Fontes & Phillips Wines

I am furious. I bought a groupon and have tried to make a reservation for the past three weeks, I have called multiple times and no one will answer my calls or return my voicemails. I want my money back and I will never visit nor recommend this winery.

Loved this tasting room — great wines! The tasting room manager was fun and shared a wealth of knowledge about wine and the area.

Tired of zipping by Santa Ynez to hit Solvang or Los Olivos, I decided to stop in Santa Ynez for a change. Led by the solid reviews on Unilocal,I hit Fontes & Phillips and found a friendly, relaxing tasting room that features good wine and reasonable deals. There was a 50% off wine tasting Unilocal check-​in offer that we were going to use, but was informed that with the purchase of our bottle of wine, the wine tasting was complimentary. We tasted 6 – 7 wines and loved the vertical of pinot noirs that we got to taste. Of the three, we really liked the 2008 — surprisingly smoky for a pinot noir — and the 2010 — smooth and supple like… well you can fill in the blank there. Luckily, there was a special on the 2008 pinot noir for $ 28/​bottle, which was a great deal. Pours were generous for a tasting and the tasting room was a relaxing escape. Oh, and there was a bathroom attached — a luxury you don’t always find in the tasting rooms in Los Olivos!

Stop what you are doing right now and make a plan to visit this incredible tasting room. It is a MUST DO. It was my hands down favorite tasting room in the area. Each wine we tried was better than the last. The tasting room manager, Dawn, will have you feeling like family by the time you leave. My group of 9 girlfriends had to practically be dragged out to make our lunch reservation, we were having so much fun. There isn’t a bad wine in the place. My favs were the Rose, the Pinot’s and the Panky. I asked to join their wine club (YES, it’s *that* good) and left looking forward to receiving the two cases I had shipped home. I can’t wait to go back and introduce more friends to this amazing place.

Great wine and great fun! The Pinot and Bubbles are amazing. Thanks for hosting us Dawn!

First time in Santa Ynez, and couldn’t have found a better place to introduce us to the area! Dawn is one of the best tasting room managers in the region, if you are well versed in wine or a rookie, you will feel like family and enjoy some amazing wine. Can’t wait to go back.

Drove all the way here and they’re closed. Hours on door say they should be open 11 – 5 on Mondays. But they aren’t.

An average wine tasting room with good wine and a pleasant lady was pleasant
(we talked about Shaun Cassidy and her disco Pandora channel and Olivia Newton John and dogs and Halloween and…) and the fifth star is for the plate of strawberries, peanuts, and skinny straw wafer cookies.

This has been the best tasting room I’ve been to on the central coast! Dawn is AMAZING! She is so welcoming and knowledgeable about their wine. Definitely will be back!

Stopped in towards the end of our day in the valley and had a great time. Came in to explore and use the 2 for 1 tasting deal from the Wine Country magazine. Dawn was knowledgeable and friendly. We loved talking to her and learning about the town and the wine. Also had a good time with another customer who was in for a quick taste on the way home.

Seriously my favorite stop of the entire weekend. We had tried this winery when they were in Los Olivios and fell in the love with their Panky. We decided to stop by to pick up a bottle or two and have a tasting. First things, we walked in and were immediately greeted by this ginormous white dog named nannook (sp?). I was in love. Such a sweet pup who even did some tricks for his favorite treat, a hotdog.
Anyways we all had a tasting and if you check in on Unilocal you can get a 2 for 1 deal. Every pour just got better and better. All of their wines are great, including an older pinot that they let us try.
The main highlight of the trip also included craft ideas for christmas decorations using wine corks. I have the cutest little snowman now hanging on my tree at home. I also left with a gift from their tree, a little snowman rubber ducky. Such friendly service. I can’t wait to go back!

We popped in as guests at the inn across the road. It was late in the afternoon so we figured we had time to go to just a couple tasting rooms. So happy we came here first! The wines were fantastic and we truly enjoyed the company of Alan, Rochelle and company… Shelby and Blue. It felt like we had known them for years! We really let our hair down and took a few bottles home to enjoy. Thank you for your hospitality!

I stepped in to Fontes & Phillips as my last stop after a day of wine tasting in Los Olivos. The warm and welcoming shop was the perfect way to end the day. It was an unusually hot day in the area and after wandering around Los Olivos in the sun all day it was nice to be at a place that actually had stools so that we could relax and sit while tasting. My friend and I were greeted by Blue the shop’s dog and the friendly staff. We presented our Living Social deal and proceeded with the tasting. We tried 5 delicious wines (including a fantastic rosé) along with another that was not on the tasting menu.
After a day of tastings that consisted of staff that mostly poured and walked away, it was nice to close the day with some friendly conversation. While I didn’t purchase a bottle, I would definitely make a return visit the next time I’m in Santa Ynez.

We stopped here after reading a positive review on Unilocal!We had 2-​for-​1 wine tasting coupons which we found online prior to our visit. We had initially been looking for a vineyard, and then realized it was for a tasting room. We visited nonetheless and enjoyed our tastings. People were friendly and we tasted some great wines — really enjoyed the pinot noirs. They also have a great «Panky» and cute Panky wrist bands. I’m not sure how many people do wine tastings with kids, but there were well behaved kids playing in the back of the tasting room so it seems like this would be a good one to visit if you had the kiddos with you (but have a DD!).

Any amazing must stop wine and tasting room in Santa Ynez. There are not enough good things to say and not enough stars to give to this winery. My wife and I are members here and have never had a wine we did not enjoy. We have followed Alan from his days at Foley to this amazing gem that he and his Rochelle have developed. The wines are very nicely balanced, and leave you wanting more. The tasting room is beautiful and so much fun to visit. The ambiance is always positive and there is always a smile on the face of whoever is working. I love the personal service we get and love being part of such a great wine club. Go and try and you will see why this place is so awesome. You will not find a winery in the valley care more about their customers, then they do. There is something to be said when the people know your name, and you only visit every few months.