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Premium Wines From the Malibu Coast AVA

Wine aficionados are invited to enjoy delicious varieties at three local wineries that offer flights, food and more. All three wineries—NABU Wines, Cielo Farms and Rosenthal Malibu Estate—specialize in premium wines that source from the Malibu Coast AVA. The quality of their wines and the welcoming ambiance and hospitality of their tasting rooms is world class and on par or even better than well-known wine regions in California.

Cielo Farms

Nestled 2,000 feet up in the Santa Monica Mountains, Cielo Farms in Malibu is set on a Tuscan-inspired estate where the tasting room, The Barn, is situated in the middle of rolling vineyards with spectacular views.

“It’s like being in Yellowstone right in our backyard—sunsets are stunning as The Barn points to the West,” says Richard Hirsh, who, along with his son, Robert, manages and operates Cielo Farms.

This endeavor dates back to 1999, when Richard and his wife, Diana, officially broke ground on the property. In partnership with his brother, Bill, the Hirsh family embarked on a decades-long journey to develop Cielo Farms. Their passion for entrepreneurship and dedication to the wine-making process has culminated in both the Woodstock and Estate Wine Collections. Having planted their first grapes in 2001, with a focus on Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon wines, their current assortment includes more than a dozen different varietals.

At this private venue, where guests can also enjoy delicious wood-fired pizza, “you can’t enter without a reservation, and a gate guard checks to make sure of that,” Hirsh says, adding that it’s “never overcrowded,” and because The Barn is situated in the middle of the vineyards elevated high in the mountains, “the setting provides spectacular views of the surrounding Santa Monica Mountains.”

Cielo Farms offers world-class wines, and Wine Enthusiast magazine scores all of these estate wines in the 90s.

Featured wines include the 2014 Cielo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve with notes of cherry, spice and sage; the 2015 Cielo Estate Malibu Rouge, which is a rich dark burgundy color that is highly extracted; the 2019 8 Ball, a full-bodied Malbec with aromas of vanilla, vetiver, candied orange peel and dark chocolate; and the 2019 Black Widow, which is an inky, purple color, velvety and dark. 

“We have our own Appellation, Saddlerock-Malibu, you can see on any International Map like Bordeaux or Napa,” Hirsh says, adding that Cielo Farms only sells wines to wine club members, wedding parties and guests that have reservations.

Like many venues that were forced to close during the pandemic, “We had a terrible 2020,” Hirsh recalls. Today, “We follow all the CDC guidelines to ensure the health and wellbeing of our staff and guests,” he says, adding that all staff members wear face coverings, and hand-sanitizing stations are offered throughout the property. Additionally, “even though we are an entirely outdoor venue, we closely monitor our capacity to ensure that all guests are spaced more than 6 feet apart.”

Above all, the ultimate goal is to offer an unforgettable experience in a beautiful setting with “views that you will never see anywhere. We provide our guests with an exceptional experience that they can’t find anywhere else.”

Cielo Farms is located at 31424 Mulholland Highway in Malibu. For more information, visit CieloFarms.com or WoodstockMalibu.com, call 424.234.7242 or visit @MalibuBarn or @CieloFarms on Instagram and Facebook.

NABU Wines

Producing wines since 2012 from Napa Valley to the Malibu Coast, NABU Wines and tasting room located in Westlake Village is the only winery to produce wines from within the Santa Monica Mountain vineyards to oceanside vineyards from Zuma to Topanga Canyon.

Crafted from amazing fruit, NABU Wines are sustainably grown to produce both single varietal and special blend wines from Napa Valley and the Malibu Coast appellations. When you visit the winery, you can select wines grown from all over the Malibu Coast American Viticulture Area and really experience the rocky red volcanic terroir from the hillsides and oceanside vineyards in Malibu, which gives it the characteristics of smoke with red wines and beautiful mineral edges on the white wines.

“One thing we specialize in is red blends within the AVA, because a lot of the vineyards are tiny,” explains Greg Barnett, founder of NABU, along with his wife, Janet, and business partner, Jeff Bailey.

“We might get 600 pounds of one and 800 pounds of another varietal and end up having small lots of fruit to make these amazing blends because there’s not enough to produce just one cabernet and just one syrah,” Barnett continues. “Our blends like Backbone, 27, Solstice and Elevations are pretty popular.”

Since opening its doors in 2016, NABU has been voted Best Wine Tasting for three years in a row by the Los Angeles Daily News Readers Choice Awards in 2018, 2019 and 2020, and was just voted Best in The Southland 2021 for Wine and Spirits by the Los Angeles Times.

