Welcome to Waxwing Wine Cellars
Compelling, Cool-Climate Wines from the California Coast
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The Vineyards
Our goal at Waxwing is to make wines you want to keep drinking after you
have pushed everything else away; wines that show depth and integrity
with bright acidity, compelling aromas and delicious flavors.
To do this we source grapes from cool and windy vineyards up and down the coast of California. We pick the grapes at modest brix levels, ferment with little or no additions and age in broken-in barrels from a variety of French coopers.
Waxwing News & Reviews
Waxwing Wine Cellars closed it’s doors in July of 2022. Stay safe and be healthy!
Check out this great article on Waxwing by local wine expert, Laura Ness: And the Waxwing Soared
Our 2018 and 2019 wines have received great reviews from the wine press:
2018 Lester Family Pinot Noir from the Santa Cruz Mountains 94 points, 94 points
2019 Deerheart Vineyard Pinot Noir from the Santa Cruz Mountains 95 points
2018 Lester Family Syrah from the Santa Cruz Mountains 95 points
2019 Coastview Vineyard Syrah from Monterey County 94 points
Upcoming Events
Winery is permanently closed.
“We use traditional methods to craft limited-production Pinot Noir, Syrah, Riesling and Chardonnay from cool and windy coastal vineyards.”
— Scott Sisemore, Winemaker
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For the 2017 vintage we fully embraced méthode champenoise techniques to produce a sparkling wine that is crisp, fresh and terribly tasty. Grapes grown at Tondré Grapefield in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Production: 150 cases.
The driest Tondré made by Waxwing to date with 7.8 g/L of residual sugar. Tondré Riesling pairs with nuts, cheese, chicken, fish, pizza, salads, etc. I especially like to drink it as an aperitif while preparing dinner at home. This vineyard is located in the prestigious Santa Lucia Highlands AVA. Production: 135 cases. 90 points Wine Enthusiast
Honeysuckle and passion fruit on the nose. Lemon tart-short bread, tropical fruit and tons of crispness in the mouth followed by a mellow oak finish.
“Crunchy aromas of black raspberry, wild plum and mulberry meet with crumpled flowers, light peppercorn and loamy earth on the heady yet elegant nose of this bottling. Charred plum and grilled berry flavors encounter fennel bulb and roasted meat elements on the hearty, savory palate.” -Wine Enthusiast 95 points
“From a young marine-influenced vineyard that really shows spunk and horsepower. The 2018 is powerful stuff, starting off with slate, laden blackberry bushes, a summer forest hit with sunlight, baking summer weeds on a hillside, and rye bread fresh from the oven. Lovely black raspberry, porcini mushrooms, ripe mission fig and date nut bread show up on the palate, which is blessed with big natural acid and tremendous textural complexity. Sisemore is the only winemaker getting grapes from this rising star of a vineyard, owned by Bob and JoAnn Larson. The site borders La Honda Open Space Preserve and is planted to six different clones. One block is trellised just 18” above the earth to capture the heat reflected from the soil, a common sight in France. This wine was aged for 10 months in once-used French barrels: all its richness is inherent in the fruit.” –Laura Ness/Edible Monterey Bay
“Quite light in the glass, this bottling offers delicious, fresh and lively aromas of strawberry sorbet, forest floor and peppery spice on the nose. The sip snaps with fresh cranberry and raspberry, sprinkled with thyme and sagebrush, proving both easy-to-drink and thought-provoking at once.” -Wine Enthusiast, 94 points
“Moderately light garnet color in the glass. Terrific nose infused with aromas of cherry, strawberry, red rose bud, sandalwood, and savory herbs. Light to mid-weight stylistically, with a blast of cherry and strawberry fruit that attacks the palate on entry and is expansive through the mid-palate. Very appealing elegance with gentle tannins, a hint of complimentary oak, and a long, juicy, lifted finish. Impressive harmony. Still exceptional when tasted the following day from a previously opened bottle. A very special value.” -Prince of Pinot, 94 points
