Santa Barbara County has a lot going for it. Movie stars have been making their Hollywood getaway to Santa Barbara for years. It’s an easy trip – just about 100 miles and around 1 1/2 hours to get there, probably if it’s a very good day for traffic! Movies and TV shows have been filmed there for decades. Remember “The Lone Ranger”? It used to be filmed there – in Happy Canyon to be exact – which was also a VERY happy place during the Prohibition! And yes, his horse Silver lived in Happy Canyon. One of the greatest movies of all times for winelovers was filmed in Santa Barbara County way back in 2004 – who of us could forget “SIDEWAYS”? At least it sure rates up there at the top of my list!
2021 Wine Region of the Year
Even more important to us wine lovers is the fact that Santa Barbara County makes REALLY good wine! So much so that Santa Barbara County was selected by Wine Enthusiast Magazine as the 2021 Wine Star Award “Wine Region of the Year”.
There are many reasons why it was selected. For example, this region has a great diversity of microclimates. Conditions are perfect here for over-the-top Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, but you can also get excellent Syrahs and other Rhone varietals. Many award winning wines are made here by some of the best winemakers around. There is a great mix of the old guard pioneered by winemakers like Richard Sanford and Jim Clendenen, and newer ones like Brewer and Clifton. They may not be far away from glitzy LA and Hollywood, but a number of great wines started out on a shoestring and are still being made in the “Wine Ghetto”, an industrial park in the town of Lompoc. And there are some really big spenders. For example there are JONATA and The Hilt wineries, both in the extremely good company of Screaming Eagle all three of which are owned by Stan Kroenke and his wife, Ann (the daughter of Walmart co-founder James Walton) along with the L.A. Rams and Denver Nuggets just to name a few businesses in their empire.
Along with award winning wines, you have a lively culinary scene and lots of culture in the very cosmopolitan city of Santa Barbara which is located right on the beautiful Pacific Ocean. There are some fabulous award-winning restaurants throughout the county both large and small. Most of them feature farm to table menu items plus plenty of food from the ocean. Bouchon (no relation to Thomas Keller’s same name) is known for its intimate fine dining and The Lark, which is located in the “Funk Zone” and known for farm-to-fork dining. Then there are gems like the tiny little Bell’s, a French-inspired family run bistro in a bank building in Los Alamos that doesn’t even have a phone, but they do have Daisy Bell, a Food and Wine magazine “Best New Chef” …………and a Michelin star!
In addition to all of its great food and wine offerings, Santa Barbara County is a leader in sustainability. You will find some of the country’s first organic, biodynamic and regenerative vineyards here.
Looking for female winemakers? Let’s hear it for the ladies! You will find a higher percentage of female winemakers in this region than anywhere else in California. At least twenty wineries are run by women. Here are just a few examples. Kathy Joseph is the owner and winemaker at Fiddlehead Cellars. She purchased and planted her vineyard in 1996 when she saw the region’s potential and has helped to make it what it is today. Denise Shurtleff is the winemaker at Cambria. Denise didn’t go to school for winemaking, but once she got into the business she couldn’t leave! After 16 years at another winery, she joined Cambria in 1999 as assistant winemaker and became head winemaker in 2003. Erika Maldonado is the winemaker at Runway Vineyards, right next door to the famous Bien Nacido Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley. At 16 she told her father they should plant vines. While she was away at college her family planted 16 acres of vineyards. Now they make wine. Laura Roach has been making wine since 2008 when she started as a lab intern at Schramsberg. After graduating from UC Davis she won an award to work in Burgundy. Later she returned to California, where she is the assistant winemaker at Sanford Winery and Vineyards and launched their sparkling wines. Tara Gomez, is winemaker at Kita Wines, and a member of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. She worked in San Luis Obispo County and Spain but came back home in 2010 to make wine with the Chumash tribe. Now she is practicing sustainable farming and giving back to her tribe. Recognition is not just at the top. Vineyard and farm workers are also recognized with opportunities through scholarships and special bottlings.
Santa Barbara County is a relatively small wine region with 27,000 acres planted to grapes. It is home to over 200 wineries which, on average, produce fewer than 5,000 cases each. (Note: According to Santa Barbara Vintners Association 2020 “Facts and Figures” there are 275 wineries.) Santa Barbara Winery was the first commercial winery in the county since Prohibition, and Firestone was the first estate winery to make wine using its own locally grown grapes, with their first vintage being 1975. In the early 1980s, 13 wineries existed and by the end of the decade, there were 29 with over 9,600 acres of wine grapes in the county. In 1981 Santa Maria Valley and in 1983 Santa Ynez Valley were established as federally approved AVAs. Since then five more AVAs have been added to the county.
While the amount of vineyards planted may not be the largest, grape varieties in Santa Barbara County are very diverse. Most of it is planted with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah – yet, the Cabernets, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Gris have a foothold, with Rhône, Italian and Spanish varietals making headway. The Santa Barbara wine industry grew from virtually nothing in 1970 to creating an annual economic impact of $1,700,000,000. Almost 15,000 acres of wine grapes are harvested annually with an economic value of over $106,000,000.
These are just some of the reasons why Santa Barbara County has been honored as the “Wine Region of the Year”……….and I have been looking forward to celebrating it for several years; in fact ever since my husband and I did our own “Sideways” tour there in 2006.
The “Sideways” Phenomenon
Just in case there is anyone in the wine world who never heard of Sideways, I should probably give a little explanation about the movie and how my husband and I plus my best friend since high school came to embrace it. Sideways is a 2004 movie about Miles and Jack, two best friends from Southern California, who take a week long road trip to Santa Barbara wine country to celebrate Jack’s upcoming wedding. Miles (Paul Giamatti) is a wine aficionado but Jack (Thomas Haden Church) is not. Miles is very fond of Pinot Noir but has no love for Merlot and lets you know it throughout the entire movie. After the film’s release in 2004, Pinot Noir sales increased 16% in the western US. The main effect of Sideways was a rise in sales volume and price of Pinot Noir and in overall wine consumption with a slower growth of Merlot. There was also a negative effect: some growers started planting more Pinot Noir, lowering the production standards, and putting lower quality Pinot Noir on the market. Lucky for us there are plenty of excellent winemakers there to save us from that effect!
Since Santa Barbara County is famous for its excellent Pinot Noir, Miles has a lot of wine to taste and to extol the virtues of! I was so taken by this movie that when the opportunity arose in 2006 to visit my friend in Los Angelos, I planned a road trip for the three of us to…… you guessed it – Santa Barbara County! We went off on Highway 101 and headed north out of LA to our first stop in beautiful Santa Barbara. We sipped on Sanford Chardonnay while enjoying lunch at Stearn’s Wharf while we strategized our trip through wine country and hoping to make Miles proud! Then we spent two days tasting at some of Miles and Jack’s stops made very famous in the movie, plus several of our own. We tasted at Sanford, where Miles tried to teach Jack the basics of wine tasting. We tasted at Fess Parker, made very famous in Mile’s crazy spit bucket scene. We dined at the Hitching Post II where we were almost certain that we saw Miles and Maya, and the Los Olivos Café also made famous by Miles and Jack. We even watched the ostriches! And yes, we loved the Pinot Noir! Amazingly enough we also love Merlot, and you probably know how that ended for Miles.
