Critic picks

Vinous's top-rated wineries in Santa Cruz Mountains

Vinous scores on the 100-point scale. Its 13 ranked Santa Cruz Mountains producers run from 88 to 94 points, each with at least two rated wines.

Ranked by Vinous's mean score across every wine of theirs Vinous has rated. Highest average first; ties go to the producer with more wines rated.

13
Producers Vinous rates
94
Top score
515
Wines scored, top 25

The list

  1. 194Mindego RidgeSanta Cruz Mountains, United States35 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  2. 293Eden EstateSanta Cruz Mountains, United States3 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  3. 393Muns VineyardSanta Cruz Mountains, United States2 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  4. 493Pescadero Creek VineyardSanta Cruz Mountains, United States4 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  5. 592Clos de la TechSanta Cruz Mountains, United States53 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  6. 692Big BasinSanta Cruz Mountains, United States309 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  7. 791La Vida BellaSanta Cruz Mountains, United States3 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  8. 891LexingtonSanta Cruz Mountains, United States31 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  9. 991Sandar & HemSanta Cruz Mountains, United States29 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  10. 1090Left BendSanta Cruz Mountains, United States9 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  11. 1190La Honda WinerySanta Cruz Mountains, United States2 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  12. 1289Kathryn Kennedy WinerySanta Cruz Mountains, United States31 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  13. 1388Vocal VineyardsSanta Cruz Mountains, United States4 wines ratedCRITIC-RATED→

How we choose

Vinous rates individual wines, not estates. Each producer's place here is its average Vinous score across every wine of theirs the critic has scored. A producer needs at least two such wines to appear: the guard stops a single lucky score on one bottle from outranking an estate with dozens of rated wines. More on how the list works

Frequently asked

How many Santa Cruz Mountains wineries has Vinous rated?
13 wineries in Santa Cruz Mountains, United States have at least two wines scored by Vinous. Only those appear here.
Which Santa Cruz Mountains winery does Vinous rate highest?
Mindego Ridge, at a 94-point average from Vinous, followed by Eden Estate and Muns Vineyard.
How is this list ranked?
By Vinous's average score across each winery's wines. A winery needs at least two Vinous-rated wines to be listed, so a single high score cannot top the ranking.
Does this use user reviews?
No. Only Vinous's professional ratings. There are no crowd star averages in it.

Keep exploring

Take Santa Cruz Mountains with you

Download on the App StoreFree · iPhone