Having not lived in SoCal for 5+ years (egad!), I am going back for a quick family visit and will have one day to tour Santa Barbara wine country. What would be your top 5 suggestions?
I started my list of considerations with these:
Melville
Dragonette Cellars (used to work with John Dragonette and Brandon Sparks-Gillis)
Loring Wine Co.
Cargasacchi (I emailed requesting an appointment.)
Jonata (Do they offer tastings? I have emailed them.)
Foxen
Sea Smoke
Blackjack
Well, if you get into Cargasacchi, he is practically next door to Dragonette (who is with Ampelos - also a good one to visit). When driving back towards the 101 you can try to see if you can get into Clos Pepe; if you can do Loring too, that is all in that area.
If you go to Melville, I like Dierberg which is nearby. Foxen never seems to taste the good stuff and it is a distance from the Lompoc/Santa Rosa Rd wineries you listed.
Don’t know about Jonata, and unless you’re a C1 I don’t think you’ll get into Sea Smoke. You may also want to try to catch Larry Schaffer and taste either Fess Parker or Tercero with him.
Most of the places you’ve listed are in the Lompoc area so you might want to stick to that locale. As Bruce recommended, try Ampelos while you’re at Dragonette. Both will require an appointment. So will most of the others - Cargasacchi, Loring, Sea Smoke, Jonata. Melville and Dierberg have regular tasting rooms, a few miles east on Hwy. 246. Others in the “Lompoc Wine Ghetto” area include Flying Goat and Palmina. Arcadian is in a facility not too far away, along Santa Rosa Road, and they share it with D’Alfonso-Curran, Clos Pepe, Cold Heaven, and Prodigal. If you have time, you could head 30 minutes north to Santa Maria and taste with Larry Schaffer and also stop at Core.
I know that’s too many for one day, so take your pick of your favorites - don’t think you’ll go wrong with any of the above.
Are you referring to D’Alfonso Curran’s winemaking facilities or their tasting room? Because their tasting room is in Solvang at Trio.
Personally, if I had one day in the area, I would do a tasting with Arcadian, Sea Smoke (if you have the capability since this isn’t exactly open to the public), maybe Melville, and then I would go sit comfortably the rest of the day at the Tastes of the Valleys in Solvang where you can get tastes of pretty much everything the valley has to offer, (namely Au Bon Climat, Arcadian, Margerum and more) Keeps you from having to drive up and down 246 which is often a CHP trap.
But of course if you can get to the others on your list, then by all means, those are fantastic wine makers.
try the Curran wines @ Trio…really great stuff
Alex,
Lots to see and taste around here, for sure! If you want to stick to the Lompoc area, I would hit Carg, Dragonette/Ampelos, Loring, Palmina, and then decide if you want to come back the Santa Rosa Road way and hit Alma Rose, Sanford, and LaFond, or the Hwy 246 way and hit Melville, Babcock, and possibly Dierberg/Starlane . . .
If you want to ‘maximize tasting’ and you don’t mind just going to tasting rooms, not sure you can go wrong with Los Olivos - Qupe, Stolpman, Andrew Murray, Tensley/Carina, Byron, Epiphany, Evans Ranch, and more opening soon . . .
Drop me a line if you’d like and I’d be happy to help out!
Cheers!
Yes, I’m referring to the winemaking facilities - I’ve been to Trio as well, but I wouldn’t pass up tasting with Kris & Bruno at their winery if the opportunity is there. And as mentioned, Arcadian, Clos Pepe, etc. are in the same facility (at least they were when I visited there about 18 months ago).
Samsara would be another good visit in Lompoc if you can arrange it.
ken,
i believe clos pepe moved out of there, as did cold heaven . . .
that leaves arcadian, prodigal, and bruno and cris - still a great group to visit fo sure!
cheers!
Thanks for the update, Larry! Where’s Wes making his wine these days? And Morgan too…
morgan is making her wines in buellton, where kenneth crawford used to be . . . they’ve moved to another facility in buellton
wes, I believe, is making his wines in lompoc somewhere . . .
cheers!
Wes is making his wine off of laurel in Lompoc where flying goat is. Also ampelos and dragonnette is open on saturdays from 11am to 4pm so you don’t need an appointment.
Thanks for correcting me, Rebecca. I should know better since I was just there last week!
Thank you so much to everyone.
Will not be in SB until at least 2/11, so I welcome any other suggestions from fellow (and lady) berserkers. ![[berserker.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/8600bbd4810d342b8fbd4ffb62b4f0026275fd37.gif "berserker"){kind=small}
Don’t forget Pali.
We are just up the street from Ampelos/Dragonette and the Carg. We share a building with Loring.
Pali is open Friday and Saturday 11-4. Appointments available any other time/day.
I will be there all weekend (fri, sat, sun). Please stop by.
On the way up to wine country, you can stop by Jaffurs in the city of SB. Excellent wines and people…
I’ll be around on Sat 2/13. I have groups coming at 10AM and 11AM - you’d be welcome to join up with either of them.
I <3 Santa Barbara wine country in a ridiculous way… If I had one day of tasting here’s what I’d do (other than cry that I didn’t have at least 2 days):
In town (Santa Barbara)
Up in actual Wine Country
A lot of great Rec’s. I would add these two as well, Beckmen and Longoria. The 07 Longoria Santa Rita Pinot is insanley good.
Thank you so very much, everyone. The weather here was great for my flight to San Diego, however, my aircraft was grounded elsewhere amid the snowstorm on the eastern seaboard. Trip postponed until sometime between 3/10 and 3/14.
Will reconfirm and hope to see you then! Thank you again. everyone. ![[worship.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/9/99a8907a1d5b3c023582052741dc72dc9823c044.gif "worship"){kind=small}
3/10 - 3/14?!?!?!
That should put you here during Berserkerfest!
Plans should be made MUCH easier!!!
Cheers!