Ampelos Vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills

Just a couple of hours north of the sprawl of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara County has become the nexus of a stunning spectrum of wine.  A sweet spot of climate, soils, geology, and geography offer a Goldilocks situation, not too much of one thing, but just right in everything.  Grape varietals, many transplanted from France’s iconic regions of Burgundy, Bordeaux, and the Rhone, have found a vineyard paradise here.  It’s a cornucopia of distinctive and small production wines, a winemaker’s dream and a wine drinker’s fantasy.

Larner Vineyard in Ballard Canyon

La Encantada Vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills

What makes the region so special?  More than 50 different varietals are grown, on acreage that is half the size of Napa Valley, 200+ wineries are open for business from five approved AVAs, and the top three varieties are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah.  And, oh, it’s an intimate wine scene, where the majority of wineries and vineyards are family owned, with relatively small production, under 10,000 cases per year.

Several Santa Barbara County vintners brought their unique perspective to the city for the Santa Barbara Vintners Road Trip Los Angeles, in the spotlight for a series of winemaker dinners, in-store tastings, and a media and trade tasting event.  Two seminars and a walk around tasting later, you’re blown away by the quality and diversity, with the realization that there is no place on the planet like Santa Barbara County.  In the span of 30-40 miles, you can drink world-class Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, juicy Syrah and Grenache, and intriguing Bordeaux blends.

We all know the shining stars of Santa Barbara County wine:  Chardonnay, the golden goddess, Pinot Noir, ethereal and sensual, and Syrah, fragrant and savory.  But it’s the winemakers who are pushing the envelope, along with a rapid rise of quality and expression in the wines, they’re experimenting with less mainstream wine grape varieties.  And so the seminars focused on the Unexpected White and Red Wines of Santa Barbara County.  Moderated by wine writer Elaine Chukan Brown, geography set the stage.  Brown found that the coastline notch at Point Conception, where the coastal mountain ranges turn from north-south to east-west, “allows maritime influence to rush straight into a continental one, and creates profoundly unique growing conditions.”  Fog and large temperature swings develop aromas and flavors slowly, with a common thread of freshness, expressed through crisp acidity and a saline character. ​

Elaine Chukan Brown

Exploring the Unexpected White Wines of Santa Barbara County, Brown noted, "White wine tends to be under-regarded, but the truth is, many of the finest wines on the planet are white wines.  White wine has the capacity to bring incredible freshness, energy, and mouthwatering sapidity, in addition to ageability and longevity.”  Joined by Michael Larner of Larner Vineyards, Nick De Luca of Alma Rosa, Karen Steinwachs of Buttonwood, Tara Gomez of Kitá, Bob Lindquist of Qupé, and Sonja Magdevski of Casa Dumetz, six wines were discussed and explored by the panel.  Their insights have set the stage for increasing diversity and experimentation in the region.

Michael Larner of Larner Vineyards

Larner explained how he came upon the idea of his unexpected white, “We looked into Malvasia Bianca when we planted our estate in 1999, with the idea of finding a grape that can do many things, and do it in a youthful, very playful style.”  The 2016 Larner Estate Malvasia Bianca from Ballard County fit the bill, and intrigued Brown, who noted, “When you put the combination of stainless steel and concrete egg together, with an aromatic variety in soils that promote aromatics, you get this incredible bloom out of the glass, but you still have great tension, with floral notes, a really clean finish, with a bit of tang to it.”   This wine is perfect to sip around the pool, or pair with Ceviche and Thai food.

(L-R) Nick De Luca of Alma Rosa and Karen Steinwachs of Buttonwood

De Luca was intrigued by the salinity of wines from the Sta. Rita Hills, “What I love about this Pinot Blanc is a saline quality that reflects the maritime climate.  There’s a stoniness to this wine, which I attribute to the soils, the air, and hands off winemaking, just allowing the site to speak, what you’re tasting here is more than the Pinot Blanc, it’s La Encantada.”  Brown compared it to France’s Alsace version, which is leaner and more locked in, “There’s a real openness to this wine that speaks to the UV exposure in Santa Barbara County, that gives profound flavor development, yet has this deep maritime oceanic quality, mouthwatering sapidity and crispness, with a mineral expression.”  A great food wine, this 2014 Alma Rosa Pinot Blanc Sta. Rita Hills would pair well with oysters, seafood, white sauce pasta, and Japanese food.