A Quick Trip around Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County has a total area of 3,789 square miles of which 2,735 is land and 1,054 is water. For thousands of years this area was home to the Chumash tribe of Native Americans. The Spanish arrived here around AD 1542, but it was many years later in the 1780s that they established the Presidio of Santa Barbara and the Mission Santa Barbara. This is the 21st largest county (out of 58) in the State of California, and was one of the original 27 counties of California at the time of statehood in 1850. As of the 2020 census, a little under 450,000 people live here. Most of the county is part of the California Central Coast with 110 miles of pristine coast being in Santa Barbara County. There are also four Channel Islands in the county: Santa Barbara Island, San Miguel Island, Santa Rosa Island and the large Santa Cruz Island. Agriculture is king here with strawberries and wine grapes making up the county’s top two crops. It is really beautiful here with rolling hills, ancient oak trees, cattle ranches and lots of natural areas. The county seat is the city of Santa Barbara and the largest city is Santa Maria. What this county lacks in size, it makes up for in uniqueness. Santa Barbara County is different from any other wine growing region in the world. The mountains here run from east to west, rather than north to south as they do everywhere else. This means that the valleys open right onto the Pacific Ocean instead of being protected by mountain peaks which allows for cool temperatures with fog in the morning and steady breezes in the afternoon. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes absolutely love these conditions. Then a little further inland the temperatures rise a bit and are more ideal for Syrah and other Rhone grapes in Ballard Canyon; Sauvignon Blanc and a number of reds do well in the Los Olivos District and Happy Canyon.
Santa Barbara County is home to between 200 – 283 wineries (depending on your source!) growing over 70 different wine grape varieties in 7 approved AVAs (American Viticultural Areas). We can all agree on 7 AVAs! Wine making and wine grape growing here dates back more than 200 years to before California was a State. You will find the latest innovations in grape growing and wine making here along with the traditional, hand-made techniques of the old days.
Santa Barbara: The “American Riviera”
The actual wine region of Santa Barbara County is north of the city of Santa Barbara and includes Santa Maria Valley and Santa Ynez Valley. But before you leave the city, there are many sights to see, much wine to taste, and many world-class restaurants to visit.
There are dozens of tasting rooms throughout downtown Santa Barbara. Whether your style is young and “funky” or a little more subdued, do visit the Funk Zone. It’s about 10 blocks that run between the ocean and Highway 101 and adjacent to the Amtrak station. Graffiti murals on converted warehouses and contemporary art pieces set the tone here. After you spend a day tasting, check out “The Lark” restaurant for a five-star dinner. You can walk most of the Urban Wine Trail and find out very quickly why Santa Barbara County wine is first class. There are over 20 tasting rooms for you to stop at if you are so inclined! Melville, Pali Wine Company, Santa Barbara Winery, and J. Wilkes are a few of the wineries with tasting rooms here. Check out the Hotel Californian, not to be confused with the Eagles “Hotel California”, where you will also find a Margerum tasting room.
For a different vibe, visit the Presidio Neighborhood located in the middle of downtown Santa Barbara. This is where Santa Barbara officially got its start and you can see and learn about some of the city’s unique and rich history. You can taste at Au Bon Climat, Grassini Family Vineyards and Happy Canyon Vineyard.
For a first class splurge dining experience featuring their “as-fresh-and-as-local-as-possible” approach with fish from the Santa Barbara Channel and produce from the surrounding countryside, you may consider dining at Bouchon in downtown Santa Barbara. No connection to the Thomas Keller’s Yountville restaurant but it indeed represents wine country cuisine at its finest.
Ready to get out of town? Start off in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto. It’s a collection of wineries, tasting rooms and production facilities just off the Pacific Coast Highway 1 and 12th Street. There are several boutique tasting rooms in the Ghetto plus several more just a few miles away. There are about 40 different vineyards and tasting rooms in the Lompoc area (known as “The City of Arts and Flowers”). Fiddlehead Cellars, Flying Goat Cellars, Montemar Wines, Melville Winery, Foley Estates, Longoria Wines and Tyler Winery are in The Ghetto or very close by. The famous Brewer-Clifton now has their tasting room in Los Olivos but still make their wine in Lompoc.
Flying Goat Cellars would be a great way to start off any wine tour, but then sparkling wine is always special to me. Flying Goat is owned by Norm Yost and his wife Kate Griffith. They specialize in vineyard designated Pinot Noir and sparkling wine from Sta. Rita Hills AVA and Santa Maria Valley AVA vineyards that include Ampelos, Bien Nacido, Solomon Hills and Sierra Madre. They produce about 2500 cases a year and include three labels: Flying Goat, Goat Bubbles and YNOT. YNOT offers both a Pinot Noir and a Chardonnay.
Norm had two pygmy goats, named Never and Epernay, for pets and lawnmowers. They were quite acrobatic performing loops, leaps and turns, so of course he would name his winery Flying Goat Cellars! Goat Bubbles, the vineyard designated sparkling wines, are made in the traditional méthode champenoise at a Flying Goat Cellar facility.Every bottle is hand riddled, disgorged, waxed and labeled. You can enjoy them in their tasting room at the Lompoc Wine Ghetto or order from their website.
2015 Goat Bubbles Blanc de Noirs Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley AVA This Pinot Noir sparkler was the first vintage of Goat Bubbles made from Bien Nacido Vineyards. Only 115 cases were produced, and I can’t wait to taste those tiny bubbles! Wine Enthusiast scored it at 93 points. Norm Yost says it has the scent of ripe honeydew with a taste of almonds, yellow peaches, apricots, pomelo and a creaminess not unlike orange sherbet. Sounds good to me! I’m going to pair it with brie baked in a cinnamon puff pastry with hazelnuts and port syrup just like they do on the Los Olivos Wine Merchant and Café menu.
Once you head out of the city and taste your way through Lompoc, there is an entirely different world for you to explore. Several more small towns in wine country are really worth knowing about and best of all to visit. Do stop and taste the wine on all of the local wine trails along the way to Buellton, Solvang, Los Olivos, and Los Alamos. They are so worth visiting to learn about their own history and enjoy the scene! We had a great time visiting them.
The AVAs
There are 7 AVAs making up the Santa Barbara County wine region and 9 wine tasting trails. The two largest AVAs are Santa Maria Valley AVA and Santa Ynez Valley AVA. Heading into the Santa Ynez Valley you will find 4 additional smaller and separately identified AVAs: Sta. Rita Hills AVA, Ballard Canyon AVA, Happy Canyon AVA and more recently the Los Olivos AVA in Santa Ynez. Then last but not at all least and the very newest is the Alisos Canyon AVA. It’s a standalone AVA sandwiched between Santa Maria and Santa Ynez Valleys.
