Los Olivos Carhartt Tasting Room Santa Barbara County

Carhartt's, the tiniest tasting room in Los Olivos.

A day in Los Olivos.

August 27, 2013 Posted by Robin Renken CA, Foxen Canyon, Grapes and Varietal's, Los Olivos, CA, Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County, Santa Maria, Santa Rita Hills, Santa Ynez Valley, Sauvignon Blanc, Uncategorized, Vineyard's and Winery's, Wine and Food Pairings, Wine Making, Wine Tasting No Comments

Day two of our trip will be in Los Olivos. We are hoping to get some great sunrise shots probably near the Saarloos and Sons vineyards and up into Foxen Canyon to shoot the Vandenberg fog.

Saarloos & Sons

Later we will do a cupcake pairing at Saarloos and Sons. Enjoy Cupcakes is located in the Saarloos and Sons tasting room and they have cupcakes available for sale or pairings Thursdays thru Sundays. With flavors like Chocolate Blackberry Syrah and Brown Butter Cowboy Cookie Dough, how can you go wrong? On top of that you have the Saarloos and Sons wines. I look forward to trying the latest vintage of Brielle that he makes with his daughter of the same name who just started 3^rd grade. This budding young winemaker is in control of the Sauvignon Blanc and decides when they are ready to harvest. As the Sav Blanc is the first thing to harvest, she gets to kick off the whole season. This place is all about family and making great wine to enjoy with family and friends.

We hope to make a stop out to Buttonwood and maybe get to meet their winemaker Karen Steinwachs. Buttonwood Farm was founded in the 60’s by Betty Williams to be a working farm based on practices that were good for people, animals and the earth. In 1983 they began planting vines and now they work as a winery and a farm with a Farm stand open in the summer. This is a place that was designed early for sustainability. Karen worked at Foley and Fiddlehead before coming to Buttonwood. I look forward to a great discussion on sustainability and how the farms thoughts on this have changed or adapted since the 1960’s.

Alta Maria

I have a list of other tasting rooms I would like to visit including Alta Maria where James Ontiveros and Paul Wilkins are making wines inspired by old world France. James is the descendent of Don Juan Pacifico Ontiveros, drove cattle across the Santa Maria River back in 1855, so there is a bit of history with his family here. Their artwork on the label features hand-hewn iron nails. This is the type that homesteaders used before the Industrial Revolution and it makes for stunning artwork.

Others on the list include: Andrew Murray, Byron, Stolpman, Dragonette, Consilience, Epiphany for their new tasting room, Fess Parker, Lincourt, Blackjack Ranch, Fontes & Phillips, Rideau & Presqu’ile. There is never enough time to get to all the wineries in this area that we want to see.

Blair Fox Cellars ?…well if they happen to be open, I will find a way to stop in. They are typically only open on Fridays and Saturdays, but who knows, maybe I will get lucky.

Richard Longoria Wines

And, I don’t see myself leaving without a stop at Longoria to see if there is any Lovely Rita left this year (there fantastic Pinot Noir), as well as a stop at the smallest tasting room on the planet (as well as one of my favorite places on the planet) Carhartt. I never cease to be amazed by the incredible aromas that Brook gets in her wines. I could smell them forever and possibly dab some behind each ear!

Dinner is planned at Avant with a possible breakfast or lunch stop at Succulent in Solvang. So many places and so little time.

Next stop Paso Robles!