Mitchell Katz Winery

I love this winery! The wine glasses are huge which is amazing and the wine is even better!

On our way to Napa we stopped in Livermore to do a quick tasting at the Mitchell Katz winery. It was recommended by Michael the tasting room manager whom I met several months prior.
I’m so glad that we did, it was a Saturday, and the place was packed with an enthusiastic crowd.
We spent about an hour tasting the many offerings that they had. Michael and Larry were fantastic. I must say that the Sangiovese was easily our favorite with the Fat Boy coming in a close second.
Thanks to Michael and Larry for a great time!

Tasting at MK today! Rachel was our server and we can’t say enough about her great service. MK wines are a display of Livermore’s finest. Special Thank You to RACHEL and the great Staff. See you soon!

We had such a wonderful experience at this winery. Our visit was on Monday of the holiday weekend. We were greeting & immediately served by FELIX. Awesome experience with a knowledge wine guy.
You can’t miss his expertise on the weekends.

Mitchell Katz is hands down the best winery for tastings in the Livermore valley. Carol and Elise are amazing tasting room hostesses and Mitch is a great winemaker. Everyone here makes us feel like family, as my wife says its like the Cheers of the wine world.

This was probably the only winery in Livermore we had not visited! and we won’t go back! started with horrible, no hospitality, service at the door; we went to the bar only to be told to go back to podium by the front door. The hostess wasn’t there, so someone went to get her and we were greeted with no smiles, no greeting, no hospitality! then she gives us ‘super hot’ glass, «don’t worry it will cool down» she says … what the heck?! At the bar we were for the most part ignored, the older guy was more interested in ‘hanging out’ and basically ignored us and actually never served us even when had to wait 5 minutes in between pours! Wines were bitter and left a long lasting off taste on the palate, the only wine worth recommending is the Syrah!

1^st time trying Livermore winery’s today, and I must say I had a great time with my fiancé at Mitchell katz’s winery. It’s a small cozy Lil setup when you pull into the dirt parking lot, loved the Lil outdoor area… lounge chairs and a picnic table to sit at. (DOG FRIENDLY ALSO). Once we got inside we were greeted by a very lovely lady named Carol, who was super awesome and knows her wines! Hi Carol, if you ever read this… I was the big fella in the yellow Padres jersey. Tasting’s are $ 10. for a flight. We had some that were not on the menu. Another+…I could go on and on how fun this place was, so do yourself a favor and check them out. We left with 2 bottles of Wesley’s blend, 1 bottle of merlot, and 1 bottle of foreplay Zinfandel… all of which were excellent, we even got to meet Mitchell Katz, the owner and proprietor (cool guy also). Thanks for a great time once again Carol, you were awesome! We will return soontill then… cheers!

I visited Mitchell Katz during the Livermore barrel tasting weekend and it was amazing! They have 4 – 5 areas of barrels where you could compare young wines that were just barreled and ones that were sitting for a year. IT was very educational (and tasty!) They also had a tawny port that was YUMMY, and i don’t normally like ports as they’re too sweet for my palate.
There was a great live band (I’ll update the name after I find their business card at the bottom of my purse), a great outdoor venue, and great staff. I am honestly planning to come back here for my birthday next month.
In addition to the great staff and venue, the people this winery attracts are also amazing. We were welcomed by a family to share a bottle (50% off if you drink on site) and eat cheese. I, in turn, bought that bottle for my home collection. It is the JKatz blend if you are interested – named for the winemaker’s son. Highly recommend!

Love love love Mitchell Katz Winery! Where to begin…
*relaxing outdoor area
*staff are very knowledgeable, and care about you having a fun, enjoyable experience
*DELICIOUS wines! My favorite is the M Katz Blend and the Sangiouvese (BOTH are tasty!!)
A must visit! There are two tastings: 10 $ and 15 $,. Highly recommend the 15 $, has the more higher end wines

Staff was great here, came on Xmas eve near closing and they were great! Loved the Syrah and would recommend friends to go there for tastings.

Horrible experience in every way! There were 7 of us tasting, which 2 of us did the reserve, and we didn’t even finish the tasting. The service and he wines were horrible. They completely ignored us! Update– the owner apologized and I thank him for that.