Santa Maria Valley AVA
Located on the northern perimeter of Santa Barbara County, Santa Maria Valley was the first wine producing region to be designated as an AVA in the Central Coast back in 1981. Vines have been growing here since the 1830s and there are about 7,500 acres (3,000 hectares) of vines on 16,000 plus acres (40,500 total hectares) of land. The San Rafael Mountains are on the north side of the valley and the Solomon Hills to the south all of which makes a funnel that brings that cooling effect in from the Pacific Ocean, keeping in mind that the mountains go east and west here resulting in a Mediterranean climate with one of California’s longest growing seasons. The weather is often foggy and windy, the soil makeup is quite complex and there is a great diversity of microclimates. The flagship wines of Santa Maria Valley are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir but the Syrah is also quite exceptional.
There are two distinct wine growing areas here – either ON the Santa Maria Bench or OFF the Santa Maria Bench. The Santa Maria Bench is in the Tepusquet Foothills and produces earthier and rounder texture wines because of the alluvial soils and foggier weather. OFF the Bench is closer to sea level and makes for fruitier and spicier flavors because they get more sun.
Santa Maria Chardonnay: Chardonnay is the most planted white wine-producing grape in the world, but it has a very special place here in the Mediterranean climate of this valley. The flavor profile is still dependent on how it is aged: in oak barrels giving strong notes of wood and vanilla or in steel barrels resulting in crisper, fruitier flavors.
Santa Maria Pinot Noir: Pinot Noir thrives here while still be notoriously hard to grow. The grapes cluster so close together that fungi loves them! Pinots grown here are known for their fruity, spicy and warm vanilla undertones. Aging in oak barrels can also make the vanilla more prominent, while steel brings out the fruity notes.
Santa Maria Syrah: Syrah grapes make some of the darkest and most full-bodied red wines, and are much darker than Pinot Noir. They have berry undertones, but can surprise you with notes of mint, pepper, rosemary and even meat. You get the berries and pepper for sure in the Santa Maria Syrahs. Its most often aged in oak barrels.
You can easily explore the Santa Maria Valley AVA with its 34 tasting rooms within a 30-minute drive. Dedicated winelovers (like me) can also taste through some 14 tasting rooms on the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail. It’s a 30 mile stretch of road between Santa Maria and Los Olivos. While you are in the area, be sure to dine on some famous Santa Maria style barbecue. It’s perfect for that award-winning Pinot Noir!
Some wineries with a big focus on Santa Maria Valley grapes are: Au Bon Climat, Bien Nacido & Solomon Hills, Cambria, Dierberg, Foxen, Qupé and Tensley. This is by no means all of them!
The Great “Bien Nacido Vineyards”
One of the most famous vineyards in California can be found here in Santa Maria Valley. You have probably had many wines made from grapes grown in the Bien Nacido Vineyards. The name itself means “well born” which makes sense that many of the greatest wines from Santa Barbara County have this vineyard designate on their labels. The vineyard roots go back to 1837. In 1969 the Miller Family bought the original property plus an additional parcel and named the vineyard operation ”Bien Nacido Vineyards of Rancho Tepusquet” which now totals over 2,000 acres. The vineyards have over 800 acres of certified Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot and a number of other varieties. Many California Chardonnay cuttings planted in the last twenty years started out here. There is an estate winery at Bien Nacido, but there are two independent winemakers making wine here that are quite well known: Bob Lindquist of Qupé Winery and Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat. (Note: Jim Clendenen passed away in May 2021.) Some Bien Nacido customers buy the same rows of grapes every year and even designate their block on the bottle. The individual blocks have small microclimates, and are farmed according to the client’s specifications. For example Block Z is famous for being the first block Sine Qua Non ever purchased grapes from. They make such exclusive “Cult” wines the likes of I will most likely never have in my lifetime! “The Captain” is the highest portion of the vineyard and considered a monopole block. The entire portion of Block 40 is used for “The Captain”, one of The Pillars or their smallest production wines. The 2014 vintage received the second highest score for any wine in Santa Barbara (97 points) Bien Nacido Chardonnays are known for their bright fruit flavors that are almost tropical but with a fresh balanced acidity. Bien Nacido Pinot Noirs are rich in fruit with an herbal spice profile.
Santa Ynez Valley AVA
Santa Ynez Valley AVA was established in 1983 and has the largest concentration of wineries of the Santa Barbara County AVAs with more than 70 in about 43,000 acres of the total 76,000 acres of land. This valley lies southeast of the Santa Maria Valley, is quite windy and contains a variety of microclimates. It is formed by the San Rafael Mountains in the north and the Santa Ynez Mountains in the south. Most vineyards here are planted on hillsides allowing the grapes to get optimal sunlight and have favorable levels of sugar and ripeness.
Santa Ynez Valley AVA is also home to four distinct AVAs within its borders: Sta. Rita Hills on the western boundary, Happy Canyon on the east, Ballard Canyon and the Los Olivos District AVAs. This ensures a variety of different grapes that make exceptional wine. The Santa Ynez Valley, overall, doesn’t get the attention it deserves, but if you know any of the wines from its four sub-AVAs, you probably know the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir coming out of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, in the western part of the valley, where cool Pacific breezes help create an ideal microclimate for those grapes. Sta. Rita Hills is known for top quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Happy Canyon grows some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon in the region. The warmer climates of Los Olivos and Ballard Canyon located in the center of the valley can grow a wider range of grapes especially Rhone and Bordeaux varietals.
Sta. Rita Hills AVA is a large area of 30,000 acres dedicated to just about 2,000 acres of vineyards. This is the premium cool-climate AVA within the larger Santa Ynez Valley. It became designated in 2001, but didn’t get a name until 2006 after resolving a long legal battle with a similarly named Chilean wine growing region. It was ended only after everybody agreed that the official abbreviated written name of “Sta. Rita Hills” would be enough of a distinction between the two.
You will find Sta. Rita Hills 12 miles from the Pacific between the towns of Lompoc and Buellton. It gets cool breezes and warm afternoon sun which helps make grapes with intense flavors. The soil is a composition of minerals, limestone, diatomaceous earth and marine sediment all contributing to the terroir forwardness of wines made from grapes in this AVA.
These are just a few of the wineries to know from this AVA that we will be tasting: Brewer-Clifton, Fess Parker, Lincourt, SAMsARA, Sanford, Sea Smoke and The Hilt. And we can’t omit Babcock, Melville, Pence, Dierberg & Star Lane.
Lincourt Vineyards
The second stop on Day 1 of the 2006 Rakos Sideways tour was at a tasting room in an old farmhouse – an original 1926 Sears Craftsman kit home – and a wonderful place to taste the wines of Lincourt Vineyards. You can find it on Alamo Pintado Road, overlooking the Alamo Pintado Vineyard, just outside of Solvang. The property that was once a dairy farm was founded in 1996 by Bill and Carol Foley. We knew the wine was excellent, but we really didn’t yet know who Bill Foley was. Bill saw the potential of this area (specifically the Sta. Rita Hills) and knew it was about to become one of California’s premier cool-climate winegrowing regions. He named Lincourt after his daughters, Lindsay and Courtney, and the winery now produces wines from two estate vineyards in Sta. Rita Hills plus Santa Ynez Valley which is a rarity because he can produce world-class wine from both Burgundian and Bordeaux varieties. Sustainable farming is practiced in the vineyard. Wines are kept in small lot fermentation and French barrels are the norm. Lorna Kreutz, the winemaker, got her start in the Sta. Rita Hills and knows the terroir well. The wines are usually awarded 90-plus scores. Lincourt is rich in family heritage and many of the wines are named after Bill’s wife, mother, grandmother and aunt – women who have influenced and shaped his life.
