El Sol Vineyard

We had a wonderful Wine Wednesday at El Sol. They were open late until 8 as part of a weekly Livermore area winery rotating event.
My group of four got there early and the owner Hal took good care of us. He poured us some of their best wines which you wouldn’t expect for such a public event. He entertained us with his enthusiasm and unique perspectives. The wine was great too. The scenery of the hills surrounding Livermore is picturesque.
The price of the wines is surprisingly not bad at all. I ended up leaving with three bottles.

If there is a 0 star that would be my official rating. Everything about their wine is off putting to me. From the taste to the wine making. I’m not a sommelier by any means, but I’m not a novice either. My husband and I were spending the day with some friends in Livermore’s Holiday in the Vintner. Our friends are fans of Livermore wines. We tasted a few of their favorites and really enjoyed the wines until we got to El Sol.
It was towards the end of our day and they admitted they have not been here in a while, but they recall the Tempranillo was really good here. Upon entering, we were greeted warmly by the staff. The tasting room had about 10 tables and 3 of them were full so it’s obviously liked by people. When we sat down, we decided to share 2 glasses as the wives were getting tired. We started with the Chardonnay… it was nicely chilled and crisp, but did not have a lasting finish. Then again, we didn’t like very many Livermore whites today so it was not a surprise to us. Next pour is the Merlot. The initial smell was «prune juice» and «sherry» not a good sign. We all were reluctant to taste, but did it any way. Yuck! taste like wine that’s been opened for several day not properly preserved. I was shocked because it’s only a 2007, but it tasted like 1980 or older. The rest of the red wines were no different… they all smelled the same. I stopped tasting after the cabnernet, but the men in the group pressed on and none of the wines (syrah or tempranillo) were drinkable.
Then the staff escorted us to the cellar for some barrel tasting… now we understand why their wine tasted like they do. As they described their wine making philosophy, they admitted they’re attempting to mimic a Bordeaux style wine that has been aged for 20+ years, but without waiting the actual 20+ years. But I believe one can’t take short cuts in wine making… it never turns out. Mine you, wine preference is a very personal thing so not everyone is going to agree with me. There are Unilocalers that like this wine.
What’s fundamentally wrong to me about El Sol’s wine making philosophy:
1. They use «use barrels» and they don’t really care how many times the barrels have been used before they purchase them. In fact, they said on the tour they prefer their barrel have very little oak left in… SHOCKER! They why bother using an oak barrel?
2. They leave their wines in the barrel for 8+ years to mimic a Bordeaux style. But they use oak barrels that have very little structure left then adding oak chips back into the barrel if the wine tasted like they needed more structure??? So a** backward in their wine making.
3. Their cellar is not temperature controlled. WHAAATTT??? It’s Livermore where temperature can range from 100 to 45 degrees in a day! How can they not have a temperature controlled cellar? Wine is so delicate, it cannot take such a temperature variance; especially if they are in the barrel.
Needless to say, we didn’t buy any of their wines and we all walked away stunned. I don’t mean to be critical. Oak Barrels is what give the wine structure and the temperature regulate the aging process. I just see that they are doing things wrong in every way for my taste.

One of my favorite livermore vineyard/​winery, I even end up being a member here about 2 years ago. I like how you can wine taste at a table with your friend, and the servers will bring the wine you want, like a wine bar! I like how they serve little snacks, I like the variety of wine they make on site. I like how you can barrel taste. I like the view.
This vineyard is a bit away from the rest of the wineries in livermore, great scenry, great people to talk to.
It’s worth it to become a member, they waive the tasting fee for you and 3 other friends, and you can try their library wines.

I wish this rating could be 2.5.
Tasting 1: Grand Cuvée Champagne — not too dry and not too fruity; this was my favorite
Tasting 2: Sauvignon Blanc — very sweet with a little oak flavor; I did not like this one
Tasting 3 & 4: Sangiovese & Barbera — both tasted the same, extremely sweet
The staff and location were great but the wine was not.

Great little place, super dog friendly! Gracious flights and diverse tasting! All around good spot to drink some wine.
Will return

Hal and ambra are very friendly and funny. And the wines are not only phenomenal, but affordable. Please go. It’s very well worth the time. We bottled, corked and labeled our own wine, and drank ourselves silly.
PHENOMINAL experience!

I emailed El Sol to expect a dozen women for a girls’ day out of wine tasting. I received a few replies and they were gracious to have us. El Sol is located a bit away from the other wineries in Livermore so don’t be afraid while taking a single road out to the winery. It has a large parking lot and tasting room. A table was set up and we took up almost every seat. Ryan was pouring our wines and he did a good job of fulfilling our request to taste wines out of order and as ladies showed up. He was very friendly and handled us very well.
A barrel room tasting was also included. We checked out the fermenting grapes and tasted wines out of three barrels. In the barrel room there were quite a few high tops to sit at. Then we returned back to the tasting room to continue our many more tastings. And all that was for $ 5. Crazy.

El Sol is my favorite Livermore vineyard! I love their wine. It’s kind of out there and tucked away, a hidden gem. Their whites are very unique in both taste and color. I always find a new favorite when I’m there. Theyre tastings are also extensive. Whether or not it ends up being your cup of tea, it’s worth trying!

