27 Best Sights in The Central Coast, California

Elegant wines, a stylish tasting room, and knockout hilltop views make for a winning experience at this winery along winding Peachy Canyon Road. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Zinfandel grapes thrive in the summer heat and limestone soils of the two vineyards near the tasting room. A third vineyard on cooler York Mountain produces Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and a Cabernet with a completely different character from the Peachy Canyon edition. Food is available for purchase daily.

A family-owned winery in the Willow Creek district, Niner is known equally for its range of estate wines (especially powerful reds) and its farm-fresh lunches designed to complement tasting flights. For a special treat, sign up for a private tour of the solar-powered, gravity-fed winery, followed by a tasting flight of current releases. The option to order lunch is available with tasting reservations, which are required.

Just 3 miles from the ocean and a short drive from Cambria's East Village, the 52-acre Stolo estate produces about 4,000 cases of premium wine each year. Its Syrahs consistently win top awards; sample these and other wines, including Pinot Noir, dry Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnays, in the hilltop tasting room on the site of a former dairy farm. If the weather's nice, sit out on the sprawling lawn near a 1920s barn and 1895 farmhouse.

Pioneering winemaker Richard Sanford helped put Santa Barbara County on the international wine map with a 1989 Pinot Noir, and founded Alma Rosa Winery in 2005. Today, Alma Rosa winemaker Sara Morris crafts wines from grapes grown on 100-plus acres of sustainable farmed vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. The Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays are exceptional. Vineyard tours and tastings are available by appointment.

Blair Fox, a Santa Barbara native, crafts small-lot Rhône-style wines made from organic grapes. The bar in his rustic Los Olivos tasting room, where you can sample exceptional vineyard-designated Syrahs and other wines, was hewn from Australian white oak reclaimed from an old Tasmanian schoolhouse.

Small-batch superpremium wines sold exclusively in the tasting room are the focus of this much-lauded, 40-acre, Westside estate winery. Specialties include Albariño, Cabernet Franc, and Rhone blends. Brecon also crafts Bordeaux varietals, including the reserve Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon, with estate grapes from one of the oldest vines in Paso Robles. Taste wines within the urban-chic cedar barn, which combines Scandinavian and Australian design elements, or at tables on the shady patio.

An eco-friendly winery built from straw bales, C&C makes small lots of aromatic Alsatian-style wines such as dry Riesling and Gewürztraminer, plus Pinot Noir blends, Syrah, and Chardonnay.

Stop here to join a tour (reservations essential) of the huge wine caves beneath the vineyards and to participate in various types of seated tastings. Eberle produces wines from Bordeaux, Rhône, and Italian varietals and makes intriguing blends including Côte-du-Rôbles Blanc and Rouge and Cabernet Sauvignon–Syrah.

For sweeping valley views and crisp Sauvignon Blancs and Chardonnays, head to the modern tasting bar here.  The 18 Barrel Flight tasting ($25) that showcases five exclusive, limited production wines, is the best option.

Heirs to the Firestone tire fortune developed (but no longer own) this winery known for its Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah and for the fantastic valley views from its tasting room (reservations required) and picnic area. 

The 1,800-acre Gainey Ranch, straddling the banks of the Santa Ynez River, includes about 100 acres of organic vineyards: Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. The winery also makes wines from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah grapes from the Santa Rita Hills. You can taste the latest releases—the estate Pinot Noir is especially good—in a Spanish-style hacienda overlooking the ranch. Gainey's Evans Ranch tasting room in Los Olivos showcases their six limited-production wines from the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. 

A good place to learn about contemporary Paso Robles wine making, this ultramodern operation produces high-quality wines from estate-grown Bordeaux and Rhône grapes grown in sustainably farmed vineyards. The gravity-flow winery, which you can view on tours, is a marvel of efficiency. Ancestor, the flagship wine, a potent Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Malbec, is named for the ranch's huge centuries-old coast oak tree.

