The lot on Pacific Coast Highway where Rosenthal once poured is still fenced. The Palisades Fire destroyed the tasting room and patio in January 2025. The site sits on California state land under a lease, and since the fire it has been used for staging and storage during the cleanup. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the government has not said when or whether it will let commercial tenants return.
Rosenthal then moved its public tastings to the vineyard in Newton Canyon, and that ended too. The Rosenthal Malibu Estate made Saturday, Sept. 26, the last day of its Vineyard Experience, with final hours of 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Malibu's public tastings now happen at a few addresses on Mulholland Highway and one counter at Cross Creek. Their schedules barely overlap, so the day of the week matters more than it used to.
What Closed, and What Went With It
The vineyard opening was always going to be temporary. At an August 2025 soft opening, guests gathered under the estate's oak trees for wine and live music. Two pieces saved from the PCH venue came back for it: a fragment of the Berlin Wall and the oversized chair that had stood outside. For a year, people who knew Rosenthal from its beachfront tasting room could visit the place where the wine was actually grown. George Rosenthal planted the first vines in 1987, and the winery describes them as Malibu's first vineyard. There are 28 acres of vines in Newton Canyon, about 1,450 feet above sea level, inside the Malibu-Newton Canyon American Viticultural Area, on a property of roughly 250 acres.
The schedule matters here. A January 2026 LAist report listed the vineyard as open Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. So Rosenthal's pour was a weekend-afternoon habit, and the weekend is where its absence shows most.
Mark Rosenthal told The Hollywood Reporter that the winery is winding down. It will not look for another tasting room, and the family wants to sell the Newton Canyon estate. He said the property could suit a luxury inn or a rehabilitation facility, though no buyer or plan has been announced. Wine-club members are being offered discounted bottles, and the family will keep a library of the wines. The online shop still lists wines. The Malibu Times reported that the winery has not said publicly what will happen to the vines or to production.
Three Addresses on Mulholland Highway
After Rosenthal, the mountain options sit at three Mulholland Highway addresses, and each runs differently.
The Barn at Cielo Farms, 31424 Mulholland Hwy. This is a wine bar more than a tasting counter. It serves wine by the glass or bottle along with small plates and chef-made dishes, and the venue says you can watch the sun set over the Santa Monica Mountains. Entry is a $35 pass booked for parties of one to 10. The venue is 21 and over, with family Sundays only when they are offered. The October calendar shows Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 8 p.m. and Fridays from noon to 9 p.m. Tuesdays are closed. The calendar shows no regular Saturday hours. Weekends are used for events.
Cornell Wine Co., 29975 Mulholland Hwy, Cornell. Its address is in the Cornell area rather than the 90265 ZIP code. It is a wine bar and shop that focuses on what it calls "story-driven" wines and also sells art and goods from local vendors. Only the signature tasting takes reservations. That tasting covers seven wines, served at reserved seats in the back tasting room, with one of the winemakers leading it. Everything else is first come, first served. Hours are Thursday 4 to 7 p.m., Friday noon to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. It is closed Monday through Wednesday.
Malibu Wine Hikes at Saddlerock, 32111 Mulholland Hwy. This is the only one of the three built around being outdoors on the vines. Open-group vineyard hikes start at $49 per person, and the Vintage VW Bus wine tour starts at $99. The October 2026 booking calendar shows public hike openings with 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. departures. If you are looking for a seated tasting of Saddlerock wines, the Malibu Wines tasting room is now at 23130 Sherman Way in West Hills, not at the ranch. Its list includes Saddlerock and Saddlerock Estate wines.
The Week, Laid Out
Put the posted hours side by side and the week splits in a clear way. Cielo covers the weekday afternoons. Cornell and the in-town counter cover the weekend that Rosenthal's vineyard used to hold.
| Day | The Barn at Cielo Farms | Cornell Wine Co. | Summer Somewhere, Malibu Village |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 2–8 p.m. | Closed | No posted hours |
| Tuesday | Closed | Closed | No posted hours |
| Wednesday | 2–8 p.m. | Closed | By appointment |
| Thursday | 2–8 p.m. | 4–7 p.m. | 1–6 p.m. |
| Friday | Noon–9 p.m. | Noon–7 p.m. | 1–7 p.m. |
| Saturday | Events only | 11 a.m.–7 p.m. | Noon–7 p.m. |
| Sunday | Events only | 11 a.m.–7 p.m. | Noon–6 p.m. |
Tuesday has no posted hours anywhere in the table. Monday belongs to Cielo alone. Friday is the one day when all three are open, and Cielo stays open latest that day, until 9 p.m.
Cielo's October Weekends
Cielo's weekend dates are booked as events, priced and timed differently from the regular wine bar:
- Friday, Oct. 9: Art Rebel + Sunset Paint Series, 6:30 to 8 p.m., $150.
- Sunday, Oct. 18: Cielo Du Sol with Chus & Ceballos, noon to 10 p.m., $50.
- Saturday, Oct. 31: Cielo Du Sol with Rodriguez Jr., noon to 10 p.m., $50.
Cielo Du Sol runs from day into night, a format Cielo has used before. Palisades News covered an earlier edition with Nico Morano and Saint Gilo. These events last ten hours with music, unlike a quiet couple of hours under oak trees. On a Cielo weekend you are booking an event, not stopping by for a glass.
The Counter Still Pouring in Town
For anyone who does not want to drive up the canyon, the only in-city tasting room with posted hours is Summer Somewhere Wines at Malibu Village, 3822 Cross Creek Rd. It offers tastings, wine by the glass and bottle, and light bites. The hours in the table come from the winery's own site, which labels them current. The page itself carries older publication metadata, so call ahead before relying on a Sunday afternoon there. The Malibu Chamber's directory lists two other wine businesses. One links to a Malibu tasting-room page that no longer loads, and the other is listed at a Los Angeles address.
September at Trancas, Too
The same month took a gathering place on the west end. Kristy's Village Cafe at Trancas Country Market closed Sept. 9 after 15 years. Kristy Apana opened Kristy's Wood Oven & Wine Bar in 2011, overlooking Zuma Beach at the Malibu Country Inn property. She took over the Le Village Cafe space at Trancas in early 2017. The restaurant was known for California coastal food with some Chinese dishes, a yearly Chinese New Year gathering with a dragon dance, and free pajama pancakes for children on Christmas morning.
The market's directory lists Starbucks, Vintage Grocers and Malibu Brewing Co., and no successor has been named for the Kristy's space. Malibu Brewing has been at Trancas since September 2022, and The Malibu Times reported in January that it had returned to normal dine-in service after the fires. That makes it the west end's place for a drink with a meal, though it pours beer rather than wine.
Rosenthal's shop is still selling bottles, the PCH lot is still fenced, and on Saturday, Oct. 31, the Rodriguez Jr. edition of Cielo Du Sol runs from noon to 10 p.m. at 31424 Mulholland Hwy.
The Newton Canyon estate is now one of the few planted vineyard properties in the area whose future is openly undecided. Questions about a vineyard property in the Malibu-Newton Canyon AVA go well past list price. If you are thinking about one, Jonas Heller can talk it through with you in confidence. Request a private consultation.