We had a much better experience this time at Mitchell Katz and one that I’m sure is much more representative of what will happen when you go. Charming location. Two tasting menus, we had one of each. The Sangiovese was a standout. The Fat Boy cab didn’t curl my toes quite the way it did when he was using McGrail fruit but was a highlight as well.
The service was warm and attentive. Even though the room was bustling, there was a cheerful poor and a story about the wine. I’m always interested to know where the fruit is sourced and was happy that they were prepared to talk about that in detail
It was fun and informative and a recommended stop on your Livermore wine journey.

Thank you Mitchell Katz for inviting me back to your tasting room, and thank you for the warm hospitality. If I was to hand out awards, Mitchell Katz winery would be recipient of the most improved winery this year.
Unfortunately, I decided to lower my ratings on all Livermore wineries this year, otherwise I would’ve awarded Mitchell Katz an even higher rating.
This years rating.
2.5−3.0 stars
Cellar door
N.V. Sparkling wine
Overripe tropical on the nose: Ripe mango. Aromatics: potpourri of dead flowers. Good carbonation. Good acidity. Tad too sweet. 2.5
2013 Gu Chardonnay.
Popcorn nose, butter. Citrus: Lemon. Creamy texture. Good acidity. Good balance. Nice over the top Chardonnay. Finishes a little hot.
3.0
2013 Rose Wet my Lips Sangiovese
Deep red colored wine displaying Red fruits: Red Apple, cranberry sauce, ripe strawberries Good structure on the palate. Refreshing acidity. Warm spice.
2.5−3.0
2012 Cracker Box Sangiovese
Oaky-​woody nose. Red fruits: apples, berries. Also Livermore peppercorns. The texture is creamy and finishes oaky with hints of warm spice.
2.5−3.0
2012 Cabernet Sauvignon
Primary and fruit forward nose. Displaying classic earthy Livermore terroir: bell peppers, artichokes, as well as black fruits: Plums, blackberries. Good acidity. Good structure.
3.0
2011 Fat Boy
Red fruits: sweet cranberry sauce, cherries, cassis. Good acidity. Good tannins. Oaky.
2.5
2011 Petite Sirah
Some oxidation. Muted nose. Oaky. Big, massive concentration. Black fruits: plums, blackberries. Coconut. 2.0
2012 Katz Blend
Black fruits: Plums, blackberries. Good concentration, but too sweet for me. Earthy, almost medicinal finish. 2.0
2013 For play
Fruit forward. Good acidity. Good concentration. Black and red fruits. Not very sweet.
2.5−3.0
2012 Liquid love. Fruit forward. Red fruits: strawberry jam, cassis. chamboard. Not too sweet.
2.5−3.0

I’ve learned from years of tasting, while the wine is what you search for and have fun with… the pourers are where you become members.
I became a member minutes after meeting their team. Kudos to Carol as well, everyone I bring in to taste with me says she’s the best they’ve seen around!

We stopped in here in May, after having had a decent experience some years back. After drinking through the mixed case we bought in May, we decided to cancel our wine club subscription this week. The problem is really just that the wines weren’t actually that compelling to us. Oddly, we were told that we had surprisingly committed to receive at least 2 shipments (so watch out for that if you join), rather than just cancel us out. Leaves a bad taste in our mouth for this winery customer service wise.
Not recommended by us, but may suit other tastes?

BEST PLACE IN LIVERMORE!!! This is my wife and I ‘s go to place. THE WINES ARE AMAZING!!! Everyone is friendly behind the counter. Suzanne, LOVE HER, she’s always happy to see you enter and makes you feel at home. FAT BOY is the one to buy! The best cab in all the land!!! All I’m saying. The Sangiovese is on hit, the Chard, the Bubbly, the J Katz blend, even the Merlot is crazy good. They can’t miss.
They are more on the sweeter side of wines so if you like that dry (BORING) taste you won’t like this place too much. If you don’t like any of the wines here at all then you should quit drinking wine FOR REALS. I’m just keepin’ it real folks.

