Bella Cavalli Farms & Vineyard

This was the last of our Stage Coach wine tour and they definitely saved the best for last! I loved every single one of their wines and I loved it so much I joined the wine club! They definitely deserve more than 5 stars

So glad we ended up on the Stagecoach Wine Tour, or we probably would have never ended up being able to see this amazing place! Bella Cavalli is a private wine club that is not open to the public. It was the last stop on our wine tour, and Jeff was a consummate host who is clearly passionate about what he does. Sitting outside on a beautiful day on the gorgeous grounds and drinking what was honestly the best wine of the day was the perfect end to our tour.

My favorite winery in the Santa Ynez Valley. Not only are the wines spectacular, but the setting is beautiful and relaxing. The owner, Jeff, is a fantastic host who’ll make you feel right at home. The winery is usually not open to the public (only to certain tour groups and to club members), but if you call ahead, they will try to accommodate you. I can’t recommend this place highly enough.

Bella Cavalli was our last stop on our wine tour, and what a way to end!
Two large gates open to a beautiful winery, where you’re greeted at the end of the driveway by the owner, Jeff. He’s a true cowboy! Jeff is a knowledgable man who holds truly interesting conversation. He has tons of horses on the grounds, and if you’re lucky enough you’ll get a personal tour of the stables and to play with the horses! He and his son are award winning riders. I had never heard of cutting before speaking with Jeff. You have to YouTube it if you haven’t see. Jeff trains horses here at the ranch. If you have a chance to get into this place, do it!

This place is heaven on earth! Loved it so much!!!

Bella Cavalli was my 2^nd to last stop on the Stage Coach Wine tour and it was the best of all. Jeff was extremely welcoming and his wines were the best by far I’ve ever tasted; so much so I couldn’t resist joining his wine club. This is a MUST VISIT!
This is a private winery and should be co tacked prior to visiting, the review below was ridiculous.

I could take this in two directions and it wouldn’t matter. As a winery, Jeff and Joanne have some of the best tastings available in the area. Jeff’s wines are not like most you’ll find in other wineries. He sets himself apart this way. Jeff and Joanne make themselves readily available to anyone who sets up an appointment. They also have many wonderful stories, whether it’s horses or wine.
Not only does Jeff provide most excellent wines, but he and his wife are accomplished equestrians. His specialty is with quarter horses and western riding. However, his extensive knowledge spans across the spectrum. He’s able to manage everything from mustangs to European warmbloods. In addition, he provides facilities for breeding, foaling, raising young horses, and retirement. And if that’s not enough, he also trains cutters, western riding, and can bring in trainers for break and other equestrian disciplines.
Whether you love wine or horses (or both), Bella Cavalli is a must visit.

Jeff, the owner is a wonderful host. Very simple and yet classy.
He’s so accomodating. His corgi, Tank made quite an impression too!
Love this ranch!

This is a private winery so if you’re not part of their wine club or in a select your group you won’t be serviced. However, of you are lucky enough to come pay this place a visit it is absolutely gorgeous. It’s well kept and clean even though there are about 40+ horses on the property it smells delicious and the tasting area is just perfect.
We came with a tour and had lunch on valentines day weekend the owners sat with us and told us all about their horse and wine business it was really nice of them to share their life story with us to help is feel more at ease all while their two little dogs ran around seeking for love and attention. This would have been a 5 star review but since they are so small they ran out of the two wines I was looking forward to purchasing. The wife also makes jams and jellies and they farm olive trees so you’re able to purchase their olive oil. Great place to go visit makes you feel like you are in a dream world I look forward to going back and obtaining the two bottles of wine I so desperately loved.

I have honestly never had such an uncomfortable experience going to a winery. I think this place must be by appointment only, but I cannot find any information anywhere to that effect.
When we arrived at about noon on a Saturday, we drove through an open gate with the Bella Cavalli signage, continued down a long driveway, and took our best guess at where the tasting room would be located. It was a matter of deduction as the two other options had signage (service entrance, or something of the like). When we got out of the car, it was eerily devoid of human life, and we could not for the life of us find any indication where to find a tasting room. Looking any further would have required opening gates and possibly be intruding, so we decided to leave. When we drove back to the entrance gate, it was closed, giving us the distinct feeling that we really were uninvited guests who had been intruding.
I’m giving them two stars instead of one, for the benefit of the doubt that should someone have a reservation, it might actually be an ok experience. I’m not one to plan ahead for tastings though, so I guess I’ll never know.