Friendliest people, especially the owner Hal. Some wines are better then others, but that’s with all wineries. I didn’t think their wines were super sweet as was reviewed by others. Their tempranillo was on the sweeter side, ok a little too sweet, but there were some good ones that we walked away with.
This winery is off the beaten path and make sure you walk towards the fence where the tasting room is and not mistakenly into the barrel room that has the sign «winery» over the door.

Would aim for 2.5 stars, but it isn’t allowed.
Came here as a group of five. We were able to get a spot easily. The place is pretty rustic, kind of out on its own in the middle of nowhere. It has a great view of the surrounding landscape which is a nice perk if you’re up for drinking out in the sun.
The tastings are dirt cheap. I think it was five dollars a person for 8 different wines, so that’s a nice perk. But perhaps there was a reason. Of the five of us, we didn’t like a single wine of all 8 we tried. They weren’t terrible, there just wasn’t a single one of them where any of the five of us even finished the tasting. All of the reds seemed to have a brandy type scent/​taste to them and each one just a little sweeter than the next.
All of the wines are organic if that matters to you.
I wouldn’t return.

(full disclosure — I’ve been a member of the El Sol wine club for a year and a half)
El Sol wines are pretty idiosyncratic, I happen to like them quite a bit, but I’m not that big a wine drinker otherwise. Most of them have an idiosyncratic flavor, which is sort of like licorice, but I don’t consider them sweet per se.
Going to the El Sol winery is basically going to a rolling party. Any other winery in the Livermore valley you can get into and out of in fifteen — twenty minutes. El Sol takes an hour and a half. You have to drink all the varietal then usually they have a couple barrel tastings you go to with a group, and its just a party.
Plus, its on one of the world’s great pieces of land, and you can sit outside. Up on the ridge of the Altamount pass. I’ve got to go out there this weekend and pick up my club pack. Hopefully I can get in and out with a transaction and no drinking in twenty minutes. Had to drink a couple bottles this week to make room in the cooler. Have to admit, they were very good, but what do I know?

Stopped at this cozy and quaint winery on our way back home to Portland, OR from our trip to Disneyland. The wine selection was plentiful and the wines we tasted were great! Plus, the wine prices were very affordable. We even got to go through the bottling process for one of the wines we purchased. Which was so cool! And they had two men playing live music in the wine tasting room, which added to the overall experience.
But what really stood out about this place is how wonderfully they treated our kids. They included then in the experience by giving them sparkling juice to drink while we were tasting the wines. This added touch made our kids feel special. El Sol winery is a must go to if you’re ever wine tasting in Livermore.

I would actually prefer to give this place a 2.5 …place is rustic and low-​key so that’s a plus for anyone who doesn’t want any stuffy places and they do have arts and crafts to sell as well. The service was ok… the guy pouring wasn’t really that knowledgable and neither were some of the other staff.
Two flights available so if you’re tasting for two, that’s your best value and it includes a barrel tasting. I wouldn’t say I was in a rush when I went, but the tasting took way too long to finish, in fact after 45 mins it STILL wasn’t finished and I just paid and left. Our pourer would pour 1 and then disappear for a long time while talking to the rest of the staff before coming back with the rest, but this was the general routine, at one point I had to ask someone for the next pour on the flight. I also didn’t find his knowledge in the barrel room to be very effective either.
My only review on the wine is sweet sweet sweet. They make many types and my only issue is that they all tasted the same, high sweetness and one couldn’t actually taste the varietals. The wines are not for me, but this review is based solely on my experience with the staff that day.

Off that busy beaten path, and some great wines. I had the pleasure of tasting with Ambra, and had a chance to chat with Don as well.
Their Estate Syrah was the highlight of the reserve tasting flight, and I recommend it. We also checked out the futures tasting, and that was such a neat process. They had freshly picked grapes there in the warehouse, and we got the whole story about how El Sol produces their wine.
If you look behind the tasting bar, there is a bee hive to observe, and as you gaze out at the hills, you really feel like you’re visiting friends at their little farm, not like you’re out-​priced at a fancy vineyard. Love it.

We love El Sol! It is a bit off the beaten path with the other wineries but so worth going! nice tasting room and outside seating area. Worth checking out!
I cannot get enough of this winery. I recommend people go there all the time! The wines are very fruit forward, which I love! I have bought several cases of wines from here including futures. You always get to barrel taste some new features Hal is working on. The wine prices are amazing for the quality you are getting!
The winemaker, Hal, is such a great guy too. He is charming and fun to chat with.
They have this nice picnic area outside you can chill and relax at or a really cute inside tasting area.
El Sol is a must go to on your wine tour!

So this place, doesn’t necessarily have the best wine as everything taste rather sweet to me, as well as similar to a cognac maybe, but hey everyone has a different palate.
It also is not located in the nicest area as right behind you there is a boat junkyard I think which doesn’t scream classy wine tasting, HOWEVER, I had a great time here.
The winemaker himself even made an appearance outside and sat with us telling us about his wine and what he likes and his different techniques, etc. I though that was pretty cool.
What I was most amazed about and the only reason we went is that they are known to be dog friendly, and boy do they take that to the next level. Our boys sat outside with us on the patio, and the biggest kicker here, when we did the tour of the barrel room, they allowed us to bring our pups in with us (there were 3 dogs total)!!
It was just so awesome that I got to experience that with my dogs and they were so laid back about it.
Adding to this, in their wine tasting room they sell jewelry and other little trinkets!