Butterfly Creek Winery & Vineyards

When you think of Mariposa County, what comes to your mind? ... Yosemite National Park? Of course... But there is an amazing other, relatively unknown side to Mariposa County: Wine. One of our favorite wineries, Butterfly Creek Winery, is located in Mariposa County, and it's run by the friendliest winemaker you'll ever meet, Robert "Bob" Gerken.As you enter the winery, you'll be greeted by super friendly Bob Gerken, co owner of the winery, who serves samples from behind the bar. Butterfly Creek Winery features a "Yosemite theme," with lots of photos and paintings of Yosemite, as the winery is located less than an hour the park.Unlike many large Napa Valley area wineries, Butterfly Creek Winery doesn't charge for samples, and the pours are very generous. Common courtesy dictates that you purchase at least a bottle of wine, of course. That's not a problem, as after sampling Bob's wine, you'll want to purchase at least a bottle, and most likely a case, as Butterfly Creek Winery makes some of the best wine in Mariposa County.A small gift shop is co-located in the same building as the tasting room, and it offers a variety of wares made by local artisans in Mariposa County. Offerings include olives, salsa, olive oil vinegar, paintings, among other items. I "homed in" on seasoned sea salt, offered by Yosemite Sierra, a local company, as I've enjoyed their fine products for many years, and, in addition to a few bottles of wine, I purchased a couple of jars of the best sea salt offered in the Sierras.The menu is posted above the bar and features all of the current offerings. Occasionally, Bob will produce wine that isn't on the menu, as I recall a previous visit in March of this year where he produced a bottle of 2012 vintage, Merlot for sample. It was amazing! He only had a few bottles left, so I took home a couple of them with me, and I'm saving them for a really special occasion.The atmosphere is relaxed, the wine is delicious, and if you have any questions about Yosemite, Bob will be glad to chat about, as he's a weekly visitor to the park, and one of his daughters is a park employee.During this visit, I walked out with a "Mixed Case," containing 2019 White Riesling, 2016 Zinfandel and 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon. When you purchase a case, you get a 10% discount, and since both Michael and I appreciate Bob's amazing wine, a case is the way to go!Unlike the many, more famous wineries located to the west in Napa Valley, Butterfly Creek Winery does not have a tasting charge, and offers friendly wine tasting, in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere, hosted by the friendliest winemaster you'll ever meet. You're not rushed by bus loads of tourists, and you're encouraged to enjoy the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountain scenery the winery has to offer, and sample some of the best wine that I've ever tasted. Enjoy the wine, the beautiful mountain scenery, the fine company, and be sure to bring a bottle, or a case, of some of the finest wine available in Mariposa County home with you.

More people need to know about the wineries in this beautiful region! My friends and I spent a weekend in Oakhurst and this was the only winery we had time to stop at. We were the only ones there on a Saturday afternoon, which was lovely (it was definitely due to how smoky it was that day). The grounds are beautiful and relaxing, they have two dogs who welcome you as you drive in, and the wines are super affordable compared to other California wine regions. Signage was super helpful as we made our way to the tasting room. The owners' dogs are the absolute cutest and seem to have found their roles at the winery - with one leading our car to the parking spot and one leading us to the actual tasting room from our car. Once we made our way inside their quaint tasting room, owner Bob came out and greeted us with so much enthusiasm. There was no one dull moment with Bob that is for sure! You can learn his whole life story during the tasting. All four of us did a tasting, in which the fee is waived if you buy a bottle to go. One thing we do wish is that Bob would've asked us what we wanted to do - either do a tasting, glass, or bottle. He just assumed we wanted to do a tasting, which ended up being totally fine, but I think we were hoping to sit in his beautiful outdoor area to take in the vast winery sights. The tasting room has a little gift shop full of little trinkets and souvenirs. I definitely recommend checking out Butterfly Creek!

