About La Vida Bella Vineyard
La Vida Bella is a family estate on Chardonnay Ridge Road in Aptos, named for the California life the owners reckon their vines and wines stand for.
The vineyard went in during 1997 and runs to twelve acres: eight of Pinot Noir and four of Chardonnay. It sits about six miles from the Pacific at 600 feet, on a southwest-facing hillside and swale sheltered on three sides, in sandy loam.
That position gives it the pattern the appellation is built on. Evenings and nights come in cool and foggy, the fog clears by mid-morning, and the days turn warm and bright, which holds acidity in the fruit while it ripens.
Wine is not the only crop. A hundred Italian olive trees are scattered across the estate, half of them Leccino with Frantoio, Maurino and Pendolino making up the rest, and the estate presses its own olive oil alongside the wine.
Access is narrow. The winery opens on the first Saturday of each month from noon to 5pm, and says no appointment is needed for it.
Twelve acres of Pinot and Chardonnay, a hundred Italian olive trees, and one Saturday a month.
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Estate-grown and nothing elseTwelve acres planted in 1997, eight to Pinot Noir and four to Chardonnay, all of it their own.
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Olive oil as well as wineA hundred Italian olive trees across four varieties, pressed on the estate.
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A textbook siteSix miles from the ocean at 600 feet, southwest facing, sheltered on three sides, in sandy loam.
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No appointment for the monthly openingFirst Saturdays are walk-in, which is rare among small estates that otherwise require booking.
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On the Pleasant Valley runSits among the Aptos and Corralitos wineries, so it pairs with Lester Estate, Nicholson or Storrs.
"A tidy family estate with olive oil on the side, open a dozen Saturdays a year."
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Current Releases
Wines change with each vintage
For an accurate list of current-release wines and library bottlings from La Vida Bella Vineyard, please check the winery'Santa Cruz Mountains producers typically rotate vintages and offerings seasonally.
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La Vida Bella Vineyard has not published a current tasting menu or pricing that we have been able to verify. Check the winery website for what is being poured and what it costs before you visit.
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