San Ysidro Ranch’s Storied Secret Cellar

I finally got a peek into the legendary San Ysidro Ranch (SYR) wine cellar (a k a the “Secret Cellar”) recently, and this was definitely an adventure worth the wait! I felt like Nancy Drew about to explore the famous wine cave, as sommelier Peter Latta led us down a few flights of stairs into the Old World timelessness of these storied stone walls that help keep the temperature perfectly chilled for the Ty Warner Wine Collective’s bajillion-dollar wine collection. 

I knew Jackie and JFK had stayed here on their honeymoon, but had they gone down into the cellar? What about Winston Churchill? He actually had his own cottage at the Ranch, but did he go into the wine cellar?  I couldn’t help thinking about all of the great movie moments you could stage here among all of the history.

Murder mystery fantasies aside, I got a little googly eyed as we walked by a case of wines from Château d’Yquem — in the Sauternes district of Bordeaux, where we visited a couple of summers ago and had the world’s most famous and delicious dessert wine (coincidentally my friend Misty, who came with me to San Ysidro, was also with me there). The SYR collection is inclusive of 138 vintages spanning from 1811 to 2008. Yes, that’s right, 1811. Can you imagine all of the stories and winemaking mastery captured in those historic bottles? 

Equally mind-boggling was the case holding a 70-vintage vertical collection of Château Pétrus — the storied estate in Pomerol, Bordeaux, that’s planted to 100 percent merlot grapes and produces some of the finest wines in the world. Dating back to 1945, this collection is indeed the stuff of legends. 

SYR does offer guests Pétrus tastings, said Latta, “which is something very, very special.” Given that some of these bottles would retail in the tens of thousands (if you could find them), that wasn’t what they served us that day. This is the most extensive restaurant offering of Pétrus in the U.S., which is certainly impressive. With 17,000 bottles in the cellar and about 3,000 selections on the SYR wine list (which has earned the Wine Spectator Grand Award every year since 2014, as is proudly but tastefully posted near the valet stand) there are endless options to choose from, to be sure.

SYR also offers the Secret Cellar epicurean experience — where guests can enjoy a sky’s-the-limit exploration of the world’s finest wines paired with a personally selected menu from Executive Chef Matthew Johnson in the beautiful private cellar, which seats up to 12. That was also where our tasting that day was — a focused selection of wines from the Central Coast: 

Jonata Flor sauvignon blanc, 2021, which Latta described as “more of a serious sauvignon blanc from the extremely talented winemaker Matt Dees.” It has a little more depth to it than the typical sauv blancs, which I think of as “brunch wines.” This was definitely a delicious way to begin our tasting. 

Whalesong chardonnay, 2022 Ambergris, was up next. “This is a second label from the better-known producer, Sanguis,” Latta explained. “So this is Matthias’s [winemaker Matthias Pippig] Pacific Coast Chardonnay project.” “Sunshine in a glass” is how the marketing materials describe it, and they’re not wrong, but it also had a nice mushroomy umami layer to it that was very interesting and unique.

On the red side, Latta’s selections included Mail Road Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills Mt. Carmel Vineyard, 2015 — another delicious wine from Matt Dees — about which Latta said, “It’s a great chance to kind of see what Santa Rita Hills pinot can do with a little bit of time in the bottle.” 

Misty and I both laughed a bit at the selection of Margerum’s M5 blend, which is basically the favorite wine of choice at our house. It tastes great on its own and pairs with every kind of food from Chinese takeout to a nice steak. It really is my go-to wine, so it’s nice to see that a sommelier from such a distinguished cellar agrees. 

Our last wine of the afternoon was a Crown Point cabernet sauvignon, 2019, highlighting the distinct Central Coast take on that grape, with its full-bodied complex combination of fruity and savory flavors. Misty went crazy for this one, and it’s definitely a great cab. 

“This tasting is just a highlight of the Central Coast,” said Latta. It’s a good example of the SYR Central Coast Tasting ($215, 90 minutes) which features both well-known and uncommon grape varieties that offer a curated glimpse into the region. “We can certainly customize the tastings and do all pinots if a guest wants, or all syrahs. We have a custom tasting option in the program. We also have Taste of Italy, Taste of France. We do kind of a wine essentials tasting [$175, 60 minutes] as well, which is more basic, like, swirl the glass, just explaining things. And then we’ll bring out, like a tasting grid, and kind of run through the grid with guests so they can understand the methodology about tasting. But really, I mean, if you can think it up, like, we can probably pull it off.”

San Ysidro Ranch also offers Blind Tastings ($245, 90 minutes) and a whole range of customized options in the wine cellar, including the Château d’Yquem Tasting ($550, 90 minutes) and the Château Pétrus Tasting ($2,500, 90 minutes). For more information, see sanysidroranch.com.