“This new 2018 Waxwing Lester Pinot is really filling out nicely and drinking fabulously well with very crisp details forming here showing beautiful layers of black cherry, raspberry, dried cranberry and plum fruits along with a touch of sweet toasty oak, spices, mineral and orange tea. This wine has lots of personality and gains complexity in the glass as it unfolds with each sip adding some mocha and sassafras, delicate floral tones, an element of wild herb and a faint touch of tangy garden strawberries, this might be one of my favorite of Scott Sisemore’s wines to date.” -Grapelive, 94 points
“Sisemore also nailed the 2018 Waxwing Lester Pinot Noir. Many winemakers get a crack at this vineyard, but he makes what is often the most precise expression of that vineyard, capturing its vast tonal range. There is no such thing as too many notes. Bright with red fruits, leaning towards cranberry and pomegranate, this wine evokes autumnal flavors, including chestnut puree. Complex and lithe, it resonates like a cello in a concert hall.” –Laura Ness/Edible Monterey Bay
“There's a density on the nose of this bottling that combines packed violets, tight black currant, loamy soil and roasted meats. The palate is also very tight at he moment, with hints of blackberry and black-plum paste and dark cocoa. But it's the structure that's most impressive. Drink 2022–2038.” –Wine Enthusiast, 92 points
“A phenomenally en pointe execution of this grape from one of the best vineyards to grow it in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Vivid scents of cedar, juniper berries, peppercorns, plum sauce and a roaring pinon bonfire fill your nostrils, a clue this is no wimpy wine. It’s a veritable flood of raspberry balsamic, pine essence, dried fig, graphite, juniper berries, exotic cardamom, Asian Five-spice and fine cigar tobacco. Lamb grilled with juniper and tarragon over a cedar fire would be a perfect pairing. Truly outstanding stuff.” –Laura Ness/Edible Monterey Bay
95 points Wine Enthusiast
SF Chronicle Wine Competition Double Gold Medal
From the extreme western edge of the Santa Cruz Mountain AVA and only 3 miles from the Pacific Ocean comes this Pinot from a brand new vineyard source. Deerheart Vineyard is a very cool site and produces a Pinot with full flavor and body with plenty of acidity. On the road between La Honda and San Gregorio Beach in San Mateo County.
Prince of Pinot: 92 points
"Moderately dark garnet color in the glass. The aromas build in intensity over time in the glass, culminating in a force of earth-kissed blackened cherry righteousness. The harmony of this wine is evident upon first sip and the long, intense and haunting finish impresses. Mid weight in style, with an earthy core of black cherry fruit framed by gracious tannins." Score: 93 -Prince of Pinot
"The wild side of Syrah comes through in this complex, earthy and not overtly fruity wine. Hints of wood smoke and sage, dusty earth and singed rosemary combine for an intriguing savory profile that's well supported by moderate tannins." -Wine Enthusiast 92 points
"Blackberry, elderberry, elderflower and violet aromas make for a very fresh and purple nose on this bottling from a vineyard on the eastern ridges above the Salinas Valley. It's tightly woven on the palate, where blackberry, violet, lavender and more floral flavors ride a strong acidity." -Wine Enthusiast, 92 points
"The brilliantly dark garnet/purple Star Lane Cabernet Sauvignon pumps out some serious fruit, while still being restrained and well balanced with opulently ripe black fruits, acacia flowers, a dusting of tannins, being a youthful wine that feels somewhat reassuring and there is a sensation of spice, herbs and energy with a touch of French oak sweetness" -93 points Grapelive.com
"Creamy silken tannins give this away as Californian, but the profile and character is pure northern Rhone with layers of violets and black plum along with peppercorns, minty herbs, cedar and griddle bacon. The stems add a nervy green bite that keeps things thrilling from start to finish, that makes you think of Cornas." -93-95 points Grapelive.com, 97 points SóloSyrah, 93 points WE
This is the eighth vintage of Flocchini Vineyard Syrah produced by Waxwing and clearly one of our favorites. We've been dialing back time in the fermenter to achieve a balanced wine with less tannin that is more approachable early on. Yet, this wine has impressive density and feels "chewy" in the mouth. Production: 101 cases. Wine Advocate 90 points
