We were lucky enough to hold our daughter's 40th birthday party in the tasting room at Roudon-Smith. The room was the perfect size for the 15 of us and the location was also perfect. Al, the owner was a great help in getting us organized, supplying the really great wines and giving us a perfect venue. We had the event catered but Al was easy to work with and supplied us with a few things we forgot about. He was the perfect host - poured wine when asked, made conversation when talked to, gave everyone a brief history of his winery etc. All in all - just right.If you are looking for a small venue to hold a party/get together I highly recommend Roudon-Smith. Nice venue, great price and fun. Plus - their wines were excellent and priced fairly.
Serina A.
I stopped in here with a friend and had the best tasting of 6 wines for a VERY affordable price. AL was very kind and gave so much information with each wine he poured and turned the tasting into a wonderful experience and science lesson! We learned about the different areas each wine comes from and a bit on how they are created.Recommendations: EVERYTHING! My favorites were the Zinfandel, Cuvée, and the Chardonnay. All are very crisp and perfectly flavored with no heavy after tastes. Perfect for sipping and with meals. My friend and I ended up leaving with 3 bottles of wine each because they were TOO good. I'm so glad we came here and found this place. All of the wines were fantastic, even the ones I usually don't prefer (Al changed my mind about Zinfandel's!). This was such a lovely stop in downtown Saratoga. I highly recommend and I will most definitely be back to purchase Roudon-Smith wines as often as I can!
Alice L.
I have tried hundreds of wine and vineyards all over California. This winery make some of the best wine I tried. Ever wine is uniques and the aromatics is out of this world. Maybe I am over exaggerating but I dare you to challenge me. :D
Daniel Peppin
Very engaged servers
Sean P.
Ali's the most sweet and knowledgeable wine pour I've have ever came in contact with! He is a great conversationist and takes his passion seriously!
Lisa M.
We had a great winter tasting on their patio. Friendly staff, great history gorgeous views over the santa cruz mountains, and lovely wines. They let us picnic during our tasting. We bought some great pinots (which cancelled the tasting fee) but seriously considered a merlot as well. Probably should've bought it....
Michelle Isaacs
I love it here. Sitting outside and enjoying the view of the hills. The wine is great too.
David A.
Loved the wines! They have a wonderful deal where if you do a tasting and buy 2 bottles of wine the tasting is free. Perfect for a date or if you're looking to add some wines to your collection.
Lychelle I.
My husband and I came here after visiting Hakone Gardens earlier in the afternoon. It's located in downtown Saratoga and we were able to find free parking behind the tasting room. Seating is available indoors or outdoors, although if I remember correctly, indoors there is only one maybe two small tables with chairs and the rest of the seating would be at the bar itself. We chose to sit outdoors under the pop up tent they have set up and there was one other couple there besides us so plenty of distance between our parties. Tastings are $10 and their selection changes based on what they have available as they are a smaller winery. There were 6 wines the day we came, 2 whites and 4 reds. Al was our sommelier and was very well informed so I felt like we learned so much about all the wines we were able to taste. Our favorites were the 2013 Chardonnay which had a lovely color despite the year and smooth apple and spice notes. We also got a bottle of the Pinot Noir which won a gold medal at the SF Chronicle Wine Competition. Since we bought two bottles, our tasting fee was waived. They also offer discounts if you join their wine club should you choose to go that route. The tasting room was a nice cozy size for smaller parties and I would recommend it to those not looking to anything too pretentious and who just want to enjoy some delicious wine!
Natalie M.
This was a fun tasting experience! They have 3 high top tables outside during this time. The wine tasting is $10 for 6 tastings. We tried a grenache blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir, tempranillo, a duet blend and a syrah. My favorites were the grenache blanc and syrah! The flavors of the syrah were bold and full bodied. I was pleasantly surprised with the grenache blanc because I am not that fond of whites overall but this was delicious and smooth. I liked the environment but would have loved an explanation of the different wines. It definitely makes the experience more personal and fun. At times in the beginning we were about to be given the next tasting when we hadn't finished the previous one (though we were told that we didn't have to rush but, still felt rushed haha). Despite that, I still had a nice experience. The owner came later and was very nice!
An amazing wine tasting experience without having to drive up into the hills (some days I don't want to feel car sick!). Downtown Saratoga is adorable and Roudon-Smith is always our favorite place to go on the main drag. The tasting menu is always rotating with new selections, making it a new experience every time. Al has adapted to COVID with an awesome outdoor setup providing shade, stools and a safe tasting experience. The deals here really can't be beat -- if you like buying wine by the case, you will definitely be tempted here! Tastings are $10 and are waived with the price of two bottles, which is pretty easy to accomplish ;)
Darien Guy
Great local wines with friendly and knowledgable staff.
Sofia S.
We had a great experience at Roudon-Smith Tasting Room. $10 to taste 7 wines was a great deal for the excellent quality. The tasting fee was waived with our purchase of a case of 2007 Syrah for $96. Again, great deal for the excellent quality. The owner was very friendly, and spent time with us explaining the tasting notes of each wine, the process to make it, and even how he came to be in the wine business himself. Can't recommend this gem enough!
Teresa T.