Steinwachs found Grenache Blanc “ a weird and wonderful grape”, gigantic clusters that need lots of clipping, and scary the first time you vinify it, turning bright neon orange during fermentation!  But eventually, “all the color falls out and you get this broad textural palate but not too much aromatics, white peach, candy, and white floral notes”.  It’s what she called “summertime in a glass”, with it’s saline, mineral, stonefruit character, and this 100% 2016 Buttonwood Grenache Blanc is a stellar example of how expressive the grape is in the region, unfortunately it's a tiny production and not available to the general public.

Tara Gomez of Kitá

Expanding on white Rhône varietals, Gomez presented the 2015 Kitá T’aya blend, 57% Marsanne, 40% Roussanne, and 3% Grenache Blanc.  Gomez discussed the power of blending, “What I really like about this blend, I love Marsanne, I feel it’s not as appreciated as a varietal.  It’s a full bodied wine, it has a lot of structure to it, but where Marsanne lacks, Roussanne picks up.  I think that’s why the two are widely blended together, Marsanne has the structure, Roussanne has the aromatics and acidity, and adds more to the depth to this blend.  The same for Grenache Blanc, it has the floral aromatics and acidity.”  Here the sum of the 2015 Kitá T'aya is greater than the individual players, it’s mineral character takes on a creamy texture, sort of a lemon yogurt note, with a hint of cantalope, and a touch of oiliness that gives it a bit of weight, rounding out the wine.

Bob Lindquist of Qupé

Lindquist, a proponent of Rhône varietals in Santa Barbara County for over thirty years, weighed in on the dance between Marsanne and Roussanne in a white wine blend.  He noted, “Marsanne ages well, it’s a remarkable wine for the cellar, it has good balance.  Roussanne ages the same way, but a little richer.  Marsanne is the bass notes, Roussanne the high notes.”  Roussanne is interesting, with an evolutionary range where its youthful heady nature is interrupted after an initial bloom, going through what he called a “dumb period” where it doesn’t taste like much at all.  But after ten years, it emerges lighter in color and nutty, a savory wine with lots of character.  His 2012 Qupé Roussanne Bien Nacido Hillside Estate, 100% Roussanne, is rich, with yellow stone fruit and pear, a touch of honey, and exotic floral and earthy flourishes, and an oily texture on the palate.  Roussanne is a great food wine, perfect with seafood, poultry or pork, in addition to stinky cheese.

Sonja Magdevski of Casa Dumetz

Magdevski is smitten with Gewurztraminer, “The grape on the vine is so beautiful, tiny clusters, very pink, almost rose color when it’s ripe.”  Although most people think of Gewurztraminer as sweet, Magdevski has made it dry, “I ferment it on the skins like a red wine, destem, then 30 days of a cold soak, and it turns a deep salmon color when it’s ready to press.”  So intriguing and different, rich in color and lanolin mouthfeel, a beautiful floral perfume and ripe citrus aromatics on the nose, with balanced acidity.  As she noted, “After aging in neutral oak barrels, all of its edges, color, and intense perfume mellows out, and you get this very bold and strong wine, but I really never know what the end result will be.”  Brown observed, “I always think of Gewurztraminer as grandmother’s closet, aromatic yet spice from another generation.”  For Brown, the 2014 Casa Dumetz Gewurztraminer is an Alsatian style wine, textured, with its oxidative, floral lychee notes, “It really stimulates my palate, I can feel it on my lips.”

