Santa Barbera wineries- Need advice

[xring01]

We are Heading up there this weekend for my 25th wedding anniversary...

Sea Smoke is a pmace I want to visit, but I dont know if they even have a tasting room..

any pmaces that ate a must see? Any places to avoid?

 

[ibglowin]

I was just in the area a couple weeks ago. I have a Sideways Tour de California thread. We spent one day in the Solvang, Buellton area among others.

https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/sideways-tour-de-california.69858/#post-735538

Sea Smoke is list only. Wineries like that are usually only open to list members and only on special weekends when Fall or Spring allocations are being picked up at the winery.

We went to Fess Parker back in 2005. Didn't hit it this time around but its a nice enough place and the fees are not too bad IIRC.

We found better wines a little north SLO and Paso Robles area IMHO.

 

[xring01]

I will check it out

I used to be on Sea Smoke list, but the quality went down for awhile, felt they where overpriced, so I cancelled, hoping to try some of the newer stuff, see if it got better.

 

[ibglowin]

The best Pinot's we tasted were up the road at Tolosa just south of SLO.

 

[sour_grapes]

Pardon my ignorance, but can you tell me what a pmace is?

 

[Johnd]

Pardon my ignorance, but can you tell me what a pmace is?

Like a place, but with an “m” instead of an “l”........

 

[sour_grapes]

Like a place, but with an “m” instead of an “l”........

Oh, jeez, I think you are right! It was too close to "pomace" for me to see the simple (repeated) typo.

 

[Cellar_Dweller]

One of my favorite varietals is Pinot Noir, and though I've tried, I can't make one that I really enjoy from a kit. Some have been drinkable, but not very complex. So, I spent a lot of money trying find "affordable" commercial pinots that measured up. Only found a few. Then we traveled to the SB county area and discovered the Rhone varietals that dominate the region. We just don't get the "good stuff" in Colorado. Much of it is only sold through the wine clubs or only seems to be available in Cali. As a side benefit, Syrah has become a real favorite.

I've tried Sea Smoke, and it is excellent, but they don't have a tasting room. As a alternative, we set out to try Foxen, and were pleasantly suprized. Very good!! And about half the price of the smoke. The pinots from the single vineyards are definitely worth seeking out. We joined their wine club.

We started out on the north end of Foxen Canyon Road, and drove south. The Foxen wineries (yes, there are two) are near the north end, and we worked our way south. There are a lot of other wineries along the way. Some of our favorites are Andrew Murray (very good value), Zaca Mesa (try the Rousanne) and Fess Parker. Foxen Canyon Road ends near the little town of Los Olivos, that is the home of many tasting rooms. So take your pick. It is a wonderful wine region to explore. We appreciated the kind of laid-back vibe in the region, as compared to some of the wineries up north. Have fun and enjoy!

 

[Boatboy24]

Haven't made that trip, but am a fan of Zaca Mesa and Fess Parker.

 

[Stressbaby]

Daughter is in grad school at UCSB and easily the prettiest place we've found (so far) is Brick Barn. https://www.brickbarnwineestate.com/