Old whaling equipment and Hearst Ranch and Hearst Castle memorabilia decorate this winery's casual Old San Simeon outpost. The tasting room occupies a historic warehouse building with a gift shop, deli, and an outdoor deck and umbrella-shaded tables overlooking San Simeon Cove. The flagship wines include the Bunkhouse Cabernet Sauvignon, named after the historic Hearst Ranch building designed by Julia Morgan, and Rhône-style white and red blends. Malbec and Tempranillo are two other strong suits.

This suave winery built its reputation on Isosceles, a hearty Bordeaux blend, usually of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. JUSTIN's Cabernet Sauvignon is also well regarded, as is the Right Angle blend of Cab and three other varietals. Tastings here take place in the expansive outdoor patio overlooking the hillside vineyards.

A rich, concentrated Pinot Noir is the main attention-getter at this winery that also produces noteworthy Chardonnays and Syrahs. Bottles with Lafond's SRH (Santa Rita Hills) label are an especially good value. The winery also has a tasting room ( 28 Anacapa St.) in Santa Barbara's Funk Zone.

In recent years, Robert Hall Winery—known for its Bordeaux-based reds, Rhone-based reds and whites, and sparkling wines— has become a regional leader in sustainable and regenerative viticulture at its 130-acre estate. The pet-friendly, kid-friendly property has an on-site kitchen with a seasonal menu, and you can taste wine (from $25) and sign up online in advance for various tours, including the Sustainability Tour and Tasting ($75), Cavern Tour and Barrel Tasting ($75), and Paired Culinary Experience ($75).

Stop at this 40-acre estate to sip wines under the wisteria-covered pergola, nosh on farm-to-table dishes (so fresh the organic veggies still have their greens attached), and gaze at the vineyard views. Winemaker Max Marshak specializes in Rhone varieties, unusual white wines, and deep reds.

Rhône varietals do well in the Paso Robles AVA, where many wineries, including this one, produce GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre) red blends, along with whites such as Viognier, Marsanne, and Grenache Blanc. Winemaker Mauricio Marchant displays a subtle touch with Rhône whites and reds, as well as Sentio, a Petit Verdot–heavy Bordeaux red blend. Tastings here are relaxed and informal, and there's a patio from which you can enjoy the vineyard views.

Tucked in the western hills of Paso Robles, Tablas Creek is known for its blends of certified biodynamically grown, hand-harvested Rhône varietals. Roussanne and Viognier are the standout whites; the Mourvèdre-heavy blend called Panoplie (it also includes Grenache and Syrah) has received high praise in recent years. A free guided tour of the cellar and vineyard starts every day at 10:15; reservations are required.  There's a fine picnic area here.

Acres of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, plus smaller parcels of Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, and other varietals blanket Talley's mountain-ringed dell in the Arroyo Grande Valley. Enjoy stunning estate views in the sleek interior and on the adjacent patio. Standout wines include the single-vineyard Rosemary's Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Taste wines by famed local vintner Steve Clifton (known for his Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Italian varietals like Barbera), feast on lunch and snacks at the on-site restaurant, and visit with farm animals (chickens, goats, llamas, sheep, miniature donkeys, and more) at this family-oriented tasting room, farm stand, and event center at an historic estate, established in 1853. If the weather’s balmy, sit on the patio overlooking the vineyard and listen to live music, which typically plays on weekends. 

"European inspiration, California character" is the motto of this winery whose owners hail from Switzerland. The flagship Suendero wine is a lush blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. You can enjoy it along with some winery-only whites and reds at the large hospitality center.  The patio out back—outfitted with a fountain and a firepit and shaded by a large oak tree—is a nice relaxing space to hang out.

Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Riesling join the expected Pinot Noir and Chardonnay as the stars at this family-run winery 6 miles south of downtown. The pourers are friendly, and you'll often meet one of the owners or their children in the tasting room. With its hillside views, the outdoor patio is a great place to enjoy an afternoon picnic.