After having such a great time on our first Santa Barbara trip, we decided to head back with some wino friends. This time we went with better research, and a long list of places to check out.
Friday (Lompoc Wine Ghetto)
Road Music: Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs Vols. 1-3 (all weekend)
Flying Goat Cellars ($10 tasting, wines $36-$44)
'08 "Goat Bubbles" Blanc de Blancs, '08 Pinot Noir - Dierberg Vineyard, '07 Pinot Noir - Rancho Santa Rosa Vineyard, '07 Pinot Noir - Rio Vista Vineyard Clone 2A, '06 "Dijon" Pinot Noir - Rio Vista Vineyard.
None of the wine knocked our socks off. Though the Clone 2A was easily the best. Nice space, cool dogs. The tasting room attendants were fine, though not engaging.
Experience: B- / Wine: C+
Palmina Winery ($10 tasting, wines $18-$32)
'09 Tocai Friulano, '09 Arneis, '09 Dolcetto, '06 Nebbiolo, '08 Lagrein, '10 Botasea.
A very welcoming and relaxed environment. Palmina exhibits talent and confidence in making Italian-style wine while keeping prices in a reasonable range. The staff were all very friendly. One of the most fun tasting rooms that we have visited.
Experience: A- / Wine: B+
Samsara Wines ($10 tasting, wines $18-$44)
'10 Pinot Noir Rosé, '09 Pinot Noir - Sta. Rita Hills, '07 Pinot Noir - Ampelos Vineyard, '07 Syrah - Melville Vineyards.
Samsara is experimental, skilled, and not worried about catering to the mainstream. The tasting room is a no frills warehouse. The gentleman at the tasting room was very informative about the Samsara process. Each wine was unique and had solid characteristics. The Rosé was superb.
Experience: B / Wine: B+
Taste of Sta. Rita Hills ($10 tasting, wines $17-$80)
'10 Moretti Bianchetto, '09 Hilliard Bruce Chardonnay, '07 Ken Brown Pinot Noir - Sta. Rita Hills Cuvee, '08 Hilliard Bruce Pinot Noir, '09 Moretti Syrah.
We didn't originally intend on stopping at Taste of Sta. Rita Hills, but we were drawn in by the list of wineries that were featured there (specifically Ken Brown and Seasmoke). Taste of Sta. Rita Hills is a tasting room for wineries that do not have their own tasting rooms. Antonio is an enchanted and gracious host. He serves complimentary snacks that fit the wines very well. Moretti is Antonio's label. His wines are reasonably priced and solid. Ken Brown is a regional institution - and makes superb Pinots. Hilliard Bruce is a new winery that is putting together a roster of high-quality, high-end wines.
Experience: B+ / Wines: B
Jalama Wines ($10 tasting, wines $28-$36)
'08 Joseph Blair Pinot Noir "Heartbreak" - Cargasacchi/Jalama Vineyard, '08 Pinot Noir - Cargasacchi/Jalama Vineyard, '07 Syrah - Paradise Road Vineyard, '07 Syrah - La Presa Vineyard, '07 El Capitan (red blend).
Our local wine store carried Jalama wines up until recently, so we were familiar with Jalama, and are big fans. So we knew that Jalama was one place that we had to stop at for a tasting. The wines were all fantastic, especially enjoyed the Paradise Road Syrah. The person at the tasting room was helpful and insightful. While there, we found out that Jalama no longer distributes their wine to dealers, so we'll have to revisit the Wine Ghetto when we run out of the wine that we bought there.
Experience: B+ / Wines: A-
Ampelos Cellars ($10 tasting, wines $25-$45)
Chein '09 Grüner Veltliner, '06 "Rho" Pinot Noir, '07 "Lambda" Pinot Noir, '08 Pinot Noir - Fiddlestix Vineyard, '07 "Syrache" Syrah/Grenache, '07 "Gamma" Syrah, '07 "Delta" Grenache.
Our visit to Ampelos was awesome. We were able to chat with the owner Peter Work at length. He is a great dude, and a wealth of knowledge. I was glad to learn in-depth about their sustainable/organic/bio-dynamic process. Ampelos goes to great effort to be an environmental leader in the wine industry, and I think that it makes a difference in the quality of their product. Their wine is fantastic. Great Syrah, Pinot, and Grenache. It was my favorite stop during our trip.