Highly recommend visiting this tasting room!! The sweetest owner and only $10 for a tasting of 7-8 wines!! Was a great experience and a lovely addition to Downtown Saratoga!
We were lucky enough to hold our daughter's 40th birthday party in the tasting room at Roudon-Smith. The room was the perfect size for the 15 of us and the location was also perfect. Al, the owner was a great help in getting us organized, supplying the really great wines and giving us a perfect venue. We had the event catered but Al was easy to work with and supplied us with a few things we forgot about. He was the perfect host - poured wine when asked, made conversation when talked to, gave everyone a brief history of his winery etc. All in all - just right.If you are looking for a small venue to hold a party/get together I highly recommend Roudon-Smith. Nice venue, great price and fun. Plus - their wines were excellent and priced fairly.
I stopped in here with a friend and had the best tasting of 6 wines for a VERY affordable price. AL was very kind and gave so much information with each wine he poured and turned the tasting into a wonderful experience and science lesson! We learned about the different areas each wine comes from and a bit on how they are created.Recommendations: EVERYTHING! My favorites were the Zinfandel, Cuvée, and the Chardonnay. All are very crisp and perfectly flavored with no heavy after tastes. Perfect for sipping and with meals. My friend and I ended up leaving with 3 bottles of wine each because they were TOO good. I'm so glad we came here and found this place. All of the wines were fantastic, even the ones I usually don't prefer (Al changed my mind about Zinfandel's!). This was such a lovely stop in downtown Saratoga. I highly recommend and I will most definitely be back to purchase Roudon-Smith wines as often as I can!
I have tried hundreds of wine and vineyards all over California. This winery make some of the best wine I tried. Ever wine is uniques and the aromatics is out of this world. Maybe I am over exaggerating but I dare you to challenge me. :D
Very engaged servers
Ali's the most sweet and knowledgeable wine pour I've have ever came in contact with! He is a great conversationist and takes his passion seriously!
We had a great winter tasting on their patio. Friendly staff, great history gorgeous views over the santa cruz mountains, and lovely wines. They let us picnic during our tasting. We bought some great pinots (which cancelled the tasting fee) but seriously considered a merlot as well. Probably should've bought it....
I love it here. Sitting outside and enjoying the view of the hills. The wine is great too.
Loved the wines! They have a wonderful deal where if you do a tasting and buy 2 bottles of wine the tasting is free. Perfect for a date or if you're looking to add some wines to your collection.
My husband and I came here after visiting Hakone Gardens earlier in the afternoon. It's located in downtown Saratoga and we were able to find free parking behind the tasting room. Seating is available indoors or outdoors, although if I remember correctly, indoors there is only one maybe two small tables with chairs and the rest of the seating would be at the bar itself. We chose to sit outdoors under the pop up tent they have set up and there was one other couple there besides us so plenty of distance between our parties. Tastings are $10 and their selection changes based on what they have available as they are a smaller winery. There were 6 wines the day we came, 2 whites and 4 reds. Al was our sommelier and was very well informed so I felt like we learned so much about all the wines we were able to taste. Our favorites were the 2013 Chardonnay which had a lovely color despite the year and smooth apple and spice notes. We also got a bottle of the Pinot Noir which won a gold medal at the SF Chronicle Wine Competition. Since we bought two bottles, our tasting fee was waived. They also offer discounts if you join their wine club should you choose to go that route. The tasting room was a nice cozy size for smaller parties and I would recommend it to those not looking to anything too pretentious and who just want to enjoy some delicious wine!
This was a fun tasting experience! They have 3 high top tables outside during this time. The wine tasting is $10 for 6 tastings. We tried a grenache blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir, tempranillo, a duet blend and a syrah. My favorites were the grenache blanc and syrah! The flavors of the syrah were bold and full bodied. I was pleasantly surprised with the grenache blanc because I am not that fond of whites overall but this was delicious and smooth. I liked the environment but would have loved an explanation of the different wines. It definitely makes the experience more personal and fun. At times in the beginning we were about to be given the next tasting when we hadn't finished the previous one (though we were told that we didn't have to rush but, still felt rushed haha). Despite that, I still had a nice experience. The owner came later and was very nice!
Restaurantji Recommends
An amazing wine tasting experience without having to drive up into the hills (some days I don't want to feel car sick!). Downtown Saratoga is adorable and Roudon-Smith is always our favorite place to go on the main drag. The tasting menu is always rotating with new selections, making it a new experience every time. Al has adapted to COVID with an awesome outdoor setup providing shade, stools and a safe tasting experience. The deals here really can't be beat -- if you like buying wine by the case, you will definitely be tempted here! Tastings are $10 and are waived with the price of two bottles, which is pretty easy to accomplish ;)
Great local wines with friendly and knowledgable staff.
We had a great experience at Roudon-Smith Tasting Room. $10 to taste 7 wines was a great deal for the excellent quality. The tasting fee was waived with our purchase of a case of 2007 Syrah for $96. Again, great deal for the excellent quality. The owner was very friendly, and spent time with us explaining the tasting notes of each wine, the process to make it, and even how he came to be in the wine business himself. Can't recommend this gem enough!
Highly recommend visiting this tasting room!! The sweetest owner and only $10 for a tasting of 7-8 wines!! Was a great experience and a lovely addition to Downtown Saratoga!