One Of California's Oldest Continuously Operating Vineyards Is A Popular, Picturesque Wine Haven

If you're taking a road trip through California wine country, make sure to stop by Eden Rift Vineyards. Theophile Vaché first planted vines here in 1849, and it's the "oldest continuously producing vineyard in California," according to EdenRift.com.

The oldest vines still on the property are zinfandel vines that date back to 1906. It's a part of the Cienega Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA), which straddles the San Andreas fault line in San Benito County, and it's within the larger Central Coast AVA. It's definitely an off the beaten path wine region, without the name recognition of places like Napa and Sonoma. But if you're someone who loves chardonnay, pinot noir, and zinfandel, this is definitely a place worth checking out.

The vineyards have changed hands over the years, and it became Eden Rift in 2016. The winery gets its name in part because of this fault line, or "rift" in the earth. "Eden" is a reference to John Steinbeck's "East of Eden"; Steinbeck famously lived and wrote about Central California. The San Andreas fault helped give the winery its name. It also helps give the wine some of its character. The upheaval along the fault helped make the soil composition here a unique mix of limestone and dolomite, which in turns makes the wines particularly special. So much so that the winery made the Top 100 wineries by "Wine and Spirits Magazine" in 2022 and 2023.

You can visit from Thursday to Sunday for a tasting and a tour. The tastings can be held inside the winery or outside on the patio at the Dickinson House, which dates back to 1906. It's a model of Prairie School architecture, which was originally pioneered by the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright, and it's typified by long, horizontal lines that connect with the surroundings. It was actually Walter Burley Griffin, who worked with Wright, who designed the Dickinson House. You can try some of each of the winery's different wines or stay focused on its pinot noir varietals. These start from $30 per tasting. For a bit more action, there's an ATV tour option where you can tour the estate on wheels and then sample the wine out in the vineyards. The cost is $100 per person.

Then there's the maximum in wine tasting adventure –take a helicopter tour. You can fly from either Watsonville or Monterey and get a bird's eye view of the mountains and Eden Rift's acres of vines before you land to enjoy tasting their wines in the vineyards. The price starts from $750 per person. You can add on some extra flight time and the pilot can take you out over Monterey Bay as well.

Eden Rift Vineyards is near Hollister on the east side of the Gabilan Mountains, about a 60 to 90 minute drive from Monterey, depending on traffic. It could make a nice pit stop on the way from San Francisco (about a 2 to 2.5 hours drive) or the Monterey Bay area on your way to Mercey Hot Springs, a secret California hot spring resort. You can also stop by Pinnacles National Park, with its great hiking and beautiful reservoir. If you're looking to check out more high quality Central California wines, drive about 75 minutes to the ocean side of the Gabilan Mountains and explore Carmel Valley, an under the radar wine destination.

Even though Hollister is a relatively short drive from the coast, once you're on the inland side of the mountains, the temperatures can be 20 degrees Fahrenheit warmer. So, if you're exploring Central California's inland and coastal areas, make sure to wear layers.