Experience: A / Wines: A-
Saturday (Foxen Canyon Road & Los Olivos)
Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyard ($10 tasting, wines $16-$42)
'10 Z Gris, '09 Viognier, '07 Roussanne, '08 Z-Blanc (Grenache Blanc/Roussanne), '07 Z-Cuvee (Grenache/Mourvedre/Syrah), '07 Syrah, '06 Z-Three (Syrah/Mourvedre/Grenache).
In my limited experience, there is a spectrum of wineries in Santa Barbara County. One end of the spectrum are wineries that we constantly pushing to experiment and develop a unique system. One the other end are wineries that play it safe so that visitors that come to their wineries are reasonably or moderately pleased with their experience, and perhaps buy wine. Zaca Mesa is a "playing it safe" winery. Their wine tastes fine. Their tasting room is nicely decorated. Their staff are perfectly nice. But at no point while I was there did I feel that I was experiencing anything unique. Considering that Zaca Mesa seems to be doing very well there's definitely an audience that appreciate that safeness, but I'd rather explore other avenues.
Experience: C / Wines: C+
Koehler Winery ($10 tasting, wines $14-$30)
'09 Chardonnay, '08 Grenache, '08 Sangiovese, '07 Syrah, '07 Cabernet Sauvignon, '09 Riesling.
Koehler, like Zaca Mesa, has their tasting room on their estate. They have a nice picnic area, and a cool winery cat. Mid-day Saturday seems to be a pretty popular time - it was pretty busy though we were still taken c. The wine was pretty good, but nothing very exciting. I enjoyed their Syrah and Cab most.
Experience: B- / Wines: B-
Carhartt Vineyard ($10 tasting, wines $21-$35)
'09 Grenache Blanc, '10 Sauvignon Blanc, '10 Rosé, '09 Sangiovese, '05 Merlot, '07 Syrah.
Carhartt is a fun and relaxing stop in Los Olivos. When we arrived the tiny tasting room was packed with four other folks, so we found seats on the back patio. The attendants will bring the wine out to you for the tasting. You certainly can't hate on hanging outside on a nice shaded patio on a perfect Saturday afternoon while tasting quality wine. Carhartt wine is varies from fine to pretty good. The Syrah was quite nice.
Experience: B+ / Wines: B-
Stolpman Vineyards ($15 tasting, wines $25-$66)
'09 La Coppa Blanc (Roussanne/Viognier), '09 "L'Avoin" Roussanne, '09 La Cuadrilla (Syrah/Grenache), '07 Sangiovese, '09 "Originals" Syrah, '08 "Hilltops" Syrah, '09 "Angeli" Syrah, '08 "La Croce" Syrah, '08 Grenache.
The couple that we joined for this trip are Stolpman members, and were insistent that we must go. They were not wrong. Their wine were fantastic. Each wine that we tried was high caliber and has its own unique approach. The tasting room was busy, but the staff were very capable of taking care of many people at once. All of the Syrahs were excellent and the Grenache was great.
Experience: A- / Wines: A-
Tensley Wines ($10 tasting, wines $28-$38)
'10 Camp 4 Vineyard Blanc (Grenache Blanc/Roussanne), Lea '10 Chardonnay, Lea '09 Pinot Noir, '09 Colson Canyon Syrah.
On our second trip to Tensley we were once again please with the quality of their wine. This time around we were very disappointed with the person who attended to us. She seemed put off by our presence. Thankfully the wine is good, so we weren't affected by her demeanor. The Lea Pinot Noir was the most outstanding wine that we tried.
Experience: C- / Wines: A-
Dragonette ($15 for reserve flight tasting, wines ($18-$54)
'10 Rosé of Pinot Noir, '09 Sauvignon Blanc, '09 Pinot Noir, '09 Pinot Noir - Presidio Vineyard, '08 Syrah, '08 MJM (red blend).
Our first Dragonette trip was so great, we were really looking forward to visiting them again. Sadly, it wasn't nearly as enjoyable. The tasting room was packed and the staff were exasperated. Just the same, Dragonette makes very good wine, especially the Sauvignon Blanc and the Presidio Vineyard Pinot.
Experience: C+ / Wines: B+
Sunday (Highway 246)
Foley Estates
I seem to have misplaced my notes from our Foley stop. I can recall the overall experience though. Foley is bland. None of their wine stands out. The tasting room is attractive, but seems soul-less. The tasting room attendants are competent, but did not exhibit a passion for the wine. The spirit of corporatism emanates from each aspect of Foley's presentation. Since Foley owns other wineries in the area, you can get free tastings at Lincourt and Firestone with a receipt of your tasting from Foley.
Experience: C / Wines: C
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