you go to this other little room that resembles a barrel room. So im paying for the change of scenery?
"Do you waive the tasting fee if we buy a bottle?" we ask....
Scoff, um, no...let me turn my nose up at you once more.
This girl is from Sonoma County, and I am in no way a wine snob, but I have been winetasting quite a few times in my day and have never been treated so poorly, for a such a rip off price.
The 2 stars I am offering are for the cheese...oh the cheese..it was yummy!
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Sunstone Winery has the view of a lifetime. You almost feel like you're walking Tuscany during spring of 1976. The feeling of the warm sun beating down unto you as you sip your wine and enjoy nature's placid sound.
+ Well informed staff regarding their wine selections
+ Ever so tasty Reisling ($25/bottle a great summer wine!)
+ EROS wine...save the best for last! (2005 year highly recommended!)
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5/5 Ambiance - The mood, character, quality, tone, atmosphere.
4/5 Service - Helpful, accommodating, efficient, delivery and speed?
4/5 Food / Merchandise - Quality, taste, presentation.
3/5 Price - Reasonable, inexpensive, high priced?
(Based on Irma's review rating rubric - http://static.px.yelp....)
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Whenever friends come to visit we take them to Sunstone. Pack a lunch and enjoy the Rose. While they don't have the best wine in the valley, the ambience is terrific. A beautiful Tuscan courtyard, and sometimes on weekends they have music. Also a great wine club to join. They have terrific deals.
Awful wines. Simply awful. The syrah rose tasted like they diluted syrah with water, and the 100% syrah was stomach-turning. The tasting room was pretty cool looking, like something you'd see in Tuscany, but that hardly made up for the wine or the fact that they started your tasting of whites outside in the sun, in the 90+ degree heat. Oh, and did I mention that their inferior wines were not reasonably priced at all? Yep that sounds like a win-win to me. Oh wait, what's the opposite of that? Yeah...that.
I won't be back.
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ok wine, rather pricey for what it is. but a beautiful vineyard and a great picnic spot.
obviously one of the prettiest wineries in santa ynez, i have a friend who is a photog and she takes about a roll of film everytime she comes here. The tasting was great, these wines feel very rustic and full (im not trying to sound like a snoot i just cant think of anyother way to say it)
They will have little things, like pieces of leather, lavender, tobacco, etc... for you to smell and then you drink the wine and it helps you taste all the "notes" in the wine which is like a really cool science experiment. I went with a couple who were members of this winery and that might have been why it was such a huge tasting (i think i had 13 wines). so all in all good times, nice people and beautiful setting.
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If you are a red wine fan, Sunstone should be on your tour of SYV.
The reds here are pretty bold and complex. If you don't know a lot about wine, this can be a bit much. Too, they take their wines pretty seriously, and describe a lot of detail about their wines.
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Ahhhhh Sunstone! We visit Santa Ynez roughly once every 3 to 4 months and this is always the first stop among quite a few in the area. Pull into the winery and it's an instant..... ahhhhh I have arrived feeling - I am out of LA and what a perfect place to be!
This is a great place to start a day of wine tasting. The view is wonderful, the venue is one of the best around and the regular guy playing the tunes (whom we call "Wonderwall" cause we always seem to come in right when he starts playing that song) adds to the already nice ambiance and feel.
Santa Ynez is popular, more so then before and Sunstone is on the map! People know about it and it can get packed. No matter what winery you are at it is always frustrating and annoying when the limo or bus drops off the next round of people celebrating something. Sunstone however seems to amplify this because the tasting areas are larger and the place can fill up......hence why we start the day their to avoid the group traffic that gathers in the afternoon. Don't avoid this place just because it can hold a lot of people - this is worth the visit, just plan ahead.
Sunstone on the tasting room end of things offers more then most in the area - they offer the white tasting outside among the warm sun, lavender and rosemary planted around the winery - what better way to taste whites! The reds are served inside/ cave area where it is darker , cooler and best fitting to enjoy reds. For members enjoying the cheese and breads among the barrels in the cave - great pallet starter and not a bad way to move away from the crowds.
