Beyond the Tasting Room - the Insider Experiences
Discover the vineyards, winery, and people behind Lucas & Lewellen through a collection of private experiences available by reservation. From hilltop vineyard picnics and guided vineyard tours to barrel tastings with our winemaker and hosted tastings in your own home, these experiences offer uncommon access to our estate properties and the individuals who farm our vineyards and craft our wines.
Because these experiences take place in working vineyards, production facilities, and private locations, all requests are subject to winery approval and host availability. Requested dates are not confirmed until approved by Lucas & Lewellen. Experiences may be modified due to weather, vineyard conditions, harvest activities, or operational requirements. In some cases, a comparable host may be substituted if the advertised host is unavailable.
Unless otherwise noted, gratuities, transportation, food upgrades, and additional wine purchases are not included in the listed pricing.
Goodchild Vineyard "High 9" Picnic Experience
$195 per person
(4 guest minimum, 8 guest maximum)
Perched atop the highest block of our Goodchild Vineyard, the High 9 offers one of the most breathtaking views in Santa Barbara County. Your experience begins at our Goodchild Vineyard, where you'll join vineyard host Andrew Moore for a scenic drive through the vines to this secluded hilltop setting overlooking both the Santa Maria and Santa Ynez Valleys. Enjoy a casual picnic lunch paired with a guided tasting of three estate wines while learning about the history of the vineyard, our farming practices, and the unique growing conditions that shape each vintage. For two hours, the High 9 is yours alone—a private escape among the vines with panoramic views stretching for miles in every direction.
Includes private access to Goodchild Vineyard's "High 9", guided tasting of three estate wines, picnic lunch, and a two-hour hosted experience with Andrew Moore.
Inside the Cellar with the Winemaker
$250 per person
(2 guest minimum, 12 guest maximum)
This is not a polished tasting room experience. It's an invitation into the working heart of our winery at an industrial complex in Buellton. Join our busy Director of Winemaking, Megan McGrath Gates, for a private 90-minute tasting inside the production facility where wines are fermented, aged, blended, and prepared for bottling. Surrounded by barrels, tanks, and the daily activity of a functioning winery, you'll sample select wines directly from barrel while Megan shares the decisions, challenges, and discoveries that shape each vintage. Accompanied by a curated cheese plate, this authentic behind-the-scenes experience offers a rare opportunity to taste wines before release and gain firsthand insight into the craft of winemaking.
Ground to Glass - The Vineyard Tour
$350 per person in a van
(5 guest minimum, 25 guest maximum)
$495 per person in a private vehicle
(2 guest minimum, 4 guest maximum)
Explore the complete story of Lucas & Lewellen through an immersive journey across all three of our estate vineyards. Beginning in Solvang with a Sparkling Wine tasting, your host will guide you through the diverse growing regions that define our wines, from the cool-climate slopes of Goodchild Vineyard in Sisquoc to the moderate temperatures of Los Alamos Vineyard and the warmer conditions of Valley View Vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley. Along the way, enjoy vineyard-side tastings paired with thoughtfully selected snacks that highlight each property's unique character.
Your experience also includes a stop at our working winery, where you'll sample wine directly from tank and gain insight into the journey from vineyard to bottle. By day's end, you'll have experienced firsthand how three distinct vineyards, three microclimates, and one family winery come together to create the wines of Lucas & Lewellen.
This is an educational and immersive experience designed for guests with a genuine interest in wine, vineyards, and the craft of winemaking.
Our Vineyard to Your Living Room
Starting at $1,500
Includes host, five wines, from 10 minimum up to 25 guests. Additional guests $50/person.
Approximately 90 minutes
Bring the tasting room to your living room or backyard. A Lucas & Lewellen wine educator will drive to your residence and guide your guests through a private tasting featuring five estate wines from our family-owned winery. Throughout the experience, your host will share the stories behind our vineyards, farming practices, and winemaking philosophy while leading a structured tasting designed to engage both casual wine drinkers and enthusiasts alike.
To ensure the quality of the experience, hosts must provide an environment that allows for a dedicated guided tasting presentation and guest interaction throughout the event.
This experience is ideal for private gatherings, celebrations, client appreciation events, and wine-loving friends looking to enjoy a memorable evening without leaving home. Guests will enjoy a professionally hosted tasting experience, learn about the wines, and have the opportunity to purchase their favorites for home delivery or future enjoyment.
Host location must be within reasonable driving distance of Santa Barbara County.
The Owners' Table - Inside the Family Business
$350 per person
(2 guest minimum, 10 guest maximum)
Join Managing Partner Mike Lewellen for a private tasting and conversation inside his personal office overlooking the winery's cased goods warehouse. Far from a traditional tasting room, this intimate setting offers a unique perspective on the business of wine, family ownership, and the realities of operating a vineyard and winery in California.
Over a selection of rare library wines and a charcuterie accompaniment, guests will enjoy candid conversation with one of the leaders behind Lucas & Lewellen. Discussions may wander from wine and vineyards to entrepreneurship, agriculture, family business, market trends, and the challenges of building a winery that has endured for generations.
This experience is designed for those who enjoy meaningful conversation as much as great wine, a one of a kind opportunity to spend time with the owner while sharing wines rarely opened for the public.
Includes private tasting with Mike Lewellen, selection of library wines to taste, artisan charcuterie board, private access to The Owners' Table. Small group format. Approximately 2 hours
At Home with the Dirtman
$295 per person
(2 guest minimum, 12 guest maximum)
Join Louis Lucas at his home overlooking Valley View Vineyard for an intimate tasting and conversation in the place he knows best. From his hillside perch above the vineyard, guests enjoy sweeping views of the Santa Ynez River Valley while sharing three estate wines and stories gathered from more than five decades of farming Santa Barbara County vineyards.
This relaxed, seated experience offers a rare opportunity to spend time with one of the region's pioneering growers in a setting few visitors ever see. Conversation may wander through the history of the Santa Ynez Valley wine industry, memorable vintages, vineyard life, family stories, and the lessons learned from a lifetime spent working the land.
Depending on the day, guests may also be treated to Jill's famous homemade cookies, a favorite among winery visitors and longtime club members alike.
Simple, personal, and unhurried, this experience is less about wine tasting and more about spending time with the man whose fingerprints can be found on vineyards throughout Santa Barbara County.
