Vine Culture

The beauty and bounty of Santa Barbara’s wine country

by louIs VIllard

There is a rich history of wine being made in SB that goes back to the original Spanish settlers. In 1782, priests brought cuttings of vines from the mission San Gabriel, so the areas three missions La Púrisima Conception, Santa Ynez and Santa Barbara would all have supplies for their sacramental wine. The land was full of vineyards, even José Antonio de la Guerra y Noriega, the commandante, in the early to mid-1800’s, of Santa Barbara’s presidio was producing the modern equivalent of 2500 cases per year. Also, if you were facing the mission in the 1800’s, all to the right, where mission Park currently is, would have been vines.

Jump ahead to some 200 years and Santa Barbara County is now ripe with vineyards and wineries. There are well over 100 wineries, about 21,000 acres of some 55 different grape varieties. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Tocai friulano, Pinot Gris, Grenache Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and Sauvignon Blanc - are just some of the grapes you are likely to find.

You might be surprised to discover that it’s not Pinot Noir that leads Santa Barbara County in grape acreage, but rather Chardonnay. Also to note, Pinot Noir was being made in Santa Barbara long before the movie Sideways was a mere screen-play.

Santa Barbara County is host to four American Viticulture Areas (AVAs) these are distinct regions with specific soil types, climate and typography – Santa maria Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and within SYV is Sta. Rita hills and happy Canyon of Santa Barbara.

There are not many regions in the world that can produce the wide spectrum of wines, like those found here in Santa Barbara. But if you drive up into the valley you will be very much spoiled for choice. Where do you start then? here’s a little guide.

LoS oLiVoS

There wasn’t much difference to main Street in Los olivos in the 1990’s to the 1890’s. The town was originally a stage coach stop (check out the plaque on the front porch of mattei’s Tavern.) Now, it is booming, a lot of the counties wineries set up shop here, so you don’t have to drive out to them. At last count there was about thirty different tasting rooms. The best bit, they are all walking distance from each other.

Tasting rooms to visit are: tercero – You won’t normally see the winemaker pouring behind bars but owner/winemaker Larry Schaffer is usually here. Try his mourvedre red and rosé, both are awesome! danieL gehrS – If you like port style wine, stop by here, everything from non-vintage to straight varietals to 10 year old tawny, all using Portuguese varieties.

Longoria wineS – Rick Longoria was one of SB’s trailblazer winemakers. he makes very nice Pinot Noir and Syrah, but for something different try his Spanish varieties - Albariño and Tempranillo. dragonette cellars- Brothers John and Steve dragonette (yes that is their last name) and longtime friend Brandon Sparks-Gillis make some very good wine here. especially nice are there Pinot Noir’s but they also make one of the best Sauvignon Blanc’s out of happy Canyon.

Foxen canyon road driving up foxen Canyon is fun in itself, what starts out as ranch land flats soon turns in to curvy roads through vineyards, over hills and deep into the country side. don’t be surprised if you lose cell phone coverage out here either. Some good stops are: curtiS - Winegrower Chuck “Calypso” Carlson and Winemaker ernst Storm team up here to make a great variety of Rhône reds and whites. The heritage Blanc, is super nice, easy drinking wine for a hot day. zaca meSa – one of the first wineries in SBC, the Syrah’s are what you look for here. Some of the best in the county. demetria eState – Totally different wine tasting experience, you sit outside in the courtyard overlooking the winery as the wines are poured for you, one of the best views in the valley. You need to call in at the gate to get in.

FeSS Parker winery – This winery and setting is very picturesque. Sit on the veranda and order a glass of wine or even do your tasting out there. Also ‘coon skin cap are always in stock.

Foxen – They have two tasting rooms now, but if you can only make it to one, go to ‘the shack’. official called foxen 7200, the tasting room is not much larger than a garden shed, but with the ambience of a french Château.

BaLLard canyon

Ballard Canyon is on the other side of the hill from Los olivos – it’s a nice drive as you’re going to see the vineyards of Stolpman and Beckman. Also there’s a buffalo ranch that you’ll see from the road – a small word from experience…..don’t climb over the fence. Ballard Canyon is just about to be zoned under its own AVA. The area grows sublime Rhône varieties, especially Grenache and Syrah.

ruSack VineyardS – their last vintage of Syrah was included in Wine Specatator’s 2012 top 100. They also make wine at Catalina Island, from cuttings found on the Channel Islands – the Zinfandel is excellent!

Beckman VineyardS – The vineyard is 100% biodynamic, a sort of viticulture practice that is über-organic, it basically means a lot of the regular pest and disease prevention is dictated by phases of the moon. They have a wonderfully nice Grenache.

StoLPman Vineyard – The wine style here has recently gone through a bit of a renaissance. The vineyards are farmed organically and a lot of the older vines don’t have irrigation. This creates very interesting wines, especially the Syrahs.

Santa

rita hiLLS aVa

This AVA is home to Burgundian grapes, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The very cool climate plus a multitude of other factors, is perfect for the grapes. Some wineries to check out in Sta Rita hills are Clos Pepe and dierberg, both making excellent wines (pretty much only Burgundy).

The Wine Ghetto

If you carry on driving to Lompoc, you’ll get to what is known as the Wine Ghetto, an industrial estate of warehouses that is home to some of the most exciting wines in all of Santa Barbara County. don’t be intimidated by the rough exterior, there is a multitude of fine wine to be found here. de Su Propia Cosecha (dSP): Is a relatively young winery run by Chris and deanna King, a local couple who are dedicated to personally working on all the properties where they source grapes. They are Châteauneuf du Pape fans and a lot of their wines are Grenache dominant blends, also a fantastic Albariño. Palmina – has a wonderful array of Italian varietals, especially nice is the Tocai friulano.

Santa ynez haPPy canyon oF Santa BarBara happy Canyon is SB’s Bordeaux varietal region. There are about six wineries located in the AVA, sadly however, due to zoning laws, they are not allowed to receive visitors. A few have tasting rooms elsewhere though, Star Lane Vineyards tastes its wine at the sister estate dierberg. Cima- rone has a tasting room in Los olivos and Grassini family Vineyards has a tasting room in el Paseo down in the town of SB. of course it’s nice to read about all the wineries especially if you need a little guidance on where to start. however by far the best way to get to know the region and better understand the wines is to grab a SBCVA map, you’ll get them free in most of the tasting rooms, close your eyes and just drop your finger on it. don’t forget to ask the tasting room folk as well, most of them have their own favorites as well. Santa Barbara is very lucky to have so many different types of wines in a relatively small wine community, hopefully you’ll be able to take full advantage of it.

Is home to a lot of the longest standing wineries in SB, you will find a wide variety of grapes and styles here. Some good wineries to sought out are Gainey, Bridlewood and Buttonwood farm. A particular favorite is Sunstone, designed with Provence and Tuscany in mind, you’ll be forgiven if you accidently think you’re in the South of france while walking around these grounds. Bion Rice, son of the original founders has recently taking the helm as winemaker. They make a variety of estate wines of which the Cabernet franc is particularly nice.