About Captain Vineyards
Captain Vineyards is proof that serious wine grows in San Francisco's backyard. Founded in 2005 by Sal and Susan Captain on a hillside in Moraga, the estate helped put the Lamorinda AVA on the map and holds a stack of firsts in East Bay green farming - the vineyard is sustainably certified, dry-farmed, and hand-picked, with honors including the CoolCal award, the California Green Business award, and county WaterSmart and Pollution Prevention awards. The couple also run classes, internships, and a community harvest, treating the vineyard as much as a teaching farm as a winery.
The winemaking is deliberately natural: estate-grown red French varieties - Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Syrah, and Pinot Noir - crushed, pressed, and bottled on-site with no adjustments, no filtering, and no additives, then aged patiently in French oak. Production is small-batch and the wines are sold only at the winery and through the online store, with free delivery in the Walnut Creek and Lamorinda area.
Visits are by reservation daily, and the signature experience is an intimate vineyard and cellar tour hosted by Susan (the grower) and Sal (the winemaker) - four estate pours with artisanal cheeses, homemade steam-baked bread, and seasonal accompaniments, finishing on the mid-vineyard deck among more than 3,000 vines under the oaks with East Bay hillside views. Dogs are welcome, and groups up to 30 can arrange private visits; call ahead to book and confirm current pricing.
Dry-farmed, unfiltered estate reds poured by the growers themselves on a deck in the middle of the vines - twenty minutes from Walnut Creek.
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Meet the Makers
Susan grows it, Sal makes it - and they host every tour personally, grand kids and all.
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Green-Farming Pioneer
Dry-farmed, sustainable, and hand-picked, with CoolCal, Green Business, WaterSmart, and Pollution Prevention honors.
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Natural, Unfiltered Reds
Estate Petite Sirah, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot and more - no additives, no filtering, long French oak aging.
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The Mid-Vineyard Deck
Linger after your tasting among 3,000+ vines under oak canopy with rolling East Bay views.
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Cheese and Fresh Bread
Tastings come with artisanal cheeses and homemade steam-baked bread, not just crackers.
The rare urban-adjacent winery that is a real farm - a passionate two-person estate pouring genuinely natural wine in the Lamorinda hills.
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Featured Wines
Current Releases
Wines change with each vintage
For an accurate list of current-release wines and library bottlings from Captain Vineyards, please check the winery's official website or contact the tasting room directly.
Tasting Experiences
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Vineyard & Cellar Tour with Cheese Pairing
Susan and Sal's intimate walk through the vines and cellar, with four 1oz estate pours, four artisanal cheeses, steam-baked bread, and time on the mid-vineyard deck. By reservation.
$55 per person; $45 non-tasters
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Classes & Community Harvest
Hands-on classes in sustainable grape growing and home winemaking, plus a community harvest and crush each season.
Confirm with winery
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Private Group Visits
Groups up to 30 can book private and custom experiences - contact the winery for pricing.
Confirm with winery
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