Estrella Del Norte Vineyard

We went here for their New Years day wine tour for two, and this review is about our overall tour experience.
TL;DR The tour was poor value and their wines were mediocre to my palette (but might appeal to you).
Good:
* This is a local vineyard with owners who are passionate about making wine in a very specific way.
* Interesting /​unique offerings that may appeal to some. I did not care for the Holy Mole, but was a very unique concept and could appeal to certain people.
Bad:
* Bad value. Seriously. This tour cost $ 30 for two people and consisted mostly of the owners talking in their very cold production facility. Tasting pours were extremely small. I realize that you are a small operation and profits may be tight, but paying $ 15 per person for a tasting /​tour and getting no more than 2oz of wine TOTAL is a really bad value. This is especially ironic as in their instructions on how to tastes wines, they specified that it required at least 3 sips. In some of the tasting pours, that’s literally all we were given.
* Misleading claims of «Barrel tasting». What drew us to the tour was the prospect of a barrel tasting. There was wine from pre-​barrel aging and aged wine tasted. No wine was actually tasted from a barrel, as I have done at several cellars in California.
* Bad information given on the tour. Winemaker presented his wine making philosophy as fact. His preference to use high quality, natural corks is great but his claims that wines bottled with other methods (synthetic corks /​screw-​caps) not aging is misleading. This is a debatable topic but not «case closed» (see:
).
Summary:
If you choose to try their wines, skip the tour and go straight to their tasting rooms.

If I could give more stars I would. My favorite hidden winery. The wines are amazing. Combine excellent wine with great service and this is a perfect afternoon.
They have reds, whites, ports, pretty much something for everyone. Tastings are 6 for $ 6. The Holy Mole is a must. Trust me, wine with chocolate to make the taste buds dance.
They offer a great wine club with discounts solely for joining. Whether you are a wine newbie or a veteran you will be swept away. Taste, order a glass and enjoy outside amongst the grapevines. You will leave with a smile on your face.

This place was great and the staff were soo friendly! Definitely suggest stopping by and having a wine tasting. The holy mole was the highlight and we got 2 bottles to take home!

We stayed at the Casa Estrella for the weekend for a girls trip to Santa Fe. Eileen was a great hostess and gave us recommendations on local places to eat at and visit! Coming from the heat of Texas it was nice to wake up to the cool morning and beautiful view of the vineyard. This was a great place to unplug (no TV) and enjoy the wine and scenery. We did the wine tasting and the hardest decision was what to buy. My personal favorite was the Zozobra. There is a small gift shop and garden to enjoy a glass of wine and some cheese.

We stopped by on a whim. We were driving from Corpus Christi, Texas to Lake City, Colorado. The wine was wonderful, the store, vineyard and gardens were beautiful but the icing on the cake were the owners Richard and Eileen! We enjoyed our tasting and visiting with them. We loved the wine and joined the wine club!

Great people, great wine and beautiful property! Try the «Hol6 Mole» for something different. Will return.

While visiting Santa Fe for a work trip and having some downtime to fill, I decided to head out for a great wine tasting. But which one to choose? Being an avid Unilocaler myself, I figured it wouldn’t steer me wrong (and I was right!). This is how I ended up at Estrella Del Norte Vineyard.
I arrived on a Thursday afternoon and the place was deserted. No people, no cars, nothing. Am I at the right place? Is it open? I decided to get out the car and go and after following the clearly marked signs, I arrived at the tasting room. Upon entering, I was immediately greeted and instantly felt welcomed.
For $ 6, you get to try 6 different wines or hard ciders (and yes, they have hard ciders!). Of course, I came to try the Holy Mole wine (because… Unilocal!) but asked the sommelier if their are others that she recommends. I went through a few and then it was on to the star of the show, that Holy Mole red wine! They serve it to you with a chocolate chip, and you are instructed to take two small sips, eat the chocolate chip, and then take two more sips. I wont’ spoil it for you… but you will be impressed by this experiment!
I walked away with a bottle of Vino de Manzanas (a white wine made from apples… yes, please!!), a bottle of the Holy Mole, and a bottle of pear cider.
If I am ever in the area again, I will definitely be making my way back to Estrelle Del Norte Vineyard.

My husband & I decided to try at Estrella del Norte Winery and we loved it! The lady we had our wine tasting with was very knowledgable and also sweet! We bought a bottle of the Zozobra red table wine. Don’t miss this place if you’re in Santa Fe it’s a must :)

We wanted to experience a winery from this region during our stay and this one came recommended by our hotel staff. It was a pretty little place and we enjoyed our time out on the patio after our tastings. Our only complaint was that they do not waive your tasting fees no matter what. We purchased over $ 200 in wine and they still wanted to charge us for tastings. Having been to a fair number of wineries in California, we felt that due to our support of their winery in actual purchases, the nice thing to do would be to waive the fees.
As far as the wines we tasted, we really enjoyed the Holy Mole wine. It has a nice and unexpected flavor due to the chili pepper they infuse it with. It’s excellent with dark chocolate!