I really enjoy Sunstone - venue and wines! I am a bold Cab fan so yes.....the wines can be on the weaker end for me and are sometimes a hit and miss. What Sunstone has provided for me is an appreciation and better understanding of pairing wines, atmosphere, ambiance and smells - enjoying it as a package deal rather then just moving from one pour to another.
The Good: The view is very pretty and the winery is also well-built. The wines are very good, including the cheese. The cheese! I ate so much cheese and drank so much wine!
The Bad: They I.D. most of the times. Yeah, I'm underage, so I had to sneak myself in.
Try: Cabernet Franc. Yum. And the dessert wine is also very tasty.
Don't Try: It's a winery. Try everything!
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Went here for a friend's birthday celebration and I really, really, really liked this place. I thought the wines were great--do pay the extra $5 to try the reserves, it's worth it. And I was definitely diggin' the candle-lit, romantic vibe.
Anyway, the best part is the huge picnic area. It's a simple weekend getaway: pack a cooler full of lunch, buy a bottle of wine, and you're set.
I'm going back soon with a wine journal so I can update this review with my favs.
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Thanks for the wonderful reviews Yelp. I only had time to visit 1 or 2 wineries and I ended up here. Very beautiful place to sit and relax. The stone cottage provides a pleasant shade with a cool breeze.
The wines were nice. Their signature EROS wine really is tasty. And their Riesling was just about the oddest nose to taste complement Ive tried. I was disappointed by the cab, being a CS fan. but their Syrah was pretty good.
Yes, good for first timers.
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Absolutely beautiful atmostphere; built into the side of a mountain like a Tuscan farmhouse. Wines were very good overall. Most of the people working there were very friendly, but the two girls at the front reception were a bit on the snooty, unfriendly side. Not exactly what you want to represent you to give a good first impression. Still very much worth a visit.
Beautiful setting. $10 tasting fee for 5 or 6 tastes (I forget), and the wine is good stuff (most in $25-35 range), both whites and reds. I love how you move around into two different rooms to taste here and are free to wander about even as you taste. The service was good - not uber friendly or chatty, but they are on the ball.
I invited about 15 friends to go wine tasting with me for my birthday and this was the first winery we went to. They did a great job setting up a pretty spot for us: big table with lots of extra wine glasses and crackers and notes on the wines. Our tasting expert was sweet and patient.
I would probably come here again just with a friend but it was especially well set up for a group.
The wine isn't bad and a nice enough place to visit should you be in the Santa Ynez Valley but don't go for the wine alone. The view is the main attraction here.
After visiting the property, we joined the wine club as a reminder of a great weekend excursion to SY Valley wine country. We received a few shipments and everything was fine. We recently moved and were notified via email of a shipment we would receive in the coming days. I called UPS to get the package re-routed to our new location only to be told the shipper needed to do so. I called Sunstone; this is where my dissatisfaction comes to light. I was told that it is my fault the wine was shipped to the old address as I didn't call before. Yes, I agree, but when you have 10+ wine clubs it isn't too easy to remember who you called to change address or when each pending shipment is. Rather than given a solution I was blamed. Keep in mind I'm trying to find a way to receive something I paid for. I asked to re-route, they said they would try. They didn't, UPS confirmed there was no attempt made to do so. A little customer service goes a long way, I received none. I sent a note to the owner of the property asking to reverse the charges for the wine I did not ultimately receive. 14 days later, I'm still waiting for any type of response. He clearly didn't care so business must be great though they won't be getting any more from me as I cancelled my membership. One last note, all of my other wine clubs re-routed successfully and without incident. Other wineries in the area I would recommend are Rideaux, Black Jack (Sideways fame) and the strip in Los Olivos.
