Great Bear Vineyards — Attraction in Davis

This review is long overdue. A few months ago, my husband and I stumbled across Great Bear Vineyards when driving home to San Francisco from Tahoe. What a great find!! The winery was closed when we arrived, but Jenny (she and her husband are the owners) welcomed us although she was working.

The property itself is breathtaking. It reminds me of a Spanish villa. Once you enter the iron gates, there is a covered veranda and water fountain. They have several indoor and outdoor private or semi-private tasting areas and an open grassy knoll.

Jenny gave me and my husband a private tasting on the veranda. We tasted 5 or 6 wines, talked and laughed about our life, kids and experiences for about 2 hours. The wines were great. The company was glorious. We bought a number of bottles and joined the wine club!

Today, we returned to Great Bear to pick up our wines and we were greeted by Marcus. We were in the area early and they let us come pick up the wines prior to opening. Love it! Marcus gave us a tour of the vineyards, taught us a little about the different types of grapes used for making their various wines (and let us taste them!) and when they would be harvested. I love the peaceful feeling of this place and its proprietors. Great Bear is a great place to relax, sip some wine and take in the scenery! You...

We had my husband’s birthday at Great Bear in March 2024 and it was an absolute hit! Most of our party had never been there before, and EVERYONE wants to come back frequently! The whole Great Bear team was easy and professional to work with; they connected us with Simply Satisfied Catering to create a menu for our lunch, and everything from both entities was delicious and reasonably priced. Great Bear is honestly the best Napa-like winery without the drive; it is a gorgeous property; kids are welcome and enjoyed playing tag on the grounds; they set up everything for our party and were willing to accommodate date changes and special requests. Anywhere else would be impersonal and costly, and you just can’t beat the small, family feeling with Great Bear. Did we mention the wine is delicious?! Highly...

We came across Great Bear Vineyard by happenstance after we let go of our hopes for Napa. We were so glad Napa didn’t work out, because this family-run vineyard and its Mission Revival architectural design gave us a far more memorable experience than we ever could have gotten elsewhere. We tried to support small businesses wherever we could along our road-trip, and this, especially, was one we were proud to support.

The grounds, designed by the owner himself, provided a beautiful backdrop. Through conversation we heard Marcus’s story of how Great Bear came to be, and his passion for sharing these experiences with others. We enjoyed sunset sips of the Reserve Red and Rose as David played ensembles on the piano. Thanks for the good vino, amazing ambiance, and standout...