Yes, we certainly do know who Bill Foley is today. In 2010 Bill bought Chalk Hill Estates and never stopped after that. Today he has a huge portfolio from Washington and Oregon to Napa and Sonoma, four in Central Coast CA, plus New Zealand, France and Argentina……..and with much acclaim!
2017 Lincourt Chardonnay Rancho Santa Rosa, Sta. Rita Hills was awarded 91 points by Wine Enthusiast. It’s 100 % Chardonnay and was aged 17 months in French and American oak, 20% new. 5,472 cases were made by Lorna Kreutz, the winemaker, who tells us it to expect faint honeysuckle and toasted graham with accents of ripe pineapple; flavors of lemon curd, toasted marshmallows and hints of honeycomb on the finish – everything you should expect from barrel fermented Chardonnay in a cool growing region. Rancho Santa Rosa is one of Santa Barbara’s most historic properties on a hillside climbing from 500 – 1,000 feet above sea level.
2016 Lincourt Rancho Santa Rosa Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills also comes from Rancho Santa Rosa. It should be fruit forward with ripe raspberries and cherry cola notes transitioning to dark blackberry, pomegranate and black pepper. It is a top pinot from this area for the price.
Sanford Winery
The Sanford & Benedict Vineyard was the first vineyard in what became the acclaimed Sta. Rita Hills AVA. Richard Sanford and his friend Michael Benedict researched the area looking for the perfect cool climate location to grow grapes and make wine that would rival the best of the best in Europe. They planted their first grapevines here in 1971 and their resulting Pinot Noir got a lot of attention…… so much so that this particular vineyard became the backbone of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA and has created cuttings for other surrounding vineyards.
The La Rinconada Vineyard was planted next to it in 1997 which became home to the winery building and tasting room. In 1998, a group of Sta. Rita Hills winemakers and growers petitioned the U.S. Government to recognize the Sta. Rita Hills as an AVA, and in 2001, the Sta. Rita Hills received its official certification as an AVA. The Terlato Family became partners with Sanford Winery in 2002, then managing partners, and in 2007 followed by purchasing the Sanford & Benedict Vineyard. The Sanford Estate has all been reunited by the Terlatos totaling nearly 1200 acres in the two ranches. Sustainability is their commitment to the land and the vision of multi-generational family ownership and leadership. The Sanfords now own the nearby Alma Rosa Winery and Vineyards.
Richard Sanford still owned the winery on Santa Rosa Road heading out of Lompoc towards Buellton and Solvang when the Sideways movie was made. Chris Burroughs was the wine server in the tasting room at the time and played himself in the movie. This was the first visit Miles and Jack made on their famous trip, and it was here that Miles gave a “how to taste wine” lesson to Jack. And don’t forget that should never include chewing gum! Sanford wasn’t the first stop on our 2006 Rakos Sideways Tour, but it was our first stop of Day 2. The tasting room is in an old dairy barn, and we enjoyed it just as much as Miles did!
2017 Sanford Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay is worthy of 92 points from Wine Enthusiast and 90 points Robert Parker. And we will be drinking it soon! The winemaker’s notes tell us to expect aromas of grilled peach, Meyer lemon, toasted hazelnuts and bright fruit and honey comb on the palette with a crisp long clean finish. Maybe a little Asian pear, melon, and spice plus some chalky sea salt flavors as well? The wine was barrel fermented and aged 8 months in about 20% new oak and comes from both Sanford & Benedict and La Rinconada Vineyards.
Brewer-Clifton
Brewer-Clifton Winery was born in 1996 when Greg Brewer, the winemaker, and his original partner Steve Clifton joined together to make world-class Burgundian style wines from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes of the Sta. Rita Hills. They put $12,000 aside, secured some fruit contracts and produced their first 240 cases of wine within Santa Barbara Winery where Greg was the Assistant Winemaker at the time. After brief periods being housed within other wineries of employ, Brewer-Clifton created their first stand- alone facility in Lompoc in 2000.Those initial wines have now gone on to be wines uniquely Californian with power and richness that has become the trademark style of Brewer-Clifton wines. Greg has become such an iconic winemaker over the span of his 30-some years in the industry that he was named “Winemaker of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s 2020 Wine Star Awards. His Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays made from the Sta. Rita Hills have been consistently among those with highest acclaim.
Greg was the winemaker at Melville for many years and also produces wine under the diatom and Ex Post Facto labels. He has dedicated his career not only to Sta. Rita Hills but to the entire Santa Barbara County wine community. 2012 marked the first vintage where all the grapes produced came from estate vineyards within the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. That year Wine Spectator awarded the 2012 Brewer-Clifton Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir as the #8 Wine of the Year.
Steve Clifton also produces wine under his Palmina label, which focuses exclusively on Italian varietals.
Brewer-Clifton, diatom, and Ex Post Facto have been part of Jackson Family Wines since 2017. Founded in 1982 by another wine pioneer, entrepreneur and philanthropist Jess Jackson. Today Jackson Family Wines and its wineries are led by Chairman Barbara Banke and the Jackson family. The Jackson family’s portfolio includes more than 40 wineries worldwide in California, Oregon, France, Italy, Chile, South Africa and Australia. The Brewer-Clifton winery is still located in Lompoc where you can taste by appointment only. Whenever you are in the Los Olivos area, stop in to their tasting room on Alamo Pintado Avenue.
At Brewer-Clifton the focus is on 100% estate wines all farmed sustainably. They initially farmed Mount Carmel vineyard from 2005 through 2011. Then they planted four strategically located vineyards along the Highway 246 corridor of the Sta. Rita Hills. Each site has proven to complement the others of the quartet. With their Chardonnay, they focus on citrus notes and saline quality that is the uniqueness of a wine region bordered on two of its four sides by the Pacific Ocean. They strive to make Pinot Noir expressing the terroir of the vineyard. Minimal intervention and whole cluster fermentation is the method of choice.
2019 Brewer-Clifton Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay is a blend of the 3D, Machado, Acin and Hapgood Vineyards, all in Sta. Rita Hills. Each lot was handled separately but uniformily in the winery. We are expecting a medium gold hue plus classic SRH notes of salted citrus, lemon confit, tangerine oil, mint, toasted nuts, and brioche. There should also be a chalky minerality with a well-balanced finish that is the same as the single vineyards. This wine was rated between 93 and 96 points as it is most vintages. We would expect nothing less from the “Winemaker of the Year”.
2020 Brewer-Clifton Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir should give us some cranberry, red cherry, licorice, woodsmoke, perfumed earth, black cherries, dried flowers and hints of Amaro …….according to Robert Parker WA. It was produced primarily from the Machado and Hapgood Vineyards and bound to be another winner for the “Winemaker of the Year”. The last 10 vintages all received scores between 90 and 95 points. We are happy to be featuring two of Greg’s wines in our Santa Barbara tasting line-up.