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I'm not a wine connoisseur at all so if you're looking for a review on their wine, look at the others. It all tasted great to me. And they had the best crackers and chocolate compared to the other wineres I went to. The staff was all friendly and seemed very knowledgeable. They were very generous in their servings too. What I enjoyed about this winery was how beautiful it was. Sunstone was the first winery I went to from a day's worth of visiting wineries and Sunstone, by far, was the best looking one. They've got a lot of tables to set up a picnic area too.
And this shouldn't be the determining reason why you should visit this place, but I'd keep them in mind to visit again because they've got the most adorable dog roaming the grounds! It was so friendly! If I was a crazier person, this dog would've been stolen by me and headed back to LA ASAP.
I don't remember many of the classes that I took while I was at UCSB but I do remember enrolling in a wine tasting class. It broadened my horizons in regards to the world of wine and later I worked in the wine industry. Too much fun.
Anyways, our "final" included a wine tasting trip. Hopped on a wine bus and visited several wineries but Sunstone really stood out for me. I picked up a couple bottles in 2002 and I wanted to keep them for special occasions but that never really works. I don't remember when and why I enjoyed my special wines from Sunstone but I'm sure they made my day.
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Went here this past weekend for a friends Bachlorette Party. We actually planned our whole trip around this winery. This became our first stop as we got in to Santa Ynez. . .before we even checked into our hotel. The winery is beautiful and very well set up but I was really disappointed in the wines and everyone in the group was on the same page. It wasn't bad but this winery started excluding their glasses in the price where as every other winery I've been to included it. It cost $10 for tasting + $5 for reserve and then $4 for the glass (It was a gift for the bride). Everyone was friendly but for a winery it didn't cut it for me.
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Definitely the coolest place to wine taste for those that want to make a day out of drinking and eating.
Suggestions... go to trader Joe's pack a cooler with chips, veggies, dips, cheese, fruit, chocolate and bring it here. On a nice sunny day you can sit outside and listen to live guitarist playing some Eagle Favs like "desperado" and the ever so cliched "hotel california". The music really sets the mood for a fun after noon.
On to the wines... It's around $10 for a taste. Which means one glass (that you can take home) and try 5 whites and 5 reds (but i always try more than 5 and no one cares). The Whites you taste outside with the music and hopefully some snacks that you brought. I'm not really a big fan of their whites because they are all a bit too fruity for me but it's still a plus because most girls that I take here love them (go figure).
On to the reds... these babies you taste inside in the catacombs of their cellar (seriously). It's got that medieval dimly lit feel which leads to room after room of barrels and wine racked on the walls. reds are nice especially the Eros which is really good. What Sunstone does a great job at are their blends. The Eros is a blend of Merlot, Cab Sav, and Cab Franc. I don't really care for their single vineyard stuff but nonetheless they aren't bad. They recently released a Syrah Port which I thought was amazing with chocolate.
This place is a must if you come to SB for wine tasting. You will not regret it.
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HITS AND MISSES
But mostly misses. While Sunstone has one of the most beautiful tasting rooms in the valley, their wines did not live up to expectations. Their EROS blend is definitely a highlight with strong cherry flavors and some velvety soft tannins. All the other wines, especially the whites, were disappointing. After visiting here and Kalyra, I'm starting to think that wineries on this side of the valley simply doesn't cut it.
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It's Beautiful, It's Romantic, the wine is drinkable but I'd never buy a bottle. If you've never been you should go. It's a dependable and memorable experience. Great for first timers.
love that this winery is 100% organic. Great location, beautiful landscape. A wedding there would probably be amazing!
We revisited Sunstone. I think that they have one of the prettiest and most scenic tasting rooms. As a bonus, they had a Reserve Taste Testing session the last weekend we went. Score!!!
If you go during the week they have their tastings towards the front of the facility. During the weekends they open up the other tasting rooms due to the larger crowds.
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Sunstone was highly recommended by a co-worker. What I learned is not to take her suggestions of wines or wineries. The wine was ugh to ok, then downgraded when taking the prices into account. Guess that is what makes wine so interesting, it is just my opinion and my taste.
