blackjack ranch vineyards and winery

My husband and I visited Blackjack Ranch Vineyards on 2/27/15. We had a great time. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Would defiantly stop by again!

We recently visited Blackjack Ranch Vineyards & Winery looking for the "Sideways" film location. We loved the wine, and the young lady pouring was great, friendly and funny. Sampling the wine took us back to the movie and its lively characters. The setting was cool and we really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, there is no licensing for any "Sideways" merchandise. We desperately wanted to buy a T-Shirt but couldn't. The Pinot will have to do.

Our third and last stop. Glad we hit a place featured in the film. It was nice and pretty, but because we showed up at the same time as a "big spender" couple we were treated with less hospitality and had to wait for our tasting. Once they left, we surprisingly had to be focused on. The wine was nice but not outstanding. It seemed a bit dark and unwelcoming inside. We were also rushed due to the "closing" time. Bathroom is outside.

I was on a fun and unique road trip with my active 91 year-old mother-in-law and 87 year-old mother (really!), and winetasting in the Santa Ynez Valley was on our "must-do" list! The Blackjack's sign at the gate telling us this was one of the vineyards featured in the film, SIDEWAYS, was the motivating factor for our choosing this tasting room. It was fantastic! The woman server (Allison) was really knowledgable about both the particular wines we were tasting, as well as about winemaking in general. We purchased 2 bottles to savor some time in the near future!

Enjoyed atmosphere of winery. We cycled around wine country area and stopped on our way back to hotel. We did the wine tasting and decided to purchase 3 bottles. Because we were on bicycles the owner said she would give us her cell number so we could drive back later to pick-up wine, no matter what time, after hours. Other wine tasters were very friendly and it turns out, a lot of Canadians! It was very enjoyable.

We've visited Blackjack twice a year for about a dozen years, starting at least a few years before the Sideways "hype". We keep returning because it is one of the few wineries where we enjoy the majority of the wines (usually about 10 of 12) that we taste.For most of our visits the pouring has been done by Alison, who has worked at Blackjack for about a decade and is able to describe their current offerings as well as compare them to previous vintages that we may have purchased or tasted. Periodically you'll catch a glimpse of Roger, the owner and winemaker, puttering around the grounds. He is a great source of knowledge about winemaking and very personable.Blackjack's forte is red wine, although they have some excellent whites. Their Allusion (not named after Alison, although it should have been) and Harmonie are favorites of ours. Before visiting Blackjack we often visit R Country Market in nearby Los Olivos, pick-up a couple of their excellent submarine sandwiches, and pair them with a bottle of wine from Blackjack. There are picnic tables and a covered pavilion at the winery for guests to use.The tasting room is usually busy, often with repeat customers who enjoy Blackjack's excellent wine. Other than when they open at 11am, there doesn't seem to be any time that is consistently less busy than any other time, but they do a great job in keeping the pours going regardless of the crowd.If you enjoy excellent wine, particularly reds, Blackjack is a must.

The experience at this winery almost made me cancel my 6 wine clubs that I've had for years and re-think being a wine fan. The 'ladies' at this winery gave a whole new meaning to wine snobs. They made it very clear from the moment that we walked in that they did not want us there. They made us pre-pay for our tasting (I guess this was their policy for customers with a certain look). To top it off the employee who made us pre-pay, loudly and blatantly announced it to her co-worker.When we tried to engage in small talk and mentioned that we had been to Napa/Sonoma several times, they made a comment along the lines of "yes, we've had a lot of people invade us that normally go to other regions". In other words, they HATE the additional business that the Sideways movie they appeared in for 2 seconds, provided them. Really? To make matters worse, I've had grape juice that tastes better than what they pour. There wines are the worst I've ever had in my entire life. If you want a decent experience in this wine region, step on it and drive fast when you get near this winery, don't stop.

Wow! How had we missed this before? Blackjack was the best "new fine" of the 10 area wineries we hit this last week. It's rare in the area to find wine with this maturity (with one exception, nothing is younger than 2008). Even their chardonnay peaks around 5 years and is meant to last 10. The remarkable 2008 Reserve Chardonnay has intense bouquet and flavor, bold with a range of yellow fruits, honeysuckle, and a moderate amount of butter. (Drink this with stinky cheese.) We got 2.We enjoyed the 2007 Wilkening Reserve Chardonnay too much to take any notes. A bottle came home with us. One of the best chards we've had.About half their current list is their Harmonie red blend across various years (currently 2001-2006). The '04 is peaking now, and we got four. (So did our friends. There was a 4-for-3 deal.) Bordeaux blend, always cab-heavy, but in '04 only 58% Cab Sauv, with Cab Franc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot added. Vivid cherry (make that ELIXIR of cherry) and much deep, rich red fruit, wonderfully balanced and structured.

The tasting rooms were packed full of people, and unfortunately there were only 2 women available to pour, explain a bit about the wines, and provide check out service to paying customers. The result was that we did not feel the welcome experienced at other wineries in the area. Nonetheless, the wine at Blackjack Winery was the favorite of my boyfriend and I in our tastings on Alamo Pintado Road. In particular, the Chardonnays were nice, semi-sweet white wines.

We've been to many wineries and this was our first truly disappointing experience. Blackjack chose to participate in a promotion where you get wine tastings at four wineries (all on this same road). Blackjack was the last of the four we visited. When we walked in and gave them our promo card, they steered us to the 'promo area'.....away from their regular customers. We were segregated! On top of that, they were far more chatty to the 'regular customers'. Worst of all, they gave the promo customers half as many wine tastings as normal! We did buy one bottle of wine. SUDDENLY she was all talkative, welcoming, and offering tons of information.If they can't treat all their customers the same, they shouldn't agree to be in the promotion.

Asta is AWESOME! If you have never been to this winery, make a point to get there! TEN delicious pours and they allow you to revisit if you wish! GREAT deals on cases! The BEST part is Asta! We had a FABULOUS time! We can't wait to go back!

We thought we would try this winery since we always have passed by. Well it's just average. Nothing spectacular. The host was very interesting.

They have a nice winery, for $10 you can taste several wines. I thought it was a good value for the money. We didn't buy any wine there but some was pretty good.

stopped because of signs...yuck.Dont get the hype other than sideways being here.dont waste your time

Aqui foi filmado Sidewalks!!! Minha esposa, namorada na época estipulou que se fossemos para Califórnia, teríamos que passar nessa vinícola. Dito e feito! Os vinhos são ótimos, e o clima da região é tão boa quanto de Napa. Vale a visita e claro, tasting!