SAMsARA Wine Co.
Samsara focuses on making limited releases of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah and Grenache from some of Sta. Rita Hills most distinctive vineyards.
SAMsARA Wine’s namesake comes from Sanskrit, and means “the whole process of rebirth, called samsara, with no clear beginning or end”. The circle of “passion, oneness and harmony” are the core values in SAMsARA’s winemaking. They prefer to show off the best each location has to offer with little handling or manipulation of the fruit after it gets to the winery – minimal intervention. They select special sections in each vineyard and purchase grapes by the acre, not by quantity. They believe that vineyard work should be done by hand . Pinot Noir grapes are usually destemmed about 50 percent and the other 50 percent fermented as whole-clusters. SAMsARA is known for producing wines that have a lot of whole cluster fermentation. Their wines are not only hand made, but made by foot! They foot stomp the grapes instead of using a machine because the foot is a lot gentler to those precious grapes! They also use native indigenous yeast and are extremely conservative with the use of new oak. About 30% of the Pinot Noir wine is aged in new French 500- liter oak barrels (more than twice the size of typical barrels). All other wines are aged in neutral French oak.
SAMsARA was based for more than a decade in Lompoc until David and Joan Szkutak purchased it in 2017 from Chad Melville (Melville Winery) and moved to the warehouse zone at Los Carneros (Goleta) in 2018. They also started serving glasses of wine in Goleta’s first-ever tasting room.
Matt Brady, Samsara’s winemaker, will always have a special connection for me. Originally from SW Florida, he got hooked on Santa Barbara wine country while attending UCSB. After college he went to work for Jaffurs Winery eventually becoming Head Winemaker in 2015. That was his job when we met him right here in SW Florida as he presented Jaffurs Wines to us at a wine dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants. In 2016 Matt took over winemaker duties at SAMsARA. He made their 2017 vintage wines at a shared facility in Santa Maria, and then searched for a permanent location which ended up being in Goleta. Now SAMsARA has a winery and a tasting room in Goleta and a tasting room in Los Olivos.
2013 SAMsARA Pinot Noir Rancho La Viña Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills was handpicked and hand made from the same 7 rows, clay soil, clones 777 and Pommard with just 220 cases produced. This vineyard was planted in 2005 at the far southwestern edge of the SRH. It’s several hundred feet above the valley floor with full exposure to the cool winds from the Ocean making it one of the coldest Pinot Noir vineyards in California. The sandy loam soil produces very small berries giving the wine deep, dark color and intense flavors. Antonio Galloni says the wine is “elegant, polished, highly perfumed and wonderfully textured” and gave it 93 points. If it is anything like the other SAMsARA wines I have been lucky enough to taste, it will be all that and more! This is a perfect example not only of vineyard-specific wine, but even confined to a few specific rows.
Sea Smoke
In 1999 Bob Davids fulfilled his dream to buy a stretch of land in the western end of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA that was long coveted as perfect for growing world-class Pinot Noir. It became Sea Smoke Vineyard which is recognized as one of the world’s greatest with wines that are consistently acclaimed. Wine Enthusiast called it “one of the appellation’s first superstar wineries”. They produce about 13,000 cases a year, and there is NO tasting room. They don’t need one! Sea Smoke wines are pre-allocated to their “List Members” and are sold out upon release. Get on “The List”? There is no purchase commitment or cost to join. Oh yes, I’ve been on that list for quite a few years and am happy to say there is still some excellent “Ten” and “Southing” in our cellar. By the way, in case you are wondering what is sea smoke? “Fog above the water” occurs when wind mixes the cool air with warm air just above the water causing fog, or “sea smoke”.
Their estate vineyard is on south-facing hillside bluffs with excellent sun exposure. They strive for low crop yields and small grape clusters of intense flavor. The rich clay soils are planted with ten top-quality Pinot Noir clones and each vine gets personal handling from the vineyard crew seven to eight times each year. This Pinot Noir is aptly called “Ten”. “Southing” is the other Pinot produced and is darker and more reticent initially. There is a third label (Botella) which is fruit forward with mild tannins. Sea Smoke has been farmed sustainably since 2003, and there are 80 acres farmed biodynamically. Grapes are hand harvested, and each block and clone combination is kept separate throughout the winemaking process.
2015 Sea Smoke “Ten” Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills is produced from those Ten Clones that gives the wine its name. It was manually punched down two times per day with 16 to 28 days of maceration time. There was no fining or filtration. Aging took place for 16 months in exclusively French Oak, 60% new barrels. The result? An intense wine from dark fruit with notes of cola, black cherry, blueberry, Asian spice, chocolate and a hint of rose petals. The tannins are firm and mature and it ages well. I expect our 2015 to be good for another 3-4 years. Wine Enthusiast gave it 94 points.
The Hilt
Travel up Highway 1 to the intersection of Santa Rosa Road near the Lompoc area and have a major tasting experience at “The Barn at The Hilt Estate”. It’s on the historic Rancho Salsipuedes 3600-acre property just miles from the Ocean in the far south-west corner of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. The Estate is made up of three vineyards, Bentrock and Radian (on the original Rancho) and Puerta del Mar which surrounds the winery. This is a state of the art 50,000 square-foot gravity fed winemaking facility where winemaker Matt Dees and his team produce not only The Hilt wines but the famous JONATA as well. You can also taste it at The Hilt.
The Hilt’s favorite vineyards are the windswept northern-facing closest to the ocean, which are excellent for a winemaker but quite challenging for a grape grower. Rancho Salsipuedes has vineyards planted on land almost 13 unobstructed miles from the ocean. It also has poor soil. That and the whipping winds and cool maritime climate make this location special. Bentrock and Radian are the main source of all wines at The Hilt. Radian is mostly planted to Pinot Noir (95 acres) with 6 acres of Chardonnay. Bentrock is nearly 92 acres with 80 of Pinot Noir and the rest Chardonnay. They also make the single vineyard wines – The Old Guard and The Vanguard.
2017 The Hilt Estate Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills was made from estate Radian and Bentrock Vineyards grapes plus some Sanford and Benedict. A little over 3200 cases were made using 30% new French oak and 70% neutral French oak. It scored between 91-95 points. Matt Dees, the winemaker, says to expect savory, dark and perfumed Pinot Noir with notes of rose petals, black cheery, dried tobacco, blood orange, sage, pomegranate and cracked white pepper. We should get dark overtones of earth and dust on the palate. Sounds like my kind of Pinot and I’m most anxious to taste it!
Fess Parker Winery & Vineyard
Fess Parker was a pioneer in Santa Barbara Wine Country. We probably first knew him as Davy Crockett or Daniel Boone on TV, but as a winelover I want to remember him for starting a family wine business that began with purchasing the 714-acre Foxen Canyon Ranch in 1988. Fess left this world in 2010, but second and third generation family members keep the business moving forward. They own an estate vineyard known for Rhone varietals and purchase grapes from some of Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria AVAs finest vineyards. The winery is known for making small-lot, vineyard-designated Rhone and Burgundian varietals such as Syrah, Riesling and Viognier grown on the 110 acre estate plus Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley AVAs.