Calm, beautiful and peaceful. Wine is delicious and the owners are so fun and sweet. It's simple yet incredible.It's calm and quite. And the view is gorgeous They also have a beautiful chapel on top of a hill. It's so unique and beautiful. They have friendly sweet dogs too!

We had an airbnb nearby and showed up to this winery. While pulling up there were three dogs that came up to the car seeking some love and affection! When we went in, there was another couple there. The guy provided us some free tastings and we left with a bottle! Cute little shop attached from local sellers.

What a wonderful visit to Butterfly Creek! The owner is super friendly and fun to hang out with. We had a great time visiting and enjoyed the wines very much. Bought a case to enjoy at home. Our visit to this winery is a highlight of our trip to the Yosemite area. A wonderful memory.

TL;DR Great & reasonably priced wines, nice scenery, friendly owner (Bob), dog-friendly, and super cute and playful winery dog (Chuck). We'll definitely be back!It was a rainy day in Yosemite and not great for hiking. Since we were staying up in Midpines, we decided to relax by visiting Butterfly Creek Winery (20 mins drive from where we were staying) and it was a very good decision.Even though it was rainy, the drive down to Butterfly Creek was picturesque and pleasant. The winery itself was really beautiful, with fall colors everywhere. When we arrived, we were greeted by both the owner (Bob) and his 1yr old black lab (Chuck), who were both really friendly, both to us and also to our dog.We were immediately led inside, and being the only customers there, Bob brought our wine glasses and offered us a selection of 5 wines (three whites, two reds) to taste. We stayed at the cozy and tastefully decorated tasting room for about an hour, tasting wines, chatting with Bob, and watching Chuck and our dog play.We ended up buying four bottles of wine to take home with us, and we will definitely visit again when we're back in the area!

Highly recommended, wonderful winery, great owner and atmosphere, wine is delicious. The owner was very gracious to stay open later for us though we arrived late. We had a fantastic time talking with him, such a fun sweet man. We felt so welcomed and relaxed there, definitely worth the drive out!

Love this family owned winery! They are all so kind. And you can bring your own food and make it a fun picnic day!

What a lovely day trip out to the country. I spend so much time in the city I begin to forget how relaxing it is to get away from the crowded and noisy streets and out into some fresh air.Owned and operated by a charismatic and friendly family. I've never been able to visit a winery where my dogs were accepted along with me. It had a much more of a welcoming old town farm feel with plenty of charm, then say a mass producing snooty vineyard with pretentious hosts. There was no large event or formal party. Just a delightful conversation that kept everyone entertained. The wines we sampled were amazing and I'd gladly return in the future.

One of my favorite finds when traveling are the small, quaint wineries in the area. Butterfly Creek is a real gem.We stumbled upon this treasure accidentally and so glad we did. We stopped in the historic part of Mariposa to do a little shopping and walked into The Company Store where we found a great wine bottle holder for friends. In the holder was an empty bottle of wine with a great label. As we purchased the holder we asked about the bottle if he knew where the winery was. Yes, he did and it was owned by friends of his, we had to go.We hit the jackpot! Butterfly Creek is family owned and operated and sell the wines only at the winery. Located off the little two lane road, you will wind down another little country road past the vineyards and beautiful little chapel, keep on going until it ends into a picnic area and converted barn. Here you will find the boutique tasting room. The day we visited Nicki was at the bar. She was great!! We were the only ones there for a bit and she gave us a tour of the winery. Loved it! Some of the barrels are sitting in old stables in the barn, what a great atmosphere. The wines were lovely and make a great table wine. The Rose' is the perfect summer barbecue wine and they are extremely affordable. Off of the tasting room is a little gift room with wine bottle gift tags, unique dips and jams with crackers. We loved tasting and visiting with a few local people that popped in. They have a great picnic area to enjoy your lunch and the family is so friendly and love sharing their wines.Next time you are in the area, find this winery and give it a try, you won't regret it.