In this episode of Discovering Wine Country, we take you to the California Coast and Santa Barbara. While the beach and the city are beautiful, we will take you beyond to the wine county that sits a little further inland.
There are so many rabbit holes here, like the geography of the region, the 7 different AVA’s, and all the places to taste wine and eat!
We will also dive into Chardonnay. You might be surprised to find that this is not the love-it or hate-it grape that you thought it was!
So, put on your shades; it’s time to visit Santa Barbara.
Exploring Santa Barbara County
The Santa Barbara wine region sits in LA’s backyard. Less than 2 hours north of LA, this region is diverse in its wines. Much of this has to do with Geography.
Twenty million years ago, this land was under the ocean. The tectonic plates moved and the mountains were shoved up out of the ocean in a North-South direction causing the Mountain ranges we are familiar with in California.
Over the next 12 million years, the mountains in the Santa Barbara area broke away from the plate and began their gradual clockwise turn bringing the mountain ranges here to an East-West orientation. They are continuing their move today.
This east-west orientation of valleys allows the marine influence to flow into the region. The temperature from the west near the coast to the east inland in Happy Canyon increases by 1 degree per mile. As a result, many varieties grow here, over 70, according to the Santa Barbara Vintners Association.
There are 7 AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) in Santa Barbara.
The Santa Ynez Valley AVA covers much of the southern portion of the wine region. It has four nested AVAs, with the Sta. Rita Hills AVA sitting closest to the coast. As you move east, you find the Ballard Canyon AVA, which sits in a smaller North South Valley. On the eastern border of Ballard Canyon, you find the Los Olivos AVA, which is the most recently approved sub-AVA.
Happy Canyon sits the furthest East of these nested AVAs and is the warmest region.
North of the Santa Ynez Valley, you find the Alisos Canyon AVA. This AVA runs from the 101 East to Foxen Canyon Road. This East-West Valley pulls in marine winds from the Pacific Ocean, which is just 20 miles away. More and more winemakers have been pulling fruit from this region. This is part of the larger Los Alamos Region which is not at this point an AVA.
North of Alisos Canyon, you come to the Santa Maria Valley AVA. This was the 2nd AVA in California and the third in the US in 1981.
This is a beautiful part of California and the city of Santa Barbara, which sits outside the wine region, is the gateway. Here you can enjoy the beach, stroll on Stearns Wharf, enjoy the elegant beachside resorts, or stroll State Street for shops, restaurants, and tasting rooms.
The Funk Zone in Santa Barbara
The Funk Zone is an area of Santa Barbara that sits between the ocean and HWY 101. Filled with boutiques, shops, and tasting rooms that are a bit “funkier” than what you might find further up State Street.
Here you find old surf shops and warehouses turned into tasting rooms and restaurants. The walls are covered with murals of graffiti.
For a fun and funky stop near the beach, head to Municipal Winemakers. Winemaker Dave Potter created this tasting room to get wine to the people. The back wall is stacked with filing cabinets, where they store glasses and other things. They have an outdoor patio on the street with picnic tables where you can taste and bring your own lunch if you like.
If you want to learn a bit more about Santa Barbara and its many wines before you head inland to wine country, The Valley Project is the place to stop. This tasting room has a vast Elkpen chalkboard mural mapping out the wine regions and the influences of wind, fog, and mountains in the Santa Barbara Region. It is a great place to learn about the different AVAs, their soils, climate influences, and how that affects the grapes and what you taste in the wine.
There are many other wineries in this area, stroll the streets, and you will run into wineries like J. Wilkes, Margerum, Riverbench, and more.
Sterns Wharf
Out on Stearns Wharf, you will find the Deep Sea Tasting Room, where you can sit overlooking the water and enjoy a tasting after visiting the aquarium, doing a bit of souvenir shopping, and finding some very fresh seafood for lunch.
Presidio Neighborhood
Further into Santa Barbara in the beautiful Presidio Neighborhood, you will find the legendary Au Bon Climat and other winery tasting rooms like Grassini and Jamie Sloan in the El Paseo.
You can do all of this on foot and burn some easy calories, then find a great restaurant, which is not hard here, and enjoy dinner.