Epiphany was founded in 2000 by son Eli Parker to feature a selection of Rhone-based wines primarily sourced from Rodney’s Vineyard on the home ranch. Epiphany is a premier producer of Syrah, Petite Sirah, Grenache and Rhone-style blends. I must mention that I was not familiar with Epiphany wines until quite recently when we enjoyed several bottles of Epiphany Grenache Blanc at a local seafood restaurant and fell in love with it!
And then there’s “The Bubble Shack” in Los Olivos where you can taste Festivity sparkling wines from the Parker family which were first released in 2015. The Blanc de Blancs, Brut Rosé and Blanc de Noirs are produced from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes grown at the Parker West Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA.
It may be called “Frass Canyon” in the Sideways movie, but we sure recognized the tasting room at Fess Parker. And we absolutely refused to drink out of the spit bucket like Miles did after he was refused a full glass pour. We wanted to savor every sip of those awesome wines we tasted there. We did see spit buckets, and who knows if one was used by Miles? Aw yes, sooo many fond memories for us on our Rakos Sideways tour!
2020 Fess Parker Santa Barbara County Chardonnay is 96% Chardonnay with just a 4% touch of Viognier grapes all grown in Santa Barbara County, but primarily from Rodney’s and Los Alamos vineyards. The wine was 100% barrel fermented and aged in French and Hungarian oak (28% new). It has been rated between 90-92 points and I’m anxious to look for the citrus, lemon cream, green apple, pear, pineapple, honey, vanilla, almond, graham cracker, biscotti, toasty oak and minerality mentioned by the winemaker.
Happy Canyon AVA
“Take a trip up Happy Canyon”. That is how Happy Canyon got its name. It was the place to sneak off to find an alcoholic beverage during Prohibition. It helped people to “get Happy”, and the name was never changed.
Although grape vines were first planted here in the early 90s with the first vintage produced in 2001, Happy Canyon did not officially become an AVA until 2009. The AVA has grown to about 24,000 acres of which only about 500 are currently dedicated to grape growing. It is farther inland on the easternmost portion of the Santa Ynez Valley but still gets some of the cooling temperatures from the Ocean which means it has warmer days than its western neighbors. Happy Canyon has the warmest microclimate in the Santa Ynez Valley. It can get up to 90 degrees in the summer after the morning fog is gone. The soil is nutrient-poor but makes up for it with minerals from the sandy, clay loams, serpentine and cherts cobbles. (Don’t know about you, but I had to look up definition of a “chert”: a hard, dark, opaque rock composed of silica (chalcedony) with an amorphous or microscopically fine-grained texture. It occurs as nodules (flint) or, less often, in massive beds.)
All of this adds up to an AVA incredibly suited for Bordeaux grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Rhone Valley grapes like Syrah are exceptional here. Happy Canyon wines can be lush and fruit forward. Exceptionally talented winemakers look forward to the potential of Happy Canyon! Many people would rather not have you know about the beauty of this area with its horse pastures and rolling hills covered in grapevines. They also prefer to limit exposure to their wineries in order to keep tourism and traffic to a minimum. If everybody knew about these outstanding wines, people would be pouring into the area to taste them! It is home to six major vineyards and a couple of active wineries: Crown Point Vineyards, Dierberg Vineyard, Grassini Family Vineyards, Grimm’s Bluff, Happy Canyon Vineyard, Jack McGinley and Vogelzang Vineyard; but you will not find any tasting rooms here. Never fear! Many of these wineries have tasting rooms conveniently located in downtown Santa Barbara, Solvang or Sta. Rita Hills. Star Lane has 780 acres of vineyards here right next to the Vogelzang Vineyards, 145 of which are surrounded by wild sage and rosemary, but their tasting room is on their Sta. Rita Hills property on Drum Canyon Road. Happy Canyon Vineyards is located on Piocho Ranch home to the Piocho polo team. The winery started releasing its own primarily Bordeaux-style red and white blends in 2010 under the Piocho label and Barrack Family Estate label. Another big player here is Grassini Family Vineyards on land that was converted to vineyards in 2002 now producing 5,000 cases annually from 35 acres of grapes, primarily Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. Since visibility is limited, distribution of many of Happy Canyon’s wines tends to stay in Central Coast or Southern California. Happy Canyon is still so off the radar that discovering wines from there feels like an adventure!
2014 Foxen “Sweet Ending” Vogelzang Vineyard, Happy Canyon AVA is a sweet dessert wine made of 47% Viognier and 53% Sauvignon Blanc all grapes grown in Happy Canyon on the Vogelzang Vineyard. The grapes were foot stomped, had 24 hour skin maceration, and then pressed on gentle cycle. It’s 16.8% alcohol and just 250 cases were made.
2017 Foxen “Mission” Barbarena Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley AVA is a port-style red dessert wine made from 100% mission grapes. It was whole-berry destemmed and spent 4 days with 69 proof un-aged grape brandy, lastly 22 months in neutral oak and stainless steel. It’s 17% alcohol and just 99 cases were made. (See Los Olivos District AVA for more info about Foxen.)
Ballard Canyon AVA
Ballard Canyon has around 7,800 acres which accounts for only 10% of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA. It is a north-south oriented canyon bordered by many smaller canyons against the dry rugged hills of the area. Ballard Canyon is located between the warmer Happy Canyon and the cooler Sta. Rita Hills which protect it from the ocean-generated winds of the north-south locales. It was officially recognized as an AVA in 2013. After experimenting with different varietals, it was decided that Syrah is the best-suited varietal throughout the canyon. The soil here is dry, made up of sand, clay loam and limestone in certain areas, all of which make for good drainage. There are also high levels of calcium in the soil which contribute to the concentrated tannins, acids and sugars in the well-balanced, rich, fresh flavored wines of Ballard Canyon.
Because this is the only AVA dedicated to Syrah, Ballard Canyon is becoming the home of Syrah in America and Santa Barbara County’s most prestigious AVA. When you see “Ballard Canyon” on the label, you can expect great Syrah! Some of these include Rusack and the very prestigious Jonata. I’m happy to say that Rusack was the very first winery and tasting that we visited on our now historical “Rakos Sideways Tour” of 2006. We will be pouring Rusack and Jonata Syrahs at our soon to be famous “2021 Wine Star Award Wine Region of the Year and Rakos Sideways Tour Revisited” dinner.
Rusack Vineyards
Located on Ballard Canyon Rd just about halfway between Solvang and Los Olivos nestled among the oak trees and rolling hills, you will find the Rusack boutique winery and vineyard. Rusack Vineyards was established in 1995 by Geoff and Alison Rusack on a 48 acre Ballard Canyon estate planted with twenty-one acres of grapes. Syrah makes up about half of it with the rest being Sauvignon Blanc and Petite Sirah. There is a tiny bit of Merlot and Petit Verdot grown for blending into their renowned “Anacapa”, a Bordeaux-style red blend. Following their 2001 harvest, they replanted most of the vineyard in rows precisely following the hillside contours which allowed for good drainage, optimal sun and even ripening of the fruit. They installed a new state-of-the art irrigation system and with all of their hard work were rewarded with some of the best wine Ballard Canyon can offer. They also source Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes from some premier Central Coast vineyards like Bien Nacido and Solomon Hills. Their Ballard Canyon Estate Syrahs quite often receive scores in the low 90s with the 2015 being no exception.
