Los Gatos - Saratoga Wine Country Getaway - June 2008

The town of Los Gatos is not exactly wine country, it's mostly a very chic shopping and dining town, but there is wine to taste here In Los Gatos. The Fleming Jenkins Vineyard & Winery is on Main Street and the Testarossa Winery is about a mile from downtown. Nearby in quaint Saratoga is the Cinnabar Vineyards tasting room.

Flemings Jenkins Vineyard & Winery Yes, this is the famous Peggy Fleming of 1968 gold medal fame in women’s figure skating. Peggy Fleming and her husband Greg Jenkins planted a Chardonnay vineyard on their home property in Los Gatos that eventually led to establishing the Fleming Jenkins Vineyard & Winery. Just a month ago the winery opened a tasting room in downtown Los Gatos at 45 West Main Street.

Fleming-Jenkins Tasting Room

The tasting fee is $5 for a taste of five wines and the fee can be applied to the purchase of wine. The tasting room is decorated nicely and on display are some very interesting memorabilia of the 1968 Winter Olympics. Peggy Fleming’s skates and dress (which her mother made for her) are on display along with a copy of Life Magazine and Sports Illustrated with Peggy Fleming on the cover. As far as the wines, we thought the Chardonnay was spectacular. This is the only estate wine and comes from their home vineyard. We were disappointed that the Madden Ranch Syrah was sold out. We were unaware that John Madden, the famous NFL TV analyst, was growing wine grapes in Livermore.

All the Fleming Jenkins wines are made at the historic Jesuit Novitiate Winery about a mile up the hill from the tasting room. The tasting room is open Tuesday through Sunday, 12 noon to 6 pm.

Testarossa Vineyards

Testarossa Vineyards is housed in the historic Novitiate Winery. Rob and Diana Jansen are the owners of Testarossa and are leasing the historic Novitiate Winery to make their wines. Testarossa has a lovely tasting room here and a beautiful picnic and event area. This is the ideal spot for a picnic lunch because the area is secluded and very peaceful. A great picnic lunch wine is the Noviatiate Pinot Noir Rose. The wine is perfect for a warm Los Gatos afternoon. If you are not a Rose fan, the Castello Chardonnay is a good option.

Picnic Area at Testarossa

The Testarossa wines have recently been getting some amazing ratings from the wine critics. The Connoisseur’s Guide to California Wines recently gave two Testarossa Pinot Noirs and one Chardonnay ratings of 95 or more. The wines are expensive but the quality definitely measures up to the price. The tasting room is open daily 11 to 5 pm except for major holidays. The tasting fee is $10 and can be applied to the purchase of Testarossa wine.

Cinnabar Vineyards & Winery

Cinnabar has a cozy tasting room in the relaxing town of Saratoga, a ten-minute drive from Los Gatos.  Cinnabar no longer has a winery facility nor vineyards; these were all recently sold. They source their grapes from various growers to make all their wines. Cinnabar is legendary for a Bordeaux blend they call Mercury Rising, whch has always been a favorite of ours. It can usually be found at major wine retailers. We also found the Rousanne, a white Rhone wine to be very different and delicious.  The Cinnabar tasting room is open daily from 11 am to 5 pm and is located at 14612 Big Basin Way.  The tasting fee is $5.

Cinnabar Tasting Room

There are many more wineries to visit in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We have two sets of wine trails that cover this beatuiful mountain areas. For more details about the wineries of the Santa Cruz Mountains visit our Santa Cruz Wine Country Region