Paradise Redefined: Santa Barbara Wineries

Victor Gallegos, the general manager at legendary Sea Smoke, describes a five-mile swath of land in Santa Barbara County along the Santa Ynez Range as a literal "sweet spot" for nurturing and raising fruit that becomes lucious red wine, especially Pinot Noir. The secret lies in a geographic anomaly.

"This is the only east-west coastal range in the Western hemisphere," he explains. The effect on daily climate and fog fluctuations is profound, thus making quite obvious why Santa Barbara wineries, occupying a distinctly finite area, are flourishing.

HinsdaleCellars.com is pleased to count many of the very finest wines produced in Santa Barbara County and its appelations -- Santa Maria Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Rita Hills -- among those comprising an all-star lineup offered to our customers. Mostly, it's  Pinot Noir, but there also are excellent Chardonnays and Syrahs in the mix. And Santa Barbara and its wineries, along the Central Coast, present a fabulous alternative to typical Napa and Sonoma tours, but is no longer a secret in the aftermath of the superbly entertaining and enlightening blockbuster film Sideways, set in the Santa Barbara region.

The Santa Barbara wineries summarized below are generating some of the most in-demand premium wine in the world:

Sea Smoke: Consistently a producer of the truly cult status Pinot Noir in recent years, specifically Sea Smoke Botella, Southing and Ten. In fact, advance sales of the unreleased 2005 vintage have been going on for months even though the wine is not to be in circulation until the fourth quarter of 2007. It is one of the most celebrated Santa Barbara wineries for good reason. "We are kind of in the beginning stages of very long learning process," Gallegos tells us. "This is a big piece of property (350 acres). There are about, more or less, 157,000 vines on this property -- 24 vineyard blocks, five different soil values, three root stocks. ... Our wines have done better every year because the vineyard is gaining age and complexity."

Fiddlehead: You could guess from the name of her fine wines that Kathy Joseph has what one journalist described as “out-of-control hair and a mad laugh.” She also has a way with Pinot Noir and an insistence to release only the best. She grows many of her prized grapes on an estate winery in Santa Barbara County’s Santa Rita Hills. Joseph's mission is described thusly: "Fiddlehead’s Estate Pinot Noir hails from a little slice of winegrape heaven in Santa Rita Hills, called Fiddlestix, a vineyard we own with great pride. Nestled between two other ultra-premium vineyards (Sanford & Benedict and Sea Smoke), Fiddlestix is the quintessential Pinot Noir dream vineyard. In a narrow slot of the Santa Rita Hills AVA, located at the western end of the transverse-oriented Santa Ynez Valley, our vines enjoy morning fog, mild sunny days, cool, ocean breezes and brisk evenings. The vineyard is planted to Pinot Noir, and Pinot Noir only. We meticulously farm to produce grapes of distinction, and yields are carefully controlled to produce unsurpassed Pinot Noir quality." What else is to be said? 

Piedrasassi: Winemaker Sashi Moorman is making his name in Santa Barbara County by producing acclaimed Syrah, clearly demonstrating that elegant wines from the region are not limited to Pinot Noir.Reviewing the 2003 Piedrasassi Santa Ynez Valley Syrah, critic Robert Parker Jr., praised a wine that "exhibits an opaque purple color as well as a gorgeous perfume of mocha-infused, peppery blackberries, and cassis, an opulent, layered attack and mid-palate, and a full-bodied, lush, voluptuous finish. This is a stunningly complex, rich wine."

Loring Wine Co.: Brian Loring credits Calera founder Josh Jensen for opening his eyes to the merits of making Pinot Noir in California. Specifically, Loring works his magic by sourcing superior fruit from selected wineries in Santa Barbara County and Monterey County. His Santa Barbara gems include Pinots born of grapes from Clos Pepe Vineyard in Santa Rita Hills and Rancho Ontiveros Vineyard the Santa Maria Valley.

Siduri: Winemakers Adam and Dianna Lee are native Texans who have embraced the vineyards of California, including Cargasacchi Vineyard in Santa Barbara Country. Cargasacchi-bred Pinot is known as a big and concentrated. The 2004 Siduri release had less alcohol and a bit more elegance than previous issues, say the Lees, which works well on the mid-palate with an assortment of cranberry and cherries. There’s even a smoky hint, with velvety tannins and the trademark long finish.