(For a great French Bistro in a secluded courtyard, try Petit Valentien)
Los Olivos
While the city of Santa Barbara has many tasting rooms within walking distance, if you are really up for a wine tasting walk, the city of Los Olivos has you covered. With 25 tasting rooms within a 3-block walk, plus restaurants and shops, this little town is a great place to spend a day or two.
The flagpole is the center of this community, and it is a community. Locals all know each other here.
You can grab a sandwich and Panino and eat it while you do a tasting on the patio in front of the Los Olivos General Store with Larner Wines.
Around the corner, on Alamo Pintado Ave, you will find Tercero, where winemaker Larry Tercero might be pouring. Stolpman is across the street.
Pass the flagpole to the other end of Alamo Pintado and stop by Brewer Clifton, where the 2020 Wine Enthusiast Winemaker of the Year Greg Brewer makes wines.
Head up Grand Avenue to Saarloos & Sons. If it is the weekend, they will have cupcake pairings. Then if things are winding down and tasting rooms are closing, head to Carhartt Family Wines. They have a beautiful back patio where you can relax and wind down before heading to dinner. You are likely to run into owner “Big Mike” at the end of the day. He stops by to check in and sits on the front porch to chat with people walking by.
There are many great places for dinner, but I recommend the Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Café. They carry many local wines in their shop and on their wine list, and the food is fresh from local farms.
Los Olivos AVA
As I mentioned earlier, Los Olivos is also the name of an AVA. While most of the AVAs in the region have great diversity, this region has remarkable consistency with soil and topography. This region has a wide variety of grapes, including Italian and Spanish varieties, with 47 vineyards. But, if you want to know what is grown most? The Los Olivos AVA is known for Rhone varieties and Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc & Sauvignon Blanc.
This AVA spans the area between Ballard Canyon and Happy Canyon and takes in the cities of Solvang, Santa Ynez, and Los Olivos.
Bonus for Star Trek fans
On the southern edge of the AVA, you will find Sunstone Winery. This is a stunning property with a Villa built from reclaimed stone from rural villages in France. This property was used for filming “Picard” as Jean-Luc’s vineyard and estate.
As far as dining, you will find great restaurants in Santa Ynez like SY Kitchen and The Ballard Inn.
Solvang
No discussion of this region would be complete without the inclusion of Solvang. This little Danish-like city is full of charm with its Danish-style architecture and wide availability of Danish Pancakes and Aebleskivers.
There are plenty of places to stay, from the Hotel Corque to the Vinland Hotel (that used to be a holiday inn express) to the humble Hamlet Inn. The Solvang Theatre fest is open during the summer, and there are concerts in the park, plenty of restaurants, and some wine tasting rooms.
Paula’s Pancakes is a favorite for tourists and the line can be long. If you want to skip that head to Buellton.
Buellton
If you’ve seen the movie Sideways, you have seen Buellton. The Hitching Post II is here, and the Ostrichland USA sits between Buellton and Solvang. But more than that you can find some good eating in town. On our last trip, we discovered Ellen’s, thanks to Big Mike at Carhartt. Ellen’s is a local spot that used to be in Solvang and probably started the Danish Pancake thing! Their location in Buellton is a bit less crowded than Paula’s, but the food is every bit as good. You are likely to run into locals here also.
There is one other place in Buellton that I encourage you to search out. Industrial Eats is in an Industrial section of town but has an impressive local menu. There are woodfired pizza ovens that they use for more than just pizza. Local ingredients abound and what’s on their menu depends on what happens to be fresh.
They have seafood from “Sea Stephanie Fish,” so you will find uni on the menu often! Their local sources depend on the day. Proteins can sometimes include rabbit, lamb, or wild boar. Their site has a magazine page that tells you about their purveyors and their stories. If you want to drool daily, check out their IG page.
The community table and the to-go counter keep this feeling casual, but the quality of the food will blow your mind.
Ballard Canyon AVA
A drive through Ballard Canyon takes some time. The 7.2 miles of curvy roads can be done in about 16 minutes, but the twists and turns on this one-lane road, not to mention the scenery, will make you want to take it slower.
As you drive north through the valley, you pass the vineyards of Larner, Rusack, Stolpman, Beckmen’s Purisima Mt. Vineyard, coming to Tierra Alta and the beautiful Windmill Ranch vineyard of Saarloos & Sons.