The Unexpected Red Wines of Santa Barbara County delved into the more unusual red varietals and ways of producing them.  Andrew Murray of Andrew Murray Vineyards, Steve Beckmen of Beckmen Vineyards, Kristin Bryden of Zaca Mesa, Scott Sampler of The Central Coast Group Project, Tyler Thomas of Star Lane, and Louis Lucas of Toccata did their best to confound what is commonly thought of as Santa Barbara County red wines.  Elaine Chukan Brown declared that Santa Barbara reds were her first loves, with “an array of varietals, various styles, and deep value”.

Andrew Murray of Andrew Murray Vineyards

Murray brought Cinsault, a varietal not well known in the US, but the fourth most widely planted grape in France.  Notably used in many Provence Rosé wines, it’s rare to see it bottled by itself.  Murray decided to play with it since it was already in the vineyard, and “I immediately fell in love with it, at once, it is rustic and sort of fruit forward, all at the same time.”  He sees a future for Cinsault, since it is “well-suited to where we are, the Goldilocks climate, and very drought and heat tolerant.”  Brown found the 2015 Andrew Murray Cinsault “spicy, earthy, with tons of flavor, focused yet light on the palate, and a kind of fresh close, it finishes clean and tight.”  Murray noted, “We get some really interesting dried fruits, sage, savory characteristics in there as well.”

Steve Beckmen of Beckmen Vineyards

Beckmen has farmed Grenache long before it was popular, for over 20 years, he has found it “so versatile, you can do so much with it, it has this incredible texture, beautiful aromatics, bright to darker fruit and spices, the flavor profile is so interesting, along with good acidity.”  Brown recognized that Beckmen “stuck it out even though the market wasn’t there”, one of the early winemakers to go all in and planted 30 acres.  She noted that the 2015 Beckmen Vineyards Grenache Santa Ynez Valley “kind of hovers in the mouth, there’s tons of concentration, so much flavor, but it doesn’t weigh your palate down, it kind of hovers and shoots through your mouth.”  With a flavor profile of pomegranate and dried berries, it’s an earthy wine with good acidity, a spice element and black pepper note.

Kristin Bryden of Zaca Mesa

Bryden offered a peek into Mourvedre, which Brown found “an interesting variety, it comes in at the later side, and can handle a range of growing conditions, but does quite well in hotter climates.”  Brown noted that Mourvedre is more fruit forward in California, but still has that distinctive meaty, gamey quality where Bryden observed “when we pick earlier, we get more red fruit tones, and an excellent perfume note, with more tannin structure.”  The 2013 Zaca Mesa Mourvedre is more on the perfumey side, which, according to Bryden, “depends on the season”.  Brown found a “mountain floral element, a wild mountain, growing in rocks, tiny little blossoms scent to it” alongside a richness to the wine.

Scott Sampler of The Central Coast Group Project

Sampler really thinks outside the box, he distinguished himself with a Syrah that tested the limits of extended maceration, 101 days to be exact.  He credited Steve Clifton with the inspiration for this style of winemaking, and it sparked a discussion on maceration times.  Brown explained, “Winemakers can choose what kind of wine they want to make, because of the long slow growing season.  It’s really easy to learn to make wine a certain way, but in reality the range of choices in the cellar and the various ways that can play out over time, in any particular vintage, is unmeasurable.”  Since Sampler makes his wines by palate, “each vintage turns out differently”.  Brown found lots of interest in the 2013 Central Coast Group Project Syrah, “This is not a typical Syrah, there is fantastic mouthfeel, an interesting chalkiness that pops up the back that I really appreciate, and so much concentration, it’s still alive, that’s a surprise.”  With dark cherry and black tea notes, it’s a dense wine that can pair with game meats, lamb, and duck.

Tyler Thomas of Dierberg Star Lane

Thomas has a passion for Cabernet Franc, and when he first came to Santa Barbara County, he saw the potential in Happy Canyon to make a straight Cab Franc wine.  He observed, “Cabernet Franc has a beautiful floral, fresh herb, bell pepper profile, we’re trying to embrace that and accentuate it.”  He regrets blending in as much Cabernet Sauvignon into the 2013 Star Lane Cabernet Franc as he did, since he felt it overwhelmed the wine.  Brown thought it was an interesting combination of supple yet firm tannins, “correctly herbal and not overly vegetal, a bit of black olive, with the texture of molé.”  It’s a work in progress, but the red fruit and fresh tobacco notes were appealing.