Guests can enjoy wines from Malibu, including chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, pinot noir and blends. Napa Valley wines on the menu include pinot gris, chardonnay, chenin blanc, sauvignon blanc, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and blends.

Additionally, “We are known for our live music,” says Barnett, whose winery has hosted numerous cover and tribute bands, including Petty or Not, a tribute band to Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers; and Twisted Gypsy, which features the music of Fleetwood Mac.

“We have music on Friday nights, and during the daytime on the weekends,” Barnett says. As far as food is concerned, “We do food trucks on Friday nights, and we also allow people to bring outside food on the weekend.”

The atmosphere at NABU is very appealing. It is a fun place to hang out on weekends, and a “go-to” destination for folks who love great wine and top-notch popular music.

“We have a traditional tasting room indoors—it’s very unique and all custom-designed that my partner, Jeff, and I built from scratch,” Barnett says. “We also have an outdoor patio where you can enjoy wine, food and music on weekends, and we’ve created this really cool back lounge with a second bar, which is nice because it’s more of a lounge setting where people can kick back and talk and enjoy the wines. There are also three screens on the wall for people to watch the bands.” 

Barnett added that NABU—a functioning winery where they make wine on-site—is located on the Ventura County side of Westlake Village, “because in 2014 you could not make wine in Los Angeles County, but you could in Ventura County—that’s why we are right across the border.”

“I always tell everybody to enjoy a wine flight and stay for a glass and listen to the music,” he further emphasizes. “That’s what we’re really all about.”

Visit NABU Wines & Tasting Room, located at 2649 Townsgate Road in Westlake Village Monday through Thursday from 12 to 6 p.m., Friday from 12 to 11 p.m., and Saturday & Sunday from 12 to 6 p.m. For more information, call 805.778.1100, or visit NabuWines.com.

Rosenthal Malibu Estate

Located across from the beach, the Malibu Estate Tasting Room offers an exquisite garden patio with an ocean view to discover and enjoy a full selection of Rosenthal and Surfrider wines.

“We’re right on the edge of Pacific Palisades, but it feels like you’re out of the city—like a daytrip away from the hustle and bustle,” says Phil Cavanagh, manager of Rosenthal Malibu Estate.

The tasting room is open seven days a week, with live music performed on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Food trucks serve cuisine on the weekends, and on the weekdays, guests can order food from Cholada Thai Beach Cuisine next door.

“Our tasting room on Pacific Coast Highway is our main focus—we’re located near Topanga State Beach at the southern end of Malibu and have a large outdoor patio on nearly 20,000 square feet of space outside,” explains Cavanagh. “We’re overlooking the Topanga Stream and the ocean, and we can see Catalina on a clear day.”

The pristine outdoor atmosphere certainly compliments the award-winning wines folks can enjoy, including Rosenthal Estate’s cabernet “which we’re most known for,” says Cavanagh, adding that the Estate Meritage and Estate Cab Franc are also popular. Additionally, “We always have Rosé and Savignon Blancs, and often times, sparkling Rosés we well.”

The vines at Malibu Estate were first planted in 1987, making it the first vineyard in Malibu. This 28-acre estate, located within 4 miles of the ocean at 1,450 feet above sea level, is considered a perfect microclimate for growing high-quality grapes.

“No other wines in the world include grapes grown within the mini-microclimates of Malibu-Newton Canyon,” Cavanagh says.

For a bottle of wine to be called Rosenthal, “100% of the grapes used must be sourced from our Malibu estate,” Cavanagh emphasizes. “Our ‘G’ collection wines blend a combination of Rosenthal Estate-grown grapes with other grape varietals from California that are not grown on our estate to bring you unique blends.”

Varietals grown on the estate include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Viognier and Chardonnay. At harvest they are picked by hand, then aged in the finest French Oak barrels.

Additionally, “We have created the Surfrider label, which allows us the freedom to bring the best grapes from around California under one roof,” says Cavanagh, adding that every varietal or blend that goes into a Surfrider bottle is hand-selected, just like the Rosenthal wines. “A portion of the proceeds from each bottle of Surfrider sold goes to support organizations that help preserve the beauty of our oceans and waterways and the safety of its wildlife.”

Like many establishments that were forced to close during the pandemic, “We were closed for 9 months,” Cavanagh recalls. In terms of re-opening, “we were always outside, so for us the change was relatively small. We’ve closed the inside area, so at this point I would expect that we will reopen in November or December, because we’ll need somewhere a little warmer than it is outside.”

The Rosenthal Wine Bar & Patio, open seven days a week, is located at 18741 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. Reservations are highly recommended on Saturdays and Sundays. For more information, call 310.456.1392, email tastingroom@rosenthalestatewines.com or visit RosenthalEstateWines.com.

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