By Katherine Gould
Many people remember fondly the early days of the Napa Valley, when a couple could spend a lazy weekend wandering here and there, sampling wine and sharing devotion to the grape with dedicated winemakers. But then Napa got famous, and expensive, and the personal touch was lost in the crush of tipsy tourists.
Those genteel days of wine and friendship haven’t disappeared, they’ve just moved south. Some of the most interesting wines are being made in the Santa Ynez and Santa Maria valleys in Santa Barbara County. There are a few famous names in the area: Firestone, established by the heir to the tire fortune; and Fess Parker, the winery created by TV’s Daniel Boone. These wineries are large and their wines are available across the nation. Delve further and you’ll find the tiny gems, small operations where winemakers craft out of love of the grape, with little ambition beyond their own tasting rooms and the approval of other wine lovers.
Bedford Thompson produces excellent varietals, including syrah, cabernet franc, gewürztraminer, and pinot gris. Andrew Murray Vineyards is so small the winery itself isn’t open to the public most of the year. But they keep a tasting room in the diminutive town of Los Olivos. The only exclusively Rhone varietal estate in the region, Andrew Murray produces very small amounts of wines such as syrah, roussanne, and esperance.
Foxen, whose tasting room is a sort-of-converted barn by the side of Foxen Canyon Road, is known for high-quality, handmade wines, and a tasting room filled with pictures of the owners and their friends. It isn’t much to look at—the pens and ramps for loading cattle for market are just a few feet away—but you can tell from the pack of cars outside that what’s inside is worth stopping for.
One of my favorites is Rancho Sisquoc Winery. Long known as producers of full-bodied, moderately priced wines, Rancho Sisquoc has in the last few years been exhibiting star power. Of particular note is the 1999 Cellar Select Meritage, which won the prestigious Best Bordeaux Blend in California and Best of Class awards at the 2002 California State Fair.
So take a drive north to Santa Barbara County, and see what the future of California wine looks like. And who knows, you might even meet a vintner or two, just like back in the good old days.