Mayo Family Winery was founded in 1990 by Henry and Diane Mayo; today their son Jeffrey oversees sales and production alongside winemaker Michel Berthoud. The family's approach is simple and unfashionable: small lots, single vineyards, and a portfolio that goes broader than most. In any given year, Mayo produces over 25 wines from more than 15 varietals: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel anchor the program, but the lineup also includes Pinot Meunier, Grenache, Alicante Bouschet, Carignane, Petite Sirah, Sangiovese, late-harvest dessert wines, and Zinfandel-based ports. Annual production runs around 5,000 cases or less, sold almost entirely through the tasting rooms and wine club.
Ricci Vineyard Old-Vine Zinfandel: a single-vineyard Zinfandel that anchors Mayo's reputation for small-lot, site-specific reds.
Single-Vineyard Chardonnay: one of the house flagships, from select Sonoma and Napa sites.
Pinot Noir: cool-climate fruit in Mayo's hand-crafted, single-vineyard style.
Alicante Bouschet: a deeply colored, rarely bottled heritage red from the winery's adventurous lineup.
Zinfandel Port: a fortified dessert Zinfandel and the sweet finale of the Reserve Room's seven-wine pairing menu.
The main tasting room sits on Arnold Drive in Glen Ellen, open daily 10:30 AM to 6:30 PM, with a courtyard that welcomes families, dogs, and BYO picnics. The Mayo Family Reserve Room in nearby Kenwood is the more ambitious experience: seven small-bite seasonal courses from Culinary Director Chef Oscar Bendeck are matched with seven Reserve wines from winemaker Berthoud, an unhurried, vine-to-table journey that's been a quiet local favorite for two decades. Wines are available only on-site and through the wine club, never in stores, which keeps the relationship between maker and drinker direct. A genuine independent family operation in a valley where those grow rarer every year. Walk-ins are welcome; groups of six or more are asked to reserve ahead. On the Glen Ellen wine walk it anchors the south end of the village, at the Highway 12 corner.