Interesting little known fact about Rusack is that they also own a vineyard and make wine on a 650 acre ranch on Catalina Island. Alison Wrigley Rusack is a majority owner of the island which now includes Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel vineyards. It must be quite drinkable wine as the 2018 vintages of Chard and Pinot were awarded 94 points.
2015 Rusack Ballard Canyon Estate Syrah represents the bolder style of Syrah. The winemaker says it has an abundance of aromas of boysenberry, blueberry, and hints of cinnamon with complex flavors of anise, vanilla and dark chocolate. It’s a blend of 88% Syrah and 12% Petite Syrah with a garnet purple color. According to Wine Spectator, who rated it at 90 points, we can expect to get those touches of cracked black pepper which Syrah is known for, plus black soil, garrigue and Provence herbs. Wine Enthusiast rated it 91 points and mentioned cracked white pepper. I’ll be happy to get some pepper!
Jonata Winery
Jonata (pronounced “Ho-notta”) is one of the most high-profile cult wine producers in Santa Barbara County, if not the highest. Jonata and The Hilt are owned by Stanley Kroenke who just happens to own Screaming Eagle, the Los Angeles Rams and the Denver Nuggets among many other things. Jonata consists of 586 acres with 84 acres planted in grape vines all located in the Ballard Canyon AVA of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA. You can find it on Highway 101 just north of Buellton.
Jonata, meaning “tall oak” in Chumash Indian language, pays tribute to the 1845 Spanish land grant, Rancho San Carlos de Jonata. Sustainability is the way of life here and Matt Dees, the winemaker of Jonata and The Hilt, has turned out a series of wines that have garnered substantial critical acclaim from Robert M. Parker Jr., Jeb Dunnuck, Antonio Galloni and Stephen Tanzer. It became clear from the first harvest in 2004 and on- going that this vineyard could produce some extraordinary results, in fact some of the best ever seen from this region. The entire Jonata property is comprised of sand—namely a soil found in the area called the Careaga Sandstone. But the sand here has better drainage than most other sand-based vineyards.
The 84 acres of vines are planted with 11 different grape varieties including some high-acid experimental Greek plantings like Xinomavro and Assyrtiko. The flagship wine from the portfolio is the El Desafio de Jonata, a Cabernet Sauvignon that includes tiny proportions of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, available via allocation only. Multiple red blends are produced from the estate including the Fenix, a Bordeaux-style that is predominately Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc; “The Defiance” Cabernet Sauvignon; El Alma de Jonata; “The Soul” Cabernet Franc; La Sangre de Jonata “The Blood” Syrah; Todos “Everyone” Red Wine Vineyard Blend; Tierra “Earth/Soil” Sangiovese; Fuerza “Strength” Petit Verdot; Flor “Flower” Sauvignon Blanc and La Miel de Jonata “The Honey” Dessert Wine made from Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc that is barrel-aged in French oak prior to bottling. I recently bought a bottle of Todos from Total Wine for $56, but expect to pay $150 – 200 for a bottle of El Desafio which is far less than a bottle of Screaming Eagle for well over $1000.
2009 “La Sangre de Jonata” Ballard Canyon Santa Ynez Valley, 99% Syrah plus 1% Viognier, was produced in 50% new French oak and 50% neutral French oak. Just 900 cases of this hopefully amazing wine were produced. It’s been rated as high as 99 points by JD and 94 RP and expected to be dense and rich with aromas of blackberry, charcoal, blood, lavender and violets. Expect massive underlying structure and tannins. I am most anxious to taste and hope it is still delivering!
Los Olivos District AVA
The Los Olivos District AVA is a relatively new sub-region of the larger Santa Ynez Valley AVA with establishment in January 2016. It stretches over almost 23,000 acres with 12 bonded wineries and 47 commercially producing vineyards all bordering the neighboring AVAs of Ballard Canyon to the west and Happy Canyon to the east. This AVA is above Solvang on a broad alluvial terrace plain of the Santa Ynez River creating nearly flat terrain that gently slopes southward toward the river. This means that there is limited erosion and allows for mechanical tilling and harvesting in the vineyards which their neighbors with steep terrain can’t enjoy. The vineyards receive uniform amounts of sunlight, rainfall and fog because there are no hills or mountains to block the rainfall and fog or shade the vineyards. And since it is 30 miles inland from the ocean, it gets a much thinner layer of fog that burns off quickly in the morning — all a benefit to ripening, acidity and overall sugar accumulation. Soils are well to moderately drained fine sandy loams and clay loams with low to moderate fertility. They are less prone to root disease but don’t require frequent irrigation. With Los Olivos being in the middle of climates for the area, so are its wine styles. They can not only grow grapes typical of Bordeaux here (Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Merlot), but also Syrah and other Rhone varietals.
You will find the towns of Los Olivos and Solvang within this AVA borders. When visiting Santa Barbara County, please do not miss spending time in these two towns.
Los Olivos is a tiny little town with population of under 800, but it is a wine lover’s tasting paradise. You can barely take a step without walking into another tasting room! There are over 30 of them many of which are in historic pastel-colored Victorian buildings from the 1800s. You can visit Bien Nacido, Brewer-Clifton, Epiphany Cellars, Samsara and Stolpman just to name a few without even leaving town. And then there is the outstanding food! Don’t miss the Los Olivos Wine Merchant and Café. You will probably recognize it as where Miles and Jack took their dates to dinner in the movie Sideways. Or maybe you will remember the payphone on the back wall that Miles used. Or surely just outside in the alley where Miles delivered his most famous line about not drinking ******* Merlot! Three of us had a fabulous lunch there while on our Rakos Sideways tour both before and after visiting several great tasting rooms. This all makes for a great getaway weekend!
Drive up 46 miles northwest of Santa Barbara into Solvang and you might think you took a wrong turn, crossed the ocean and landed in Denmark! This little town with a population just over 6,000 is known as the “Danish Capital of America” and celebrated its centennial back in 2011. The 1911 settlement was founded by a group of Danish-Americans who purchased 9,000 acres of the surrounding Rancho San Carlos de Jonata, so they could build a community of Danes far from their cold Midwestern winters. Its Danish-themed architecture began in 1947 making it a tourist attraction for tourists from Nordic countries plus all of the rest of us. You can see Danish windmills, statues of Hans Christian Andersen, eat Danish pastries in the local restaurants and pastry shops and take a sightseeing tour on a replica of a 19th-century Danish streetcar. There are more than 20 wine tasting rooms here and maybe your wine might be paired up with an aebleskiver!