I love this place, the wines are great and the people are even better! The atmosphere is laid back and welcoming and I cannot get enough of their signature wine Fat Boy. All the wines are great and my wife says it’s her favorite sparkling wine. If you make it in say hi to Carol, she is the sweetest women I have met! It feels like I’m dropping by to say hello to an old friend every time I have a tasting. I look forward to seeing her as much as I do getting my wine. It’s not as fancy as the other wineries in Livermore (which frankly is part of its charm) but it more than makes up for it with its character and wines. The only reason I haven’t rated MK five stars is the bathroom situation, once that is sorted out they will be 5 stars all around!

I really wanted to have a great experience in Livermore wine country but this did not live up to my mindset. Friendly enough staff but not without a sales pitch. Good enough wine but prices rose sharply for their good stuff. Tasting room was adequate but port-​a-​potties for bathrooms. Everything was a trade off here. $ 10 tasting fee seems steep for Livermore, got charged tasting fee despite buying $ 28 worth of wine, which shouldn’t have happened according to their stipulations. Overall just not interested enough to come back.

Great wine and great service by Carol. Buy the Gy Chardonnay. You only get 2. Carol genuinely cares for people and provides the best service! There should be 6 stars for her!!!

Awesome wine host carol made the experience so much fun! If you want to have great time drinking wine, come over here! And my favorite was the sparkling brut. I’m not much of a wine drinker but this was a lot of fun!

Best service by Carol. Delicious wine and even better conversation. Small winery with a big heart. A must visit in Livermore Valley.

MK delivers for the Livermore tasting experience. They clearly work on making wines that have character. The tasting room staff is friendly, and surprisingly knowledgable of their wine. I look forward to seeing where this winery goes.

MItchell Katz Winery was showcasing their star wine, Sangiovese
event: LVBTW (3÷21÷15)
barrel tastes:
–Sangiovese, 100% varietal, neutral barrel
new barrel, more tannin, not so smooth
$ 30 wine will be a blend of neutral and new barrel
–syrah
neutral barrel tasting smooth, skipped new barrel taste
wine notes:
–many wineries have other artisan vendor in the same area as them
–katz had an arts and craft table, others jewelry, baked goods…
–Katz buys noted grapes from designated vineyards. disclosure is on the bottle
i have no problem with wineries outsourcing for grapes…

Very educational — music and southern food truck are simply awesome here! Even an arts and crafts table here!
Barrel: Sangiovese cab, n Syrah today

Shrug.
I’m frankly surprised at the other rave reviews. I know my way around Livermore and wine (in general), and this place was a big long yawn. This winery doesn’t grow their own grapes – instead, they buy remnants from other wineries and make wine themselves.
I understand the business model – but if this is the route you take to wine, your wine needs to wow. Unfortunately, I didn’t really like any of their wines (except their most expensive bottle, of course). The tasting room has little atmosphere, and our server wasn’t particularly charismatic or educational.
No reason to go back really. Prices were also high ($ 20 for each tasting? I could be wrong on that, but I know most of the bottles were around $ 35)

A stop at Mitchell-​Katz is a must on your wine trail adventure in Livermore. We were first attracted to their tasting room after falling in love with their 2011 Chardonnay that we’d frequently purchase from Safeway (great price too!). They are in the process of moving permanently to a new location pretty soon but were still well equipped at their current spot.
Their 2012 Chardonnay was EVEN better than 2011 and the wine maker was kind enough to get us a taste of the 2013 (not yet being offered). He’s making some great stuff. Ironically, we didn’t take any home but instead left with their Merlot and Petite Sirah — both of which were the best reds we tasted the entire day.
I’m expecting some big things to come from MK. Keep them on your radar!

My favorite was the Falling Star Cab. I recommend it. The pourers were very kind and approachable. Thank you for a great tasting experience. We shall return.
Salute!

The wines at Mitchell Katz I felt was a hit or miss so a few of the tastings ended up in the bucket. The ones we did like out of the offerings were the zinfandel and the petit syrah from the neutral barrel. The barrel cab was still on the young side so may be good as it ages a bit but right now, too tart for my taste.