It is a beautiful region, and the climate makes it perfect for Rhône varieties, like Grenache, Syrah, Roussanne, & Viognier. Overwhelmingly the valley has been found ideal for Syrah, and more than 50% of the grapes planted here are Syrah.
You will not, however, find tasting rooms here. With the exception of Rusack, there are no tasting rooms in Ballard Canyon. Some wineries have opportunities for Estate Tours if you contact them in advance.
Happy Canyon AVA
Inland to the East in the Santa Barbara Region, you find Happy Canyon. Of the AVAs in the Santa Ynez Valley, this is the furthest inland and has the warmest climate, so late ripening grapes thrive here. You will find plenty of Bordeaux varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Verdot, and Sauvignon Blanc growing here.
Happy Canyon is another region without many tasting rooms. Most of the wineries in Happy Canyon have tasting rooms elsewhere. With some, you can request a vineyard experience, making special reservations in advance. Regardless this area is beautiful, dotted with horse farms, longhorn cattle, and incredible vistas.
Happy Canyon Vineyard is out here, and they frequently hold polo matches at their Piocho Ranch location. Grassini is also in Happy Canyon, and you can book Vineyard tours in advance with them.
Santa Ynez Valley
As I mentioned, these AVAs are nested within the Santa Ynez Valley AVA. Outside the other AVAs, you still find vineyards and wineries.
If you are heading North of Los Olivos into the Santa Maria Valley, a drive up Foxen Canyon Road is a must. You will find some legendary vineyards here. If you are coming from the freeway, the road begins with the Saarloos and Sons El Camino Real Vineyard. Further up, you find Firestone, Andrew Murray Wines on the Curtis Vineyard, Koehler, Fess Parker’s Rodney’s Vineyard, Demetria, and Zaca Mesa. All of these are worthy of stops, but I’ll admit that Zaca Mesa, with its history, is my favorite. Once you have explored these wineries, continue on this twisty road into the Santa Maria Valley.
The Santa Maria Valley
The Santa Maria Valley is well known for its Pinot Noir, especially from the rightfully revered vineyard of Bien Nacido. This most northern region in Santa Barbara has the Vandenberg Fog drifting in daily, making this a perfect place to grow Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and cool climate Syrah.
Here is where we pick up on our drive on Foxen Canyon Road with the namesake vineyard and winery “Foxen.” This winery is worth a stop. While their beautiful winery and tasting room have great views, I beg you not to pass up a visit to the Foxen 7200 “Shack.”
Just past the winery on your right, you will see a simple building that was their original tasting room. It is rustic, and the doors open up to the hill to the east, where you can watch the wildlife. The flights here are different than those at the winery up the hill, so both are worth a stop.
If you continue further on Foxen Canyon Road, you will eventually come to River Bench, where they do some fantastic sparkling wines, Kenneth Volk, and at its northern end Bien Nacido. These last two do not have tasting rooms at the moment. You can find the Bien Nacido tasting room in Los Olivos.
The road winds around toward Santa Maria, and Presqu’ile sits on a hill with ocean views on a clear day.
Alisos Canyon AVA
Alisos Canyon is the newest AVA in Santa Barbara County, approved in August of 2020. In this canyon on the east side of the 101, you find sandy soils (which means there are some own-rooted vines here) and a streak of limestone that runs through the AVA.
From the canyon to the Pacific is 20 miles, and the cool marine air and fog come up through the San Antonio Creek Valley.
Wes Hagen, who wrote the petition for the AVA, says that the soils here cause the skins of the grapes to thicken. That means more color and tannins in red wines. Rhône Varieties and Cab Franc are doing very well here.
Los Alamos
Los Alamos sits across the 101 from the Alisos Canyon AVA. This area is filled with vineyards and fields of flowers.
The town of Los Alamos is charming with tasting rooms, restaurants, and boutique motels. It is a perfect place to spend a weekend afternoon.
There is more than just wine here. Sonja Magdevski, winemaker and owner of Casa Dumetz, also has Babi’s Beer Emporium with food by (dim) Sama.
The new restaurant Bell’s has garnered awards for its French Café food, and up the street, you will find Full of Life Flatbread which is often bustling and filled with local winemakers.
