Benchmark Wineries
Agua Dulce Winery
Located 45 miles (72.5 km) from Los Angeles in the Sierra Pelona appellation, with 100 acres (40.5 ha) planted to vine. The winery devotes the same level of attention to the consumer experience as it does to its substantial red wines based on Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Syrah.
Angeleno Wine Co
This small producer works with growers across Los Angeles County. A representative example of a Los Angeles urban cellar and winery that aims to showcase the best of Los Angeles County’s diverse viticultural treasures.
Byron Blatty
This Los Angeles-based winery sources its grapes from sustainably farmed, family-owned vineyards from all over Los Angeles County. Small-batch production, low-interventionist practices and terroir expression are founding principles of the winery.
Cavaletti Vineyards
A small urban winery with an aim to shed light on the history of this once prolific winemaking region in Southern California. With a focus on individual vineyards and terroir expression, they produce mono-varieties and blends from Ventura, Los Angeles.
Cielo Farms Malibu Vineyards
Family-owned and -operated for over 20 years, this picture-perfect property is frequently used for filming. With an emphasis on Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and red blends, this is also one of the most popular tasting destinations in Malibu.
Dolin Malibu Estate Vineyards
Proprietor Elliott Dolin began planting in 2006 and Dolin Malibu Estate bottled their first wine in 2009. Dolin was an initiator of the petition for the Malibu Coast AVA, approved in 2014.
High Desert Cellars
Owned by Efren Chavez who was responsible for planting a significant number of the vineyards in the Antelope Valley of the California High Desert AVA. He began grape growing in Sonoma County and the Russian River in 1978 and has since planted 20 acres (8 ha) just east of Palmdale. Chavez vineyards grows a myriad of varieties with its first bottling in 2009.
Moraga Bel Air
The Bel Air winery and vineyard nestled in the Moraga Canyon is an essential Los Angeles County wine destination. The property was originally home to Victor Fleming, director of “Gone with the Wind” and “The Wizard of Oz,” and was purchased by Tom and Ruth Jones in 1959 who planted the estate. A state-of-the-art facility was built in 2005 and the Jones held on to the property until 2013 when media tycoon Rupert Murdoch purchased it in an effort to protect its legacy and continue producing wine from this unique site.
Rosenthal, The Malibu Estate
A 28-acre (11.5 ha) estate with the oldest plantings in Malibu, dating back to 1987. Rosenthal was responsible for the creation of the Malibu-Newton Canyon AVA and is the only winery to grow grapes here. The estate is located only four miles (6.5 km) from the ocean at an elevation of 1,450 feet (442 m).
San Antonio Winery
The oldest and largest producing winery in Los Angeles County, with a history of winemaking dating back 100 years and four generations. The winery was designated as a Cultural Monument by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Board in the early 1960s and it remains on its original site on Lamar Street in the city of Los Angeles.
Semler Malibu Estate Vineyards (Malibu Wines)
Established in 1978 by Ron and Lisa Semler at Saddlerock Ranch, home to Chumash pictographs that date back to the Portolo Expedition of 1769. It is also home to an impressive collection of exotic animals that roam the property -- as well as many Hollywood casts who frequently use the site for filming. The vineyards were planted in 1997 on rocky, steep, south-facing slopes with 85 acres (34 ha) planted to eight varieties. The winery established the AVA of Saddle Rock-Malibu and is its only producer.
Triassic Vineyards
Home to some of Antelope Valley’s highest vineyards, as well as the area’s rare, preserved Triassic rock (marine deposits enveloped in granite magma of the Techachapi mountains).