Louis Lucas of Lucas & Lewellen

Lucas, one of the first commercial grape growers in the region, detailed his 20 year experiment with Nebbiolo.  He found it to be “the ultimate challenge”, a very difficult grape to grow and ripen properly.  Although frustrating for a winegrower, Nebbiolo has one of the largest spectrums of both aromas and flavors, everything from tar to roses, and the Italian versions are often considered the Holy Grail for this varietal.  Brown felt that “there’s so much we don’t know about what California does well, Nebbiolo needs a lot of vine age, we have been getting successful examples from people who are willing to wait on young vines, in fact UC Davis is now recommending it as one of the varieties that can grow well here in the state.”  Lucas was not sure if he will continue with Nebbiolo, but the 2011 Toccata Nebbiolo displayed cherry and plum fruit, spice, dried berry and earth.

Scott Sampler with his unusual Central Coast Group Project wines

Winemaker Steve Clifton, who attended the red seminar, summarized it best, “Santa Barbara County has this really unique situation, on the western side, you can be drinking Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Gruner Veltliner, and Riesling, you can move into Ballard Canyon, and have unbelievable Rhône varietals, then in Los Olivos, you start edging into Bordeaux, Happy Canyon has all these things.  There’s not another place, literally in the world, where in a 30-40 mile stretch you can have all these different things.”

Thirty-six producers participated in a trade and media tasting between seminars, here are a few of my highlights that I had the opportunity to sample:

Buttonwood Syrah Rosé 2016 - umami character, long finish
Buttonwood Cabernet Franc 2013 - fabulous

Casa Dumetz GSM 2014 - nice with an edge
​Clementine Carter Grenache Gris 2015 - fresh, made with cider

Sonja Magdevski gets a taste of Challen Pinot Noir

Challen Winery Pinot Noir “Scarlett” 2014 - light and lovely
​Challen Winery Pinot Noir Bentrock Vineyard 2014 - seductive and yummy
Challen Winery Pinot Noir Zotovich Vineyard 2014

Tara Gomez displayed the range of Kitá wines

Kitá Sauvignon Blanc 2016 - tropical

Michael Larner poured his Rosé just in time for summer

Vineyard limestone is reflected in the wines and labels

Larner Estate Rosé 2016 - very good, dry
Larner “Transverse” Syrah 2014 - incredibly aromatic 
​Larner Estate Syrah 2012 - silky and dense

​La Voix Here & Heaven Chardonnay 2016 - very nice

Lumen Chardonnay Sierra Madre Vineyard 2014 - very nice

Margerum Riviera Rosé 2016 - superb, crisp
Margerum Sauvignon Blanc “Sybarite” 2015 - tropical fruit

Bob Lindquist treated those who were interested in Roussanne to an older vintage

Qupé Roussanne 2006 - so beautiful and rich, this library wine is no longer available for purchase but a great example of how well Roussanne ages

Michael Fogelman poured his very special wines

Sweetzer Cellars Presqu’ile Vineyard Chardonnay 2014 - very good, nice balance
Sweetzer Cellars La Encantada Vineyard Pinot Noir 2014 - umami character, beautiful balance
Sweetzer Cellars Rita’s Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir 2014 - fabulous

Ampelos Vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills

What stood out most is that we, as wine drinkers, need to make more road trips to Santa Barbara County wineries, and taste the differences for ourselves, to really identify the nuances of the vineyards, the clones, and the appellations.  And, of course, everyone will have their favorite style, but there is beauty in diversity, all of these wines have a place at the table.  How incredibly lucky we Angelenos are, that this wealth of wine is literally in our backyard, a mere two hour journey for some of the best wines in the world.