lava cap winery

sandral521

The view is beautiful. They have a nice deck for having a picnic. The tasting room is "very" small, can barely accommodate 10 tasters. Fortunately you can take your wines to the deck. Today they were very short handed with one person pouring while the second was handling pick-ups.The staff shared "nothing" about the wines.Complimentary taste of 5 wines. Wines well made, but not impressive. Ok for price point. We didn't try the Reserve tasting for $5.00 since the regular wines were just "ok". We will skip this winery in the future.

DennyT169

One of the wineries in the Apple Hill Camino area.Staff here are friendly and prompt to help with tasting purchases. Plenty of staff around.There are several wine selections here. There is something for most people. Some dry and some wet. Nothing spectacular or noteworthy for my palette. Reds and whites. Most are reasonable price compared to the other wineries in the neighborhood. Grounds are large and well kept. A nice little shop is nestled within the tasting room. Good: easy access, large tasting room, beautiful grounds.Bad: nothing. Tips: have no expectations and you will be objective to review the wines I might come back some day.

VetteGuy

The wines at Lava Cap are top-notch and the staff is outstanding. One of the tasting room staff, a fellow named, Ben, is extremely knowledgeable on the subject of wine. He can break down the complex tastes to the point where novices can understand and appreciate the subtle nuances found in Lava Cap wines. Great place, great area, great people.

mamaramos

I took my 80 year old mother who uses a walker today to apple hill. we decided to stop at a winery and chose Lava Cap. We pulled in and saw the steps to the beautiful deck and my mom was bummed as she told me she wouldn't be able to make it up the steps. We rounded the corner and saw a big handicap sign!!! They had a back entrance and I went in and told them about my situation. They rolled out the red carpet for us!! Propped all the doors open, we got to walk thru the private party area and they really made my mom feel special. She loved the wine, the deck, and most of all the service from a winery that cares about all its patrons, even those that need a little extra help. You made my mom's day!!!

BENP524

Small, cozy tasting room. Wonderful wines in about 15 different varietals. Almost all of them are estate wines. Well maintained gardens where they have many events on weekends. The staff is friendly and very knowledgeable. Open 7 days a week. Reasonable prices - $16 to $32 a bottle. Complimentary tastings and $5 reserve tastings.

BAZ6565

Lava Cap had a beautiful tasting room and winery a little off the main road in Placerville. Wines are a very individual taste and for my palate, the wines were a little acidic and young but the view and the atmosphere was wonderful. Stop if you have the time.

BanditMax

Very nice tasting room and good wines. They have a wine club and they used to distribute through Total Wines though they may have changed that. It is one of the largest producing vineyards in the area. There a lots of smaller ones that are just as good like Chateau Deval,and Fenton Harriet.. They too have wine clubs.. All the winemakers in the area know each other and they are all very friendly. There isn't a charge if you purchase a bottle of wine. Kind of like Napa used to be.

Vickinbobyo

Wonderful location and informative staff. Wine is quite good, with beautiful picnic grounds. A great place to bring a lunch and purchase a glass or bottle of wine.

rbrower86

The complimentary tasting was great!! We did our tasting then bought a bottle to share with the group and had a gorgeous view from the picnic area!

sonodalove

Had a great time at the winery, great wine and service. A must go when you are in the neighborhood or for a day trip.

JenniferG152

Wine tasting with family (including children) in late February one would think is going to be a challenge, but the folks at Lava Cap proved us wrong. Not only did they have very nice wine for tasting and purchase - they had a wonderful menu of snack items to sit in their lovely picnic area or on the deck to enjoy with your wine. There are complimentary tastings as well as reserve selections for a nominal fee of $5. The scenery was spectacular and the grounds around the tasting room were beautifully kept and we enjoyed letting the children play in the grass (and on the old tractor) as well as a light snack with our wine tasting. They even offered picnic baskets for 2 ($15-$20) which I think is an amazing idea and apparently I'm not alone in this opinion, as they were quite busy even this time of year. This winery will be a MUST STOP every time I am in the Apple Hill area.

ValleyPrimrose

Lava Cap Winery has its own unique attractions only found in this rural Apple Hill district: Fantastic scenery of steep rolling hills covered with grapevines with friendly and knowable staff about wines and really good wines. We love going for picnics (the winery does have a lot of picnics tables) in the Fall to overlook the intense colors of the various grapevines. What’s really neat about your own picnics is that they will furnish a bottle, of their just released Chardonnay, on ice and furnish you with the wine glasses at no extra cost (the winery does have its own picnic selections of cheese, fruit, etc, you can purchase). We have enjoyed and impressed our home guests with the Petite Sirah, Barbera, Merlot, and Zinfandels wines.

BENP524

One of the oldest and largest wineries in El Dorado County. They produce a number of outstanding wines using about 17 varietals. All of the wines are excellent (I like every one of them). The prices are reasonable. There is a fee to taste the limited reserve wines, all others are complimentary. The staff is very knowledgeable and friendly. there is a wonderful picnic area with a killer view. A must when wine tasting in the area.

516KarenD516

Lava Cap winery is a wonderful spot to visit in this area! We tasted several wines and purchased 2 bottles...one is the special commemorative Chardonnay for the 125th Anniversary of the Geological Society of America. Delicious! We especially enjoyed the beautiful setting and grounds...it looked like you are welcome to bring your own food for a picnic on the grounds....nice option! We will be sure to stop by here again.

KittyKat99999

Take the time to visit Lava Cap winery. You can also visit the apples country while there. I find October the best month to do it. We've been going for decades now. Always fun Apple Hill.