The Steven Kent Winery

I have a yearly Livermore wine passport and decided to stop here on a quiet weekend day afternoon during the holidays.The place is easy to find and there is plenty of seating inside and out. I was the only one there at the time and the hostess was prompt in talking to me and getting me settled. I wanted to sit inside not only because it was cold but the free wifi is better inside. They have a restroom inside. For passport holders, they don't have the usual tasting but a flight of cab franc aged in various elementals - wood, cement, stainless steel and a combination of all - aged in all the other three. The combination was my favorite!The pours were quite generous and I could not finish them all. The hostess was attentive and knowledgeable. Only downside is that there is limited parking and on a busy day, you have to go around the block to park and it's not convenient. I will go back!

We walked in with a party of 7 on a Saturday around 3:30pm. It's quiet and only 1 other table was taken. Not busy at all. We were poured a complimentary Barrera sparkling wine to start. We had the pleasure of Michael helping us with the tasting. It was $20 for 4 wines or $30 for 4 premium wines. The pour was generous. We liked that the tasting flight was all poured into carafes for us. Theres both indoor and outdoor seating. 1 restroom. You can bring non-smelly snacks like cheese, charcuterie, crackers. Barbera sparkling- good Barbera rose- okMalbec- okPetit Verdot- good & smooth Smith ranch cab- good but a bit tannicCab Franc- good, fruity, smooth Premier Cab- good , fruity, smooth Lineage 2018- more earthy , smooth Lineage 2019- less earthy , smooth

We went to the tasting room and not the winery. We made reservation. The tasting room can fit about 40ppl with a back room for the club members.Upon entrance, we checked in and were greeted with some sparkling wine for each of us to enjoy. We were walked to our table and provided the menu. You can do a la carte wine order or do the tasting. We were 3 couples and as it's our first time, we did both tastings for each couple to enjoy 7-8 different wines. On the 2nd tasting, the pourers provided new wine glasses. That's so appreciated. Great service and attentive pourers. Not the best wine we've tasted but good and we enjoyed the tastings together. There's one unisex clean bathroom. Parking: there are other tasting rooms and businesses in the strip so parking can be an issue. Overall a great Sunday afternoon with friends.

Love the new tasting room and excited to see what they do next with the space! Been going to Steven Kent Winery for about a decade now. I definitely recommend the Lola and Alberino if you like white wine. For reds, they are known for their cabs but their cab franc is the up and coming. Their staff has always been so welcoming and friendly. Ruth always brings a smile when we go in to pick up wine and is also so knowledgeable about what releases are out and what's in the current allocations for members. Also shout out to VJ the prior Somm, although he is no longer with the staff he is surely missed!!! Also if you visit, the benefit of the new tasting room location is being able to check out the neighboring tasting rooms! Longevity is great and Arroyo Cellars around the corner is awesome and run by a group of friends!

Wine, Hospitality, and Ambiance were really good! Definitely a recommend if your exploring Livermore

If you are coming to Livermore, I beg of you...start here. There's a lot of great and good wine in Livermore but this is the best. Drink it now, age it, do both. One thing to be admired about SKW is that they do everything they do well because they choose to not do everything. It's a temple of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and, the pinnacle, the Lineage Bordeaux Blend. There are others...Barbera, Merlot come to mind...and they're great. But while other wineries feel great pressure to put out wines they're not good at or don't have passion for simply to have a "full menu" out of fear of missing out on a segment of the wine-buying population, Steven Kent chooses to not be all things to all people. Steven Kent Mirassou is a 6th (!) generation winemaker making one of his assistant winemakers (his son Aidan) the 7th generation. Go Google 6th or 7th generation California winemakers. If anyone comes up but them, it's a lie.Steven is an affable, passionate and literary man, publishing his first book a year or so ago (if you love wine and/or great writing, check it out...it's called Lineage and is sold by a soul crushing online retailer near you or through the SKW website which is soul enriching) and it tells his story nicely.Oh. The wine? They routinely score in the 90s, high-90s and there are a few 100s from serious wine writers. The wines are not the least expensive in Livermore because he charges what they're worth rather than what the winery next door offers.If you take your wine seriously, I highly recommend their top-of-the-line tasting where you'll usually get some of his fantastic Premier Cab, L'Autre Cote Cabernet Franc (if you ever see Steven and have about an hour to kill, ask him why Cab Franc is his favorite grape) and the astounding Lineage blend that is comprised of the best barrels of the best barrels of the best barrels he can find. SKW is in a really sweet spot right now. It's a relatively small family winery with just enough scale to do some really interesting things. Today, that was an unheard of Cabernet Franc Blanc (yes, a white Cab Franc) and a Cab Franc Pet Nat that was delicious but not for sale as it was "an experiment" that I would say was a huge success.Bottom line: If you want to go wine tasting in Northern California for under one thousand dollars, go to Livermore. If you want to taste some wine that tastes like the "thousand dollar place," go to Steven Kent Winery.

I have visited Steven Kent twice in 2023. First with my daughter at the previous location and then a few weeks ago with my husband at the new location. I love the wines, and the new location is excellent. I particularly enjoyed the 2020 L'Autre Cote Cabernet Franc - Bates Ranch. This is a great place to enjoy and pick up some genuinely top-notch California wines in the Livermore Valley. I would join their club, but I have six wine clubs throughout California. If any of my clubs close, these guys are next in line. In the meantime, I will use my Priority Wine Pass to enjoy the 2 for one tasting. Don't pass these guys up. The wine, service, and ambiance are fabulous.

L'autre Cote 2022 Cabernet Franc Blanc. Livermore Valley. Skittles, green apple, pear, white flowers, bubble gum, vibrant acidity. Good mouthfeel. 9.5 delish19' cab franc black label. Ghilmetti/Sachau. French oak. Black and red fruit. Cherry, cassis, raspberry liqueur, red apple. Long lingering finish. 9.707' premier cab Ghilmetti clone four. Dusty, dirty, some oxidation on the nose. Red fruit. Sage. Fennel. Licorice. 9.408' premier cab Ghilmetti clone thirty. Red fruit. Cherry. Eucalyptus. Good acid. Full tannins. More layers than previous wine. More acid/structure. More exotic too. 9.509' Lineage. Red cherry, cassis, red apples. Strawberry, dirty knows. Big structure. Big tannins. Lots of fruit. 9.211' SK cab. High acid. Great tannins structure. Bordeaux style. Red and black fruit. Cayenne pepper. 9.213 lineage. Red fruit. Good acid. Earthiness. Great balance. Perfect for ribeye. Best 9.7+Great tasting @ SK. Don't forget to ask him about the Cabfrancapalooza coming up!

The wine from this winery was superb! My friends and I tried a flight of wines and we were very impressed. I would highly recommend the Lineage wines, they were very nice on the palette. There's also bread sticks available!The staff here was knowledgeable and friendly, we had a stellar experience. Being that it was a very hot summer day, I appreciated being able to sit inside with the AC on. There is also seating outside.We look forward to returning sometime soon!

We went to the recent wine tasting at Steven Kents new location. The premises are absolutely fantastic! The location is perfect for wine tasting and mingling with other club members. The lounge and bar area is comfortable and relaxing!Thanks to Steven and his support staff.