Pride of ownership.
Lush & well-​kept grounds.
Serene environment.
Lovely horses.
Good wine.
Lovable Jack (the owner’s elderly father who is personable, informative, and hilarious with a one-​of-​a-​kind chuckle that would make you want to chuckle)
This was our 2^nd stop on our wine tour and where we would be eating lunch (provided to us by our tour company). We were led to a nice outdoor area with a long wooden table and some benches and chairs. There was another similar group just finishing up with Jack, giving us some time to settle in and take in our surroundings. Our tour host was passing out our lunches as Jack came by to greet us, apologizing for his son Jeffrey’s absence due to showing horses at a «cutting» competition. «Cutting» is an equestrian event in which a horse is trained to distinctively separate a single animal from the rest of the herd… thanks for this bit of knowledge Jack :)
In between Jack’s heavy-​handed pourings of the different wines, we all sat back and chatted about a variety of subjects (ie the wine, the horses, famous people living nearby and/​or who come by, etc). He made the experience quite memorable.

What a beautiful place to sip wine! This place really has a comfortable family atmosphere that we loved! And it was very romantic to taste wine while watching 5 beautiful horses run around a meadow. There was even a marriage proposal while we were there that the staff was as excited about as the bride to be! A wonderful experience and our favorite wine tasting experience to date!

This has got to be THE best wine tasting spot, where you can also go and check out some great horses. We stopped by here for a picnic lunch/​wine tasting, but couldn’t really pull ourselves away from here. Both the father and son were great conversationalists… and truth be told I’m not a big fan of wine, but I couldn’t get myself to say no to either of these guys as they poured their wines… Stuck around to check out the stables afterwards which were AMAZING. These guys must put some bucks into their set up here… They had my wife even considering the thought of owning a ranch with a few horses…
Right next door is the Horse Whisperer… though apparently he doesn’t come out to the ranch much anymore. It’s still supposed to be pretty cool to see him take a crazy horse, get it all saddled up, and ready to ride in a matter of no time…

Awesome experience. Our wine tour ended here and this was the best place we went to all day. Jeff and Joanne own the place and Jeff’s father, Jack, also helps out (I guess your name has to start with J in order to be family). Jack said people say he’ll never make it in the wine tasting business because he pours too much, but that was alright with us. All 3 were very gracious and welcoming hosts. It wasn’t busy when we were there, so they were all able to sit down and chat with us. Jack and Jeff are great talkers and Joanne took us on a tour later of the main stable to see the horses. It was a very relaxing time there.
They are not crowded, probably due to them being set back from the main highway. That was fine in my book, as we had just come from an extremely busy winery. No big tour busses stopping here. From the road it looks like horse farm with a training track surrounding a small vineyard. But if you drive up to the gate, it says they welcome visitors and their hours. You drive to the end of the long driveway (seriously it’s a good quarter mile) and turn right. The wine area may not look like much, but the relaxing experience makes you quickly forget about it.
No hard sell here, and to be honest I found the wines okay, but I found the warmth of the owners so friendly that I would definitely come back.

This place is pure heaven for someone who wants a personal experience and great wine. This place is fully family owned and it shows. Though not formally open to the public, you can call ahead of time and ask to get a wine tasting and tour. You get to meet the owner, his wife and father, all of whom love what they do. Besides wine, they are all horse-​lovers and have a number of horses on the vineyard. They house them and do physical therapy on injured horses.
They were the only place that gave us true hospitality. In addition to bringing you into their home (they live right next to the barn tasting room), they bring out grapes, apples, crackers, and delicious cheeses. We got to taste 4 wines… 2 whites and 2 reds. They were all superb but I especially liked the pinot grigio. I don’t usually like whites so that says something.
I love this place. and hope more people are able to experience the warmth and greatness of this vineyard.