Two and a half hours north of Los Angeles, north of Santa Barbara, the Santa Ynez Valley opens wide along the eastern side of the Pacific Coast Highway. Here, there is a humming new energy, stemming from an emerging class of winemakers who are game to experiment, farm in more environmentally savvy ways and be playful in the work they are doing. Whereas winemaking just south in Santa Barbara comes at a premium, here land is (marginally) more accessible, giving freedom to producers to make what they want from old vines, slightly askew varieties and with their own personalities.
The Santa Ynez appellation is made up of four smaller ones: Santa Rita Hills, Ballard Canyon, Los Olivos District, and Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara, each of which has their own personalities. And many of today’s winemakers are purchasing fruit from several different corners, giving a better picture of Santa Ynez at large.
Because of this influx of wine, the town of Los Olivos has exploded with winery tasting rooms—nearly 50 of them, making it possible to bounce around, tasting the work of several winemakers one after the other. With a growing interest in the wines, there’s been a boom in restaurants in the region, as well. Here a guide to the winemakers who are defining Santa Ynez and the reservations to make well in advance for dinner.
Wineries
Lady of the Sunshine & Scar of the Sea
This pair of hers and his wineries represent some of the more exciting winemaking in California right now. With a shared winery space up in San Luis Obispo, Gina and Mikey Giugni produce wines with distinct styles and outlooks. Since 2017 Gina’s been making her Lady of the Sunshine wines from biodynamic vineyards (one of which, Chene, she owns and farms herself) in several areas of California, including exuberant Sauvignon Blanc from Ballard Canyon in Santa Ynez. Mikey’s Scar of the Sea project, which Gina is also a crucial part of, focuses on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from characterful old, organic vineyards he’s sought out around Santa Barbara County. For now, the two do not have a tasting room, but Gina recommends sitting for dinner at SY Kitchen or Nella in Santa Ynez to try them with food. Their wines are also available, in limited supply, through their websites.
Stolpman Vineyards
In the ’90s, Pete Stolpman’s parents planted vineyards on a prized site on a cool hillside in Santa Ynez’s Ballard Canyon and area that was largely unexplored at the time. And since 2009, Peter’s run the show, with his wife Jessica. Their home vineyard has proven an excellent site for Rhône grapes, like Roussanne, Grenache and Syrah, though Stolpman is constantly experimenting with other varieties, all farmed organically. His estate wines are made in a more classic style and have become benchmarks for the area, whereas his more recent project, So Fresh, with names like Love You Bunches and Syrah So Hot, is centered around younger, livelier wines to drink right away. Stolpman has two separate tasting rooms in Los Olivos; book tastings on the website or to get closer to the grapes themselves, reserve an hour-long morning hike through the foggy vines in Ballard Canyon.
Holus Bolus
Peter Hunken had his start as assistant at Stolpman, but in 2008 he lit out on his own with Holus Bolus, joined by his wife Amy Christine. Holus Bolus became a study in Syrah from distinct vineyard parcels from throughout Santa Barbara, the wines achieving balance between the ripeness from the southern California sun and freshness from the coast. In 2014, the two purchased an old cow pasture in a magical spot in the western reaches of the Santa Rita Hills, in Santa Ynez, and have transformed the property into in an organic vineyard, called the Joy Fantastic, from which they produce cool-climate single-vineyard Pinot Noir and Syrah. Their small tasting room in Los Olivos is primarily open on the weekends, with reservations available on their website.
Solminer
Anna and David Dalaski escaped LA for an old farmhouse on a vineyard in Los Olivos a decade ago and they’ve been farming it organically and biodynamically ever since. In a departure from many of their neighbors, the Dalaskis have opted to primarily grow Austrian grape varieties, like white Grüner Veltliner and Blaufränkisch, a spicy, light-bodied red. From the Grüner they make a typical zippy white, as well as an orange wine, blended with Muscat and Riesling, that’s worth exploring. Solminer’s spacious tasting room is in downtown Los Olivos, with reservations available on their website
Tatomer
Few in Santa Barbara county have given Riesling the kind of attention that Graham Tatomer has over the last 14 years and the wines show his expertise when it comes to the grape. Having trained in Austria’s Wachau with Emmerich Knoll, Tatomer has an eye for the many different faces of Riesling (and Grüner Veltliner, too). His bottlings, made from grapes sourced from various parts of Santa Ynez and Santa Barbara, can range from light and brazenly acidic to broader and with a little bit of sweetness. Tastings are by appointment only at winery in Santa Maria (north of Los Olivos) and must be booked in advance.