Foxen Winery & Vineyard and foxen 7200
Dick Doré began Foxen in 1985 with his close friend Bill Wathen on his family’s land, the 2,000 acre Rancho Tinaquaic, in the Santa Maria Valley. The Rancho, where the winery is still located today, was purchased in 1837 by Dick’s great-great grandfather. Dick is named in memory of William Benjamin Foxen, an English sea captain who came to Santa Barbara in the early 1800s. The Rancho originally totaled nearly 9,000 acres and comprised most of what is now known as Foxen Canyon. Captain Foxen adopted the distinctive “anchor” as his ranch cattle brand, which also became a trademark of the winery.
Foxen made their first vintage in 1985 in the old blacksmith shop on the ranch. This building, now known as “The Shack”, and the accompanying barn were Foxen’s winery and tasting room for over 20 years. With the completion of Foxen’s new solar-powered winery and tasting room in 2009, the historic “Shack” was renamed “foxen 7200”, where Bordeaux and Italian varieties are featured under a brand of the same name. Foxen Burgundy, Rhône, and Loire varieties are showcased in the solar-powered FOXEN tasting room just down the road.
Today they make Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley Vineyards plus Rhone style/Syrah wines in the Los Olivos District AVA, Happy Canyon AVA and Santa Maria Valley AVA.
The original tasting room and barn-like structure are quite rustic and easy to miss. That is what happened to us on our Rakos Sideways tour. After several trips up and down Foxen Canyon Road and not finding an entrance, we went on to our next stop. Lucky for Miles and Jack they did not miss it! While you don’t see much of it in the movie, they were here tasting and Jack decided to serve himself a “mansize” pour while the server was out of the room. The new modern winery was built and opened on up the road since the movie. Foxen is located approximately 12 miles from Fess Parker. The address is 7200 Foxen Canyon Road. And as they say “If you don’t know Foxen, you don’t know Dick….or Bill”.
2018 Foxen Syrah Williamson-Doré Vineyard, Los Olivos District is 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier, 10% whole cluster, 90% whole-berry destemmed into small open-top fermenters with Viognier co-mingled. It was aged 20 months in French oak puncheon that were 33% new. Just 380 cases were produced. This wine is a 96 point winner with inky dark fruit, hints of lavender, licorice, cloves, ground pepper, new saddle leather and crushed stone – all according to the critics.
Alisos Canyon AVA
Alisos Canyon became the newest AVA in Santa Barbara County on August 25, 2020. It is due east outside the tiny little town of Los Alamos on US 101 and about 20 miles south of Santa Maria. The Canyon runs from west to east over 9 square miles, a little under 6,000 acres with about 240 of those acres planted in wine grapes. It has one bonded winery and nine commercially-producing vineyards.
Alisos Canyon has been producing high quality grapes for a number of years including Rhone varietals such as Syrah, Grenache, and Viognier. In addition to Rhone varietals you will find Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Tempranillo, Albarino, Sangiovese and Nebbiolo. Local owners and growers decided it was time to bring some recognition to their wines instead of labeling them “Santa Barbara County”. After six years of research and waiting, they got their wish! Owners such as Noah Rowles, owner of Dovecote Estate Winery on the Thompson Vineyard and who spearheaded the campaign along with Wes Hagen, brand ambassador for J. Wilkes Wines; Ken Brown, who has made wine here since 1977 and Joey Tensley, in his 27th harvest of Syrah; hope this will bring more well deserved accolades to their wines. Even the famous cult winemaker, Manfred Krankl of Sine Qua Non is part of this scene. He established his “The Third Twin Vineyard” in Alisos Canyon in 2010. His wines from this vineyard rate around 98 points and sell for about $500 a bottle. Yes, we missed that one, too! Sadly I have to say I have never had any of his wines and most likely never will!! The Alisos Canyon climate is influenced by the Pacific Ocean which is just 25 miles away and brings for cool air and fog. Pair that up with the warmer inland climates of more moderate temperatures and you have what is referred to as the “Goldilocks Rhone Zone”. It is JUST RIGHT for Syrah and Grenache – not too hot and not too cold!
Some wines to look for made from Alisos Canyon AVA grapes: Lepiane Alisos Vineyard Nebbiolo, Epiphany Thompson Vineyard GSM, Ken Brown Thompson Vineyard Syrah and Zinke Thompson Vineyard Syrah.
Los Alamos is a little town (population about 1900) in the middle of Alisos Canyon. It looks like a scene right out of a Clint Eastwood Western movie. It’s also a funky very cool town with some underrated spots for tasting wine and a terrific culinary scene. Bob’s Well Bread is in an old 1920s gas station on Bell Street, which is the town’s main drag. It is open for breakfast and lunch serving up pastries and bread-focused dishes using seasonal ingredients from the garden. Just a block away on Bell Street in an old bank, is the not-to-be missed “Franch” restaurant simply named Bell’s. But there is nothing simple about this place — – except they don’t have a phone! It’s a family-run French-inspired bistro from Food & Wine “Best New Chef” Daisy Ryan along with her husband and co-owner Greg. And guess what? They have a Michelin star!! They will tell you that “Franch” is French with a California accent, and they are famous for blending together food from local purveyors into something phenomenal. Both Daisy and Greg worked at top NYC kitchens like Grammercy Tavern and Per Se before settling down in Los Alamos. Their menus change daily “based on local availability and the chef’s whims”. They also have an eclectic award winning wine list. If you want to eat dinner there, you must have a reservation and the pre-fixe only menu is $75 per person plus wine, etc. etc.
Until Our Next Trip!
We have always known that Santa Barbara County was a winner for wine whether you are new to wine tasting or had a lot of years practicing. Finally the rest of the wine world agrees with us – at least the world according to Wine Enthusiast Magazine! Even the April 2022 issue of Food & Wine Magazine has included Sta. Rita Hills as one of the “Top Chardonnay Regions Worldwide”. They rated it right up there with Burgundy, Sonoma County, Willamette Valley and Margaret River. Santa Barbara County and Central Coast was the first major wine country area of California that my husband and I ever visited. Previously we had taken a few day trips or weekends from the Los Angeles area, but nothing ever rivaled this trip. This one marked the beginning of some “serious” wine adventures and tasting for us as we joined the world of wine aficionados.
We were quite a bit less knowledgeable about wine back in the days or our Sideways tour. Researching for this article makes me wish we could recreate our 2006 tour and visit those wonderful wineries with a whole new appreciation. Nor did we have the time to visit as many wineries as our friends Matthew Horkey and Charine Tan of Exotic Wine Travel. They wrote and published a book in 2017 about Santa Barbara County and over 50 wineries. You can buy it online and read it: “Sipping Santa Barbara: Recommended Wines and Producers”. That book brought back lots of memories for me. But for now in 2022 researching for this article and “armchair traveling” has to be the next best thing! As usual my research included information from numerous online articles and Karen MacNeil’s “The Wine Bible” second edition. Can’t leave out the Rakos scrapbook and Shutterfly book of our adventure, which seemed quite painstaking to make at the time, but now they are priceless!
I hope that you have enjoyed our travels through California’s Central Coast Santa Barbara County, and possibly even learned a few new facts about the area, or even better – read about a few wines you would like to try. Congratulations Santa Barbara County, and now we are off to drink some of your great wines! Cheers!!!!!
4.19.2022
www.forkandcorkdivine.com