About 20 minutes north of Santa Fe!
If you’re done looking at awesome art… and need a change of pace… head north and take a load off while tasting some unique New Mexican wines.
They have a lovely garden setting to sit and enjoy your tasting… and /​or a glass or bottle. (I don’t know if you’re allowed to bring your own snacks or food with you… ask. You might and it would be a great little stop for some snacks and wine.)
Their tasting is $ 6 for a taste of 6 different wines. Their «tastes» are truly a taste… about 1 – 1.5oz each. Just enough to swirl and sip and coat your mouth and get a feel and flavor for the wine.
I recommend their Malvasia and their Cuvee. Those were the ones that really stood out to me.
Also, try the Holy Moly. It’s truly a different «experience». It’s a red with chocolate, chile and spice. It sounds odd and it is, but it is also something you need to try at least once.
Folks are super nice here.
And if you have a «large group»… basically over 5… I highly recommend yu call ahead and let them know so that they can set up for you. It’s a small place so any warning you can give them would be appreciated I am sure.
Note… if you’re something of a wine snob like me… (I prefer wines from Willamette Valley, Sonoma and Paso Robles)… these wines are different and should be tried so you can taste what New Mexico has to offer. Everyone has different tastes and preferences so just try it and see if you’re surprised with a new find.

Really great little winery about 20 minutes north of Santa Fe. We did the tasting and bought a few bottles. Very friendly people that take a real interest in your likes and to make your experience the best it can be. Beautiful property with a very nice tasting area and small gift shop. We bought a sweet white, a brandy apple and a bottle of their Holy Mole which is a red infused with a little chili pepper and is really unique. Bottle prices were very reasonable and they ship if you can’t carry it home. Totally worth finding this place for a visit if you like wine.

Great wines and very friendly service. Really went above and beyond. The grounds are beautiful.

Perfect pit stop between Santa Fe and Chimayo. Friendly and helpful staff. Beautiful grounds — you can sit and enjoy a glass of wine in their patio or bring a picnic and grab one of their bottles of wine.

We just happened across this little gem of a winery during our trip to NM. We had a great time chatting with the friendly, knowledgeable lady in the tasting room (even if she IS a Sea Hawks fan), and ended up bringing home a mixed case of their Symphony, Barbera, Tinto del Sol, and Holy Mole!

Love this winery! After moving from California, I was looking for a local winery to support. The winery, tasting room and grounds are lovely, and the owners are wonderful. Eileen and Richard make everyone feel welcome, and all the employees in the tasting room are very knowledgeable and friendly.
They have very good wines that are reasonably priced. They host events and activities every month, and this has become one of my favorite outings! I love being a member of their wine club… not only to support the New Mexico wine industry, but also to meet new people, and introduce friends to this charming and special place.
While they have a very large selection and variety of wines, my favorites are the Mourvedre, Holy Mole and Pinot Noir Estate.
Visit this winery! You won’t be disappointed!

I love this place! It is beautiful and the wines are good, I love the sculptures they have on site too. I would love to go back and spend more time!

Visited Estrella on my first trip to Santa Fe. Tina at Las Palomas recommended it and gave us a voucher for two tastings for the price of one. We came in about an hour before closing and found the staff to be totally welcoming and friendly. The woman who helped us with our tasting was very knowledgeable about the wine, but didn’t really talk over our heads. I can count on one hand the number of tasting I’ve had; I felt totally comfortable here and left having learned a thing or two.
The property is totally lovely. We sat outside with a glass each and lingered for a bit in their garden area seating.
I left with a bottle of the Vioneiger, and my friend left with three bottles, including the Holy Mole.
I would totally recommend this vineyard to anyone visiting the Santa Fe area and suggest you go with some time on your hands to able to linger in the garden.

I was visiting Santa Fe with my parents and took a day trip to Chimayo which is about 30 minutes away. We stopped at this winery on the way. My parents had been before and recommended it. Being from northern Virginia where I visit vineyards frequently I was excited to try one in New Mexico.
The property was neat and a nice tasting room. The staff and owner were all super friendly. And I really liked the Pinot Noir and the Holy Mole wine that has some kick. It is infused with red chile and hints of chocolate too. Completely different than anything I had before and was a nice surprise!
I’m sure I will be ordering some of the Holy Mole to remind me of my wonderful trip at some point!

Swung by here on a trip to Santa Fe to do some wine tasting. It is so adorable! The girl doing the tastings was friendly and open– but more importantly she was very knowledge about the wines. My husband and I each did a tasting, each getting different wines so we could try a lot. We explained our different tastes and she was great at finding wines each of us enjoyed!
Some of the wines were very unique (especially the Holy Mole, which has red chili in it.)
The shop attached was nice and the bottles of wine were reasonably priced. I can’t wait to go again when everything is in bloom! The dead of winter is a little off season…

There happened to be a cheese and wine tasting while we were in town, so we made a visit. The wines were different and delightful. (Be sure to try the Mourvedre.) There were several locals there that seemed to make Estrella’s wine tastings a regular activity. Plenty of interesting conversation and the tables overlooking the vineyard makes for a peaceful visit.