I recommend Plenty on Bell for a great lunch with terrific local wine pairings. We had a delicious lunch there. We only had time for lunch, and there is so much more to explore here.
Lompoc
Lompoc is on the western end of route 246. If you are coming from the 101, you drive through the beautiful Sta. Rita Hills AVA on the way there. But we will come back to that.
Lompoc is a city near the California Coast, just south of Vandenberg Air Force Base. As a result, it is known as one of the best places on the West Coast to watch Rocket launches. Well, it is known for rocket launches and flowers. This area has more than 1000 acres of commercial flower farms that you can see in bloom from April to September.
The Lompoc Wine Ghetto
Originally the Lompoc Wine Ghetto began, when in 1998, Rick Longoria of Longoria wines, built his winery in an Industrial building in Lompoc. It was a good idea and it stuck! Others joined him, like Kathy Josephs with Fiddlehead Cellars, Norm Yost of Flying Goat Cellars, Sandhi with Rajat Parr & Sashi Moorman, and Piedrasassi that does wine and bread with Sashi Moorman & Melissa Sorongon. So much for a ghetto, there are some heavy hitters here.
There are a few additional wineries with tasting rooms further into Lompoc. Longoria’s current tasting room is here, although Rick and his lovely wife Diana, just sold the winery after a long and beautiful career building the story of Santa Barbara Wines. There is also the Brewer-Clifton, winery with winemaker Greg Brewer who was Wine Enthusiast’s 2021 Winemaker of the Year.
Sta. Rita Hills AVA
First, let’s address the name. The name of the AVA is written “Sta.” but pronounced “Santa.” The reason for this? A Chilean wine producer called Vina Santa Rita took exception to them using the name. The AVA adjusted the name to avoid any confusion. The story behind how this change came about is fascinating, with Richard Sanford reaching out to create a peaceful solution. You can read about that here.
The Sta. Rita Hills AVA stretches closest to the coast, almost reaching Lompoc. You can drive a loop through the AVA, heading to Lompoc on Highway 246, passing wineries like Babcock and Melville. Then in Lompoc, head back via Santa Rosa Road for spectacular views of the valley around the Santa Ynez River. You will pass by some of the most famous vineyards in the region, including Sanford & Benedict & La Rinconada and Sanford Winery, Fiddlestix, El Jabali, Fe Ciega, and Sea Smoke.
Richard Sanford combed this area, looking for the perfect place to plant a vineyard. In 1970 he & Michael Benedikt found the site that would become Sanford & Benedict vineyard. The Pinot here was good, and soon others followed. Richard Sanford is the reason that Sta. Rita Hills is what it is today. Allison Levine wrote an excellent piece on Please the Palate when there was a celebration in honor of Richard’s 80th Birthday.
The region is now home to over 59 vineyards.
While the region is known for its Pinot Noir, it is also home to some of the finest Chardonnay in California.
Chardonnay – Love it or hate it
Chardonnay. For many people, this can be a love-it or hate-it grape, but you might be surprised to learn that it is probably less about the grape and more about the winemaking technique.
Chardonnay is a non-aromatic grape. It is grown all over the globe to very different results. Grow it in a warm climate, and you get rich tropical fruit notes in cool climates, you get bright citrus and lemon, and green fruit notes.
Beyond that, there are winemaking techniques that affect the wine. Those rich buttery chardonnays that you either love or hate? This butteriness can come from Malolactic fermentation when the tart malic acid (think of the flavor of an unripe green apple) is converted to lactic acid (the softer acid found in milk).
A byproduct of this conversion is the compound diacetyl, which has a buttery note and is added to margarine to give it that buttery flavor.
This Malolactic conversion also gives the wine a creamier texture. Again think lactic, like milk.
On top of that, winemakers often put Chardonnay in Oak Barrels. You will hear Chardonnay referred to as Oaked or Un-oaked. This time in oak barrels will enhance the buttery notes, add notes of toast, spice, and vanilla, and further soften the wine’s texture.
On the other hand, winemakers can stop the malolactic fermentation and keep the wine in stainless steel. This keeps the wine more acidic and sharper.
Chablis – where Chardonnay is King
I mentioned that Chardonnay is grown around the globe. Perhaps the most famous spot for Chardonnay is Chablis in France.
