the brander vineyard

David from La Palma

The 2012 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was good but slightly overpriced at $50. Other wines were just average for this area other than the Sauvignon Blanc. Reserve tasting fee $15. Nice location. Good service.

ocguy919

A neighbor turned me on to Brander Vineyard a few years ago and I've been a wine club member ever since! The reds are full bodied and crisp and the whites are crisp and full of flavor. My favorite is the Cuvee Nicholas and I always go home with a bottle. I sampled the Bouchet blend for the first time and was immediately hooked.One note: They are very accommodating! My birthday was last month and I did not take advantage of an extra 10% off. The young lady who poured today noticed that on my membership and extended the offer today. How could I say no?With so many wineries that are "all business and impersonal" nice to find a locale that is flexible and treats you like a valued member!

SeaMiller

We went here on a tour recently and even though my best experiences are usually when we drive ourselves and can go at our own pace, this was the best tasting experience I have ever had in Santa Ynez. I expected good Sauvignon Blanc because I had Brander wines before, but the Cuvee Nicholas that Shinay recommended was to die for! Shinay was super nice, very friendly and knowledgeable even though it was pretty busy, she never rushed us or neglected us. There's a really great outdoor patio were you can sit and enjoy a bottle or a glass as long as you want, and some really cute cats and dogs wandering around, too. Great time, Shinay and Brander!

T7048HKbobs

The Bouchet blend and the Cabernet Reserve are great, but Brander is still the best place in the world for Sauvignon Blanc. Who needs New Zealand?

926tomd

One of the oldest vineyard wineries in the area, Brander is not only a great place for Bordeaux wines but also friendly and accessible. I've been coming here for years and while the Sauvignon Blanc and white blends are still tops, I love the F/RED blended wine and, especially, the Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Nice courtyard and great staff, especially Josh, Shinae and Julie, but sometimes you can meet Fabian the assistant winemaker and Fred Brander himself, especially this time of year when harvest is going on. One of my favorites!

panoramarick

We visited Bander Vineyard for the first time two days ago. It's a bit out of the way, not far but just not amid a bunch of other wineries. The drive is is pretty; the vines were rich with fruit ready to pick. We enjoyed all of the wines we tasted. The young man working the tasting room was knowledgeable about wines, grapes, soil, climate and all of the elements that make for great wine... which they had.

521elaineh

This was our final stop on a recent wine tour of Santa Ynez and Los Olivos.Their wine is lovely and there is a great outdoor spot to relax and picnic.I left with a bottle of their Sauvignon Blanc & Cabernet Sauvignon as it was just too good to leave all the bottles there.

Barges867

They have a lovely courtyard to enjoy a bottle of wine and have a picnic. There reds are extremely good.

Irisiy17

My husband and I have been wine tasting in the Santa Ynez valley many times and we always come back to Brander. Brander easily has the best white wines in the valley, and some really great reds as well. Their reserve cabernet sauvignon is amazing! We like their wines so much, on our last trip we became members. Its a really good deal....we get two shipments of wine a year (you can opt for four shipments as well) and we are receive free tastings when we come in. They also occasionally have events for members, though we haven't attended one yet.The best part about coming to Brander to wine taste, besides the wine of course, is the staff. They are all really friendly and knowledgeable, but my favorite staff member is Remi. He really knows his stuff and is a great guy to just chat with as you stand at the counter.On our most recent trip we brought food with us and sat in the courtyard to eat and drink wine. It was very pleasant. They have another deck area with tables to enjoy as well.I definitely recommend a stop at Brander on your wine-tasting trip to Santa Ynez!

greensgirl46

When we arrived there was no one there.(Probably not a good sign??) We debated about doing a tasting there but since there was one particular wine we wanted to try we decided to go ahead. The pours were extremely small. Then the pourer.. a seemingly bored young gal...told us that the wine we wanted to taste (the last wine on the tasting list !!)... she refused to open even after we said that is why we did the tasting. She didn't want to open the bottle?? Was it too much effort for her??? ..so she substituted a sub standard wine. This winery is a total ripoff and a total waste of money. Terrible wines....rude staff. Skip this one in Solvang.

Njhammers

Decent wines especially Sauvignon Blanc, an ok Tasting room & ok decor. go for the Wine, buy 3 bottles the tasting is free

McCookTraveler

We spent an afternoon touring the wine country above Santa Barbara and this winery was recommended for a visit. Their wines are excellent, but the best part of our visit was the tour we received from the young man working the tasting room that afternoon. He went out of his way to show us around and explain their process of producing such fine wines. Really neat to see these independent wineries still doing well. Also went into Los Olivos and were really surprised by this small quaint town with the number of tasting rooms available. Delightful afternoon all around.

JAC030585

We stopped off at Brander on our way from Santa Barbara to San Luis Obispo. The vineyard is lovely, the tasting room was light and airy, the staff were friendly, and the wines were nice. We went for the classic flight which cost $10 for 5 tastings. I believe a logo glass is also included in the price but we decided not to take them because of luggage restrictions. It would have been nice to hear more about the wines and the history of the vineyard because it felt as though the server poured the wine, told us the name, and then walked off to serve some other visitors. They also have a picnic area so you can take along your own food and enjoy a leisurely lunch. We enjoyed our visit but were not blown away.

Jackie178

We had a decent experience at this vineyard... The wine was good, the employees were nice, the area was pretty, but nothing was amazing. The employees didn't seem very interested in sharing a lot of information even though they were pleasant. Definitely a decent vineyard to go to but I can't give it more stars since there are so many others in the area that stood out more.

jenniferbb_13

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Brander! The wines were wonderful and equally wonderful was the outdoor courtyard area. We brought a picnic and enjoyed a tasting while the kids explored the garden area. There were some lovely Sauvignon Blancs and a fabulous Cabernet Reserve. It looks like they've been making some upgrades to the property and we enjoyed each one! We will definitely be back.