I know...sorry for the title. Couldn't resist. Indeed, as you set foot in Santa Barbara County wine country, you can't help but notice that you're surrounded by relics from Miles' and Jack's raunchy rumpus from the famous book and movie.
That much of Santa Barbara's wine country - Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Maria Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Happy Canyon, collectively - remains virtually unchanged from the
Sideways story backdrop was a bit of a surprise...but a welcome one. As close as the region is to Los Angeles, it remains pretty rural, almost podunk, in a good way. My wife and I, along with some good friends, were there last May for a half-marathon, and outside of the race festivities, it was fairly quiet.
Like all California wine country, the weather was perfect and the scenery inspiring. But as compared to, say, Napa (or even Sonoma), the vibe is more casual. Very few tasting rooms or restaurants required a reservation, and we were as likely to sip wine next to someone is jeans and boots as someone in cashmere and Italian shoes.
And the wine? This was the real surprise to me. Other regions may have a better "best" but, top to bottom, the wines of Santa Barbara were excellent. Some of the best I've had. And although the region is best known for Pinot Noir (and they were very good), I was most impressed by the big reds: Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Grenache and blends. Many wineries were also pouring crisp whites, from Chardonnay to Viognier.
But rather than blabber on about my experience, I've decided to share it with pictures. Below is a photo-journaling of our Santa Barbara experience. Credits to my better half, who is also a better photographer.
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| Entrance to Au Bon Climat tasting room in Santa Barbara. Outstanding values in Pinot Noir and Chardonay. |
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| We had a pre-race dinner (for me, anyway) at Julienne in Santa Barbara. A quaint, but top-notch farm to table restaurant. Small but interesting local wine list. |
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| Just one of many breathtaking views along Highway 101 between Santa Barbara and Lompoc. |
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| The chilly, foggy starting line of the Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon in the rustic town of Santa Ynez. Corkscrew Hill sucked, but I set a PR...and my legs wanted to fall off afterwards. |
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| Nothing rewards a runner post race like a piping hot stack of pancakes. The famous Paula's Pancake House was worth the hype...and the 1.5 hour wait. |
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| LinCourt Winery |
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| Barrel Room at LinCourt |
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| A "wow" big red: LinCourt's Cabernet Sauvignon |
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| No, that's not a wine label, goober! That's an incredibly detailed doormat. |
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| Beckmen Vineyards |
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| By far, the most crowded tasting room of the trip...and for good reason. |
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| Even their olives taste good. |
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| Biodynamically-farmed vineyards |
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| Quaint Beckmen tasting room |
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| Byron's swanky new tasting room. Their Pinots and Chards are reliably good. |
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| The (in)famous Hitching Post restaurant. No, Maya was not working. |
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| Babcock winery |
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| Babcock tasting room |
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| Entrance to Melville winery. Very distinct and delicious estate wines. |
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| Poppies blooming between vineyard rows. |
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| Melville winery & tasting room |
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| Foley Estates. High-end Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. |
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| Foley tasting room |
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| Firestone-Walker Brewery and Restaurant. Awesome pale ales and pizza. |
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| Loring Wine Co. tasting room in the spartan Lompoc Wine Ghetto. |
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| Festive picture at La Botte Italian Restaurant in Lompoc. |
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| Vineyards in Santa Maria Valley North of Lompoc |
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| Cambria Winery |
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| The only place to find a meal in Santa Maria Valley, apparently. Turns out they had good sandwiches. |
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| The "new" Foxen Winery and tasting room, where they pour their famous Pinots, Chards, Syrahs, etc. |
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| The foxen 7200 shack, where they serve slightly obscure but equally delicious wines, like Tempranillo and Cab Franc. |
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| Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyards = tasty Rhone-style wines |
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| Ferocious fowl guard the Zaca Mesa tasting room |
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| The pearly gates to Demetria Estate. Quite possibly the most beautiful place in the world. |
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| Demetria Estate winery |
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| Demetria tasting room - seriously. |
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| Wines were so good, those 1 oz. pours didn't last long. I liked the Riesling, Cuvee Papou, Pantheon and Constantine. |
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| Our farewell dinner was at Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Cafe. |