Chablis is part of Burgundy. Although if you look at a map, you might find that surprising. It sits 80 miles Northwest of the rest of Burgundy and is actually closer to Champagne than Burgundy.
In Chablis, one grape rules them all, and that grape is Chardonnay. In fact, it is the only permitted grape in the region.
This region has cool summers and cold winters, much like Champagne. Still, being further south and planted on south-facing slopes, it is protected from North winds and gets more sun exposure than Champagne, allowing for better ripening. It is perhaps best known for its Kimmeridgian soils.
Those south-facing slopes are on an outcrop of Kimmeridgian marl, which provides excellent mineral nutrients for these grapes. The Kimmeridgian limestone came from 150 million years ago when this was a seabed. Oyster shells are abundant in this soil.
The Chardonnay here is lean with a unique flinty minerality.
So as you can see, Chardonnay is a bit of a chameleon and can dress up in different ways. If you want to pair it with roast chicken or salmon, choose an oaked chardonnay with some buttery notes will work. With sushi or shellfish, head for an unoaked Chardonnay, preferably from a cool climate.
For more articles on Chablis and Chardonnay…
- Savoring Premier Cru Chablis as we hope for good news for the 2021 Chablis vintage #Winophiles
- Mont de Milieu Premier Cru Chablis from Simonnet-Febvre and Pôchouse #Winophiles
- Lenné Estate – Poor Soil, Hardworking Grapes and a Beautiful Reserve Chardonnay
- Utopia 2017 Estate Chardonnay with an aromatic salad and warm cozy pork chops with apples
- Chardonnay: Nuances in expressing site – an example from the Yakima Valley
- Presqu’ile Key Weekend Part 2 – Chardonnay
Back to Santa Barbara with a Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay
The Sta. Rita Hills AVA is known for its Pinot Noir, but Chardonnay from the region is gaining notice. The cool climate allows Chardonnay to keep its acidity and find expression through the soils and locations of each vineyard.
We tasted a wine from Longoria, made by the legendary Richard Longoria, who just sold his winery and retired.
Rick Longoria – Longoria Wines
Rick Longoria met Richard Sanford in 1976 in the Sta. Rita Hills. After making wines for several other wineries, he and his wife Diana founded Longoria in 1982 and in 1998 opened a tasting room in Los Olivos and a winery in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto. During his 40 years as part of the wine community in Santa Barbara, he strove for balance in his wines.
Having met him on a few occasions, I can see his character in the wine. It is authentic and sincere, as he is as a human.
He and his wife just sold the brand, allowing themselves a retirement to enjoy a bit of life. I was happy to find a bottle of his Chardonnay at the Los Olivos Wine Merchant.
Longoria 2018 Cuvee Diana – Chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills
This wine is 100% Chardonnay, with about ½ from the Sanford & Benedict Vineyard and half from Fe Ciega, the estate vineyard he planted in 1998. This wine is his tribute to his wife Diana and is pulled from the best lots of Chardonnay they get each year.
This wine ferments in the barrel and then ages 14 months in the barrel, with only 23% in new French Oak.
Their tasting sheet suggested pairing with roasted chicken, and it also noted flavors of spiced apples, fresh pineapple, sweet corn, and candied citrus.
So dinner was a sweet corn and pineapple salad with a split chicken roasted on citrus and coated with a citrus marmalade glaze. We finished the meal with a chai spiced apple crumble.
We did pick up another bottle from Greg Brewer of Brewer-Clifton
Greg Brewer was named Wine Enthusiasts 2020 Winemaker of the Year. We had an opportunity to taste remotely with him at a tasting during the pandemic, and I have long been a fan of his winemaking.
I’m holding that for another day.
There is so much more to explore in Santa Barbara. We spent quite a bit of time in the area a few years back. When we revisited recently, we found new vineyards and wineries, lots of growth in Los Alamos, and much more that we want to dig into! You can expect to see more as we continue to return.
In the meantime, you can further explore the region and its history on Crushed Grape Chronicles.
On our next episode, we head north to visit Washington’s Yakima Valley.
More on Santa Barbara from Crushed Grape Chronicles.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine and WSET 3 Certified. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
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