The location was picturesque, but not the picnic spot advertised. Granted, that could be that it was busy and all the tables were taken, but I was expecting a lawn that would be perfect for a picnic and that wasn't there. Picnicking is probably best during the weekdays.
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This place is gorgeous! but thats about it. The wine wasn't very good and the staff was super snobby to us.
Sunstone use to be my favorite winery to visit on my increasing number of Santa Ynez valley trips. We have been members for quite a while. Let's just say we are ending our membership.
I still think the wine is good. More the red, than white. We love the 04 Syrah and any vintage of the Eros blend. The grapes are organic which is also a plus.
The winery itself is lovely. It sits alone on a hill and looks west towards the mountains. It has a big area with tables for picnicing but it gets busy so you can't always get a table.
Anyway, one time last year the girl in the main room, pouring and ringing us up was so sour and rude. She even knew we were members and still acted like a puss. I complained, via email, to the tasting room manager who apologized but did nothing else. Not even a "here's a bottle on us, thank you for being a member." It's left a bad taste in my mouth, no pun intended.
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What an incredible waste of time. I'm no wine expert but this wine tasted like it was watered down. I've had Kool Aid stronger than this stuff.
The architecture is stunning. And phony. A little too over the top with the Italian style design. It belongs more in Disneyland than a winery.
Service was mixed in this place. One young man serving the white wines outside was quite charming and helpful. The guy inside presented a zombie-like recitation of the wines' compositions.
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My wife and I went to three wine tastings... First one was bad, had fun at Kalyra and then loved Sunstone. Was very beautiful place and they had a guy out on the back porch area doing acoustic rock song covers and he was good. We really enjoyed the experience the most, and the wines were pretty good too.
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Two stars for the scenery, one star for the wine. The wine wasn't horrible, but it was rather overpriced. However, it was fantastic to sit on the patio, with a rather talented guy playing acoustic guitar and singing, and look at the gorgeous architecture.
I also liked the inside, cave-like part where the reds were poured. It was really crowded (it was our last stop, so it was peak mid-afternoon time), which cut into our enjoyment a bit. I will also add I'm not a huge rose fan, and that's the one my friends liked the most.
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If you venture to any winery in Santa Ynez, make a point to stop at Sunstone--you will not be disappointed.
The organic winery sits above the [usually empty] Santa Ynez river which creates a perfect micro climate for Bordeaux varietals. They also make awesome Rhone-style wines but purchase their grapes from a winery up in the Santa Rita Hills. Tasting is a wonderful experience for the wine newbie here as tasting notes, and essence tables are set up to better guide visitors in enjoying the wines.
Bring home a bottle of their '03 Eros, which scored 90 points in the Wine Enthusiast last year. Summertime calls for a great case of their Syrah Rose and Sauvignon Blanc [which leaves a beautiful nutty flavour on your tongue].
The place is beautiful, so a packed basket of picnic items purchased from the nearby El Rancho grocery store, and a chilled glass of wine [borrow glasses from the winery] is in order.
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I think the main thing this winery has going for it is it's architecture. It has beautiful Tuscan inspired architecture and a great patio for a picnic or to sit draw the landscape. It is very peaceful, just down the road from Kalyrah.
I found many of their wines to be good, but not worth the price. The only one that I wanted to consider buying was the Viognier. However, certain wines are only available to the wine club members and this happened to be one of them. Tricky, tricky if you ask me.
The tasting experience here is truly unique. They have different stations set up to taste the various wines. The first of which is a faux antique kitchen.
I recommend stopping here for the atmosphere and the architecture. It is truly unique and romantic.
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Sunstone is a nice winery that is secluded at the end of the road. Dana was our host in tasting and she was wonderful. We tasted ten different wines and the majority of them were great. What was pretty damn funny is I had my digital SLR which is a beast and my headset on. When I walked up to the gate one of the guests stopped and thought I was paparrazi and was asking which celeb was hear. I just laughed and kept walking as I took pictures.
