About Sierra Vista Winery
Sierra Vista Winery at 4560 Cabernet Way in El Dorado County is one of the Sierra Foothills' most historically significant modern wine estates, established by John MacCready in 1977 at a time when El Dorado County viticulture was still in its infancy. Nearly five decades of continuous operation have given Sierra Vista a depth of vineyard knowledge and vintage history that few California mountain wine estates can match — a foundation that shows clearly in wines that are rooted in their place and produced with the confidence of long experience.
The estate sits at elevations between 2,700 and 3,200 feet in the El Dorado AVA — the highest wine-producing terrain in the Sierra Foothills — where cool nights, thin mountain soils, and intense summer sun create growing conditions that force concentration into every cluster. Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Rhône varieties are the focus, reflecting the diversity of what El Dorado County's elevation can produce when farmed with care. The Zinfandel program is particularly compelling — high-elevation Zinfandel from El Dorado County develops a spice and structure that the variety rarely achieves at lower elevations, with the kind of freshness and complexity that rewards cellaring as well as immediate enjoyment.
The name says it clearly: Sierra Vista — the mountain view — and the panoramic views of the Sierra Nevada from the Cabernet Way estate on clear days are among the most dramatic and inspiring in California wine country. That topographic drama is reflected in the wines: not gentle or polished, but genuine and expressive, with the character of their mountain origins present in every glass.
"Sierra Vista is El Dorado County winemaking with nearly fifty years behind it — a founding estate of the modern Sierra Foothills wine industry that still produces wines of genuine mountain character and honest value."
Walk-ins are welcome daily from 11am to 5pm with a $10 tasting fee — one of the most accessible serious wine experiences in California. The combination of historical depth, high-elevation estate character, and remarkable pricing makes Sierra Vista Winery one of the Sierra Foothills' most essential and rewarding tasting destinations.
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Sierra Vista WinerySierra Vista Winery is named for the mountain view — the Spanish vista del sierra, the panoramic view of the Sierra Nevada range that the high-elevation El Dorado County estate commands on clear days.
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John MacCready establishedJohn MacCready established Sierra Vista in 1977, making it one of the Sierra Foothills' most historically founding modern wine estates, producing wine from the same El Dorado County terrain for nearly five decades.
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The Cabernet WayThe Cabernet Way estate produces Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Rhône varieties from El Dorado County estate vineyard blocks at high elevation where the sierra vista — the mountain view — is a daily reminder of the appellation's extraordinary topographic position.
"John MacCready's 1977 El Dorado County Sierra-Vista-Spanish-mountain-view-naming Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon estate"
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Featured Wines
Zinfandel
El Dorado Zinfandel
El Dorado AVA / Sierra Vista Estate
Sierra Vista's Spanish-mountain-view-naming founding El Dorado Zinfandel — the sierra vista panorama expressed in high-altitude Zinfandel from a 1977 founding estate.
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
El Dorado AVA / Sierra Vista Estate
Sierra Vista Winery's founding-mountain-view Cabernet — nearly five decades of El Dorado County Cabernet farming from the panoramic sierra vista estate.
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Sierra Vista Mountain View Walk-In
Daily walk-in at the Spanish-mountain-view-named founding El Dorado County estate (est. 1977) — Sierra Vista Winery Zinfandel and Cabernet. Dog-friendly, picnic, family-welcoming on Cabernet Way.
From $10
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