#ST RITA HILLS PLUS#

(If you were to follow this all the way north, a beautiful though rather long drive, it would bring you to the foodie hub of Los Alamos.) Just a few minutes up Drum Canyon is the modernized barn that’s home to the tasting room for both the Dierberg and Star Lane brands. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.įarther down 246, with the vineyard-covered hills rippling on all sides, lies Drum Canyon Road. It’s appointment-only, but easy to book.ĭierberg tasting room associate Jessica Rookhuyzen delivers a bottle of 2018 Star Lane Rose to the outdoor tasting room patio on Saturday, April 20, 2019, in Lompoc, Ca. But most have moved on and begun to appreciate the winery’s extremely fresh and vibrant wines. The property became a bit controversial when Pence succeeded in extending the appellation eastward by a couple miles to include his property.

The first estate winery that appears is Pence Vineyards, which was first planted by Blair Pence in 2006. The winery makes a wide range of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, including bottlings of specific vineyard blocks.Īs you head down Highway 246 out of Buellton, the landscape goes from flatlands to sharply sloping hills. Along this road is Sanford Winery, originally built by Richard Sanford but now owned by the Terlato family for almost 15 years. Then head back on Santa Rosa Road, which cuts through the southern edge of the appellation, where grapes were first grown at Sanford & Benedict Vineyard. Erick Madrid/Special to The ChronicleĬontinue into Lompoc for a bite to eat at Scratch Kitchen, Valle Fresh or Central Coast Provisions. Sanford Winery The 2017 Rose of Pinot Noir at Sanford Winery on Thursday, April 4, 2019, in Lompoc, Ca. It’s located in a quickly gentrifying warehouse zone of Buellton off of Industrial Way, which is the eastern opening to the appellation. Alma Rosa produces a number of single-vineyard expressions.

Sanford and Michael Benedict had planted their eponymous vineyard more than 30 years earlier. Rita Hills, both geographically and historically, is to stop by Alma Rosa Winery, which was founded in 2005 by Richard Sanford, one of the region’s pioneers.

#ST RITA HILLS PLUS#

There are dozens of tasting rooms plus beer and booze options all within a few blocks. The very casual Industrial Eats is one of the best restaurants in the county, while the Hitching Post II steakhouse is iconic for grilled meats. On the east end, along Highway 101, is Buellton, which is quickly becoming an epicurean hub. On the west end is Lompoc, home to a number of modest hotels, Mexican eateries and a slow-growing culinary scene featuring Scratch Kitchen and Valle Fresh. On each side of the region are two towns. And in the middle are the actual Santa Rita Hills, where numerous vineyards cling to chalky cliffs but few tasting rooms exist. On the northern flank are the Purisima Hills, where estates along Highway 246 such as Melville and Babcock helped establish the region’s reputation. (The cannabis farms and their bright white hoop houses are starting to change the aesthetics a bit, though.)

There are a handful of tasting rooms on Santa Rosa Road, but even just driving through this area is a beautiful experience in any season. (Thanks to a lawsuit from Santa Rita winery in Chile, the appellation has to abbreviate Santa Rita.) On the southern edge, along Santa Rosa Road, are the Santa Rosa Hills this is where Richard Sanford and Michael Benedict planted their Sanford & Benedict Vineyard in 1971 and discovered that the area was perfect for Pinot Noir. Rita Hills AVA, which was created in 2001, making it the first sub-appellation of the greater Santa Ynez Valley. There are really three sets of hills in the Sta.

St rita hills