Southern California has a long and often overlooked winemaking history, and today a new generation of vintners is bringing attention back to the region. Cavaletti Vineyards in Moorpark, California, is helping lead that movement with small-production, site-driven wines that have earned high ratings and recognition from respected wine publications.
Founded by vintner Patrick Kelley, Cavaletti produces wines using fruit from distinctive vineyard sites throughout Southern California, including Ventura, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara Counties. The winery works with organic and sustainably farmed vineyards and focuses on allowing the character of each vineyard and growing season to come through in the finished wine.
The result? Southern California wines that are increasingly attracting attention far beyond Ventura County.
Yes. Cavaletti wines have received numerous 90+ point ratings, including recognition from Wine Enthusiast. On Cavaletti's current lineup, several wines have achieved impressive scores:
Wine Enthusiast classifies wines scoring between 90 and 93 points as "Excellent" and highly recommended.
For a small-production winery, these scores help demonstrate something Cavaletti has believed from the beginning: world-class wine doesn't have to come from Napa or Sonoma. Southern California has exceptional vineyards of its own.
Cavaletti's recognition extends beyond individual wine reviews.
Wine Enthusiast has featured Cavaletti in its coverage of the best Southern California wines, highlighting a generation of producers bringing renewed attention to this historic wine region. Cavaletti's approach centers on site-specific wines, thoughtful farming and varieties capable of expressing Southern California's diverse landscapes.
Patrick Kelley and Cavaletti have also appeared in Wine Enthusiast's coverage of the new generation of vintners reviving Los Angeles' wine heritage. Kelley joined fellow regional producers in forming the Los Angeles Vintners Association in 2019, creating a collaborative effort to overcome the challenges of growing grapes and producing wine in the greater Los Angeles region.
International wine publication Decanter has also turned its attention toward Southern California's emerging wine community.
In its feature on Los Angeles' urban wineries, Decanter included Patrick Kelley and Cavaletti while exploring the surprising history and modern resurgence of winemaking around Los Angeles. Kelley pointed to Southern California's Mediterranean climate as part of the reason he believed the region was capable of producing world-class wine.
The story connects today's winemakers to a much older tradition. Grapes were planted for winemaking around Los Angeles as early as the late 18th century, making the region an important part of California's wine history long before Napa became synonymous with California wine.
Cavaletti's role in Southern California wine goes beyond producing highly rated bottles.
Patrick Kelley participated in efforts surrounding California's historic Ramona Vine at Mission San Gabriel, working alongside other Los Angeles-area vintners to produce wine from this remarkable piece of California viticultural history. The project and the larger revival of Los Angeles winemaking were documented in The Oldest Vine.
It's an appropriate connection for a winery focused so heavily on place.
Cavaletti works with vineyards within roughly 109 miles of its Moorpark winery, spanning dramatically different Southern California microclimates—from historic vineyards in the Cucamonga Valley and high-desert Antelope Valley to Ventura County, Malibu, Sta. Rita Hills, Ballard Canyon and Santa Ynez Valley.
Cavaletti's philosophy begins in the vineyard.
Rather than attempting to make every vintage taste exactly the same, the winery allows vineyard location and growing conditions to influence each wine. Cavaletti farms several Ventura County vineyards using sustainable and organic practices and employs a restrained approach in the cellar.
The winery specializes in varieties particularly suited to Southern California, including Grenache, Syrah, Zinfandel, Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon, alongside white varieties such as Chardonnay, Grenache Blanc and Viognier.
It's a distinctly local approach to California wine: find exceptional vineyard sites, farm thoughtfully, intervene minimally and let the resulting wine tell you where it came from.
Wine lovers can experience Cavaletti at the winery's Moorpark tasting room at 165 Poindexter Avenue.
Unlike a highly polished destination tasting room, Cavaletti describes itself as a working winery. Visitors may see equipment in use or wine actively being made, and tastings are hosted by people directly involved with growing grapes and producing the wines.
That makes Cavaletti an especially interesting destination for visitors searching for wine tasting in Moorpark, Ventura County wineries, Southern California wineries, or wineries near Los Angeles.
Recognition from Wine Enthusiast, Decanter and other national and international media helps shine a light on what local wine drinkers have been discovering: Southern California deserves a place in the conversation about great California wine.
For Cavaletti Vineyards, the accolades aren't the destination. They're evidence that the vineyards of Ventura County and greater Southern California can produce wines with genuine personality, structure and a strong sense of place.
And for Patrick Kelley and the Cavaletti team, there's still much more to discover.
Visit Cavaletti Vineyards in Moorpark and taste the emerging story of Southern California wine for yourself.