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Sunstone is a good winery, but also a nice location and facility.
I like their reds and the Eros blend here. Chardonnays are missing the mark.
UPDATE (October 17, 2007): Was there for the Harvest Festival, and the wines this year are weak (but a lot of them were this year). Downgrading based on this.
I wish I could give this winery a higher rating. I really do. It's situated pretty close to Santa Barbara compared to the other wineries in the area, and the grounds are very pretty - with trellises and caves and other flourishes, along with outdoor seating where your can picnic (a rare treat). However, this did not make up for the fact that their wines were, as another reviewer put it, pretty awful. I rarely pour out wines (since I share my tastings) but this winery had me and my husband agreeing to toss out the remains of at least half their list. The pourers didn't care to spend very much time with us for some reason, and it was not a very busy day. They showed a certain amount of defeatism in ringing us up for the tastings before we even began, as if they knew there would be no chance that we might choose to buy a bottle. The explanation was that "it could get busy" but really, I've only seen this done in Temecula. Given the amount of time it takes to spend at even one of these tasting rooms on a weekend trip, you may choose to spend it at a location where the wines and service are better.
Sunstone is one of the nicer looking wineries to visit, which makes it one of the more touristy ones. When you're looking for it, there's a tiny dinky sign for it so it's easy to drive by. It was really pretty inside, with different stations set up (3, and an additional one for reserve wines in the back with cheese, olive oil, and bread).
Most of the wines we thought were just okay. We did like Fred's Red (one of their newer blends of cab franc and merlot) - it would pair well with a casual meal off the grill, and at $12/bottle it was hard to pass up. Another noteworthy wine was their 2005 Merlot reserve - so velvety.
Even though the structures and decor inside were gorgeous, it didn't really feel vintage-y... like they just built the winery recently or something. But, it was still pretty. I would probably recommend stopping here if you've never gone wine tasting before, but not for the seasoned wine pros.
A favorite in the Santa Barbara wine country for beauty. We came here for a wine tour wedding excursion and had the tasting room all to ourselves. I adore this winery - quaint and picturesque. As for the wines... no comment.
Best facility and grounds (not wines) in SB. Very cool library tasting room. Sunstone features organic wines that are of average quality. Last time I went I just walked around to enjoy the cave ambiance without tasting.
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Not a bad wine on the list. Fun and very friendly young staff, beautiful tasting room, one of the only wineries where the staff talks to you all about each wine and even gives you a tour of the winery. It was so beautiful inside and out, makes for a nice little picnic spot, and is a great winery to start out at. Go on a sunny day, and spend a little extra time there, as it is one of the nicer, more quaint wineries in the valley!
2 stars for the beautiful scenery.....and that's it.
This was the first stop during a day of wine tasting in this region. I've never been tasting here before, but it was recommended, so we thought we'd check it out....mistake.
I was first put off by the tasting fee, but maybe cuz I typically go to Sonoma where there usually isn't one. So, we paid and proceeded to the white wine table outside. It was a sunny, beautiful day and I was looking forward to a few refreshing white wines. But, what I got was a watery, unremarkable viogner, a blech rose', and something else that didn't stand out.
So, we left that table quickly and ventured inside to try the reds. The woman pouring for us made us feel like we were buying a car. She was a saleswoman through and through--too bad she didn't know anything about the wine. When we asked questions about the grapes, her response was, "I don't know what kind of grapes or anything, but if you join the wine club, all that stuff will be sent to you." Seriously!??!?!?! Then, when it became clear we weren't interested in buying any of the (terrible) wines or joining the club, we became invisible and the well-dressed couple next to us were flooded with her attention. Worked out well, as then we could escape. But, overall the experience here was terrible. Terrible wine, terrible employees, and not even worth the $10.
And, how is it the grapes are organic but the wine isn't? What's the point?
