1 Bien Nacido Vineyards 

As one of the most historic well-known vineyards in the region, Bien Nacido Vineyards is truly a legend in Santa Barbara County. This is because of their grape growing and selling to some of the most prestigious wineries in the region. Plus, they produce their own wines too. 

 

Bien Nacido Vineyards is cool-climate vineyard on the central coast of California. Located midway up the Santa Maria Valley, it is known for growing Burgundian and Rhone varieties of wine grapes. Bien Nacido has the distinction of being one of the major viticultural nurseries in the state for certified, varietal budwood. Most of the vines were originally from stock grown by the University of California at Davis.

 

While the average increase block in California is less than 10 acres (40,000 m2), Bien Nacido Vineyards has several hundred acres of certified Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot and a number of other varieties. Much of the Chardonnay planted in California in the last twenty years began as Bien Nacido Vineyards cuttings. Bien Nacido Vineyards produces an estate wine program run by Trey Fletcher. The focus of the estate program is to showcase specific, small blocks of the larger vineyard, in a very holistic approach. The winery produces around 1400 cases annually of Pinot Noir, Syrah and Chardonnay. Additionally, a small portion of wine is made exclusively from the famous X Block, Old Vines and from a monopole block called The Captain.

One of the oldest cool-climate vineyards in California and home of the world’s most single vineyard designations, Bien Nacido Vineyard has been an acclaimed source of world-glass grapes and estate wine since its founding in 1973 by brothers Stephen and Bob Miller.

 

info@biennacidoestate.com 805-318-6640 2963 Grand Ave, Los Olivos, Ca 93441  https://biennacidoestate.com/

 

2 Beckmen Vineyards

A longstanding property in Santa Barbara wine country,  Beckmen Vineyards more than ten years ago on a trip with friends. Beckmen was started by Tom and Judy Beckmen who were pioneers in the electronic music business as founders of Roland Corp, US. The winery began back in 1994 as their wines have even been served at the White House.

 

 

Their estate vineyard is located in the Bal­lard Canyon AVA and is a 365 acre (125 acres plant­ed), cer­ti­fied Bio­dy­nam­ic site named the Purisi­ma Moun­tain Vine­yard. Com­prised most­ly of clay and clay loam, with vary­ing amounts of grav­el, this site also has lime­stone sub­soil. The new wines by Beckmen were really good across the board.

Savor wine by the bot­tle at a pri­vate pic­nic gaze­bo over­look­ing their vine­yard and ponds. Wine tast­ings are not avail­able at this loca­tion; bot­tle ser­vice only. Winery owners encour­age you to bring food with you since food is not avail­able for pur­chase at their vine­yard. Space is lim­it­ed, so advanced reser­va­tions are strong­ly rec­om­mend­ed.

 

2670 Ontiveros Road Los Olivos, CA 93441 Phone: (805) 688 – 8664 ext. 200 Hours: Daily 11am – 5pm reservations recommended.  Website: www.beckmenvineyards.com/

 

3 Riverbench Vineyard

in 1973, Riverbench Vineyard & Winery was established in the Santa Maria Valley when its first Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes were planted on the property. Since then, they have built a reputation for outstanding Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and sparkling wines by enhancing the natural qualities through fermentation and aging in French oak barrels. Take in the vineyard views in a restored 1920s craftsman-style house on the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail. There is also event space available for meetings, conventions, weddings and receptions.

 

The Riverbench vineyard, also part of the.Foxen Canyon Wine Trail , consists of 115 acres of Pinot Noir and 15 acres of Chardonnay and is home to winemaker Clarissa Nagy who first fell in love with the aromas of Pinot Noir in 1995. Although that’s the year she graduated with a degree in Food Science from California Polytechnic State University, her love for all things organic grew from a young age. Her southern California family was invested in using minimum of preservatives on their food and when she graduated, she knew right away she aspired to become the best winemaker of Pinot Noir.

 

 

Known for her elegant and sophisticated winemaking style, prior to being the winemaker at Riverbench Winery, she held positions in Edna Valley Vineyards, Byron Winery, Longoria Winery and Bonaccorsi Wine Company. With each harvest she continues to pursue a unique style while never losing focus on keeping the fruit fresh.

Take in Santa Barbara wine country views from Riverbench Vineyard tasting room – a restored 1920’s craftsman style house on the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail. Vineyard  garden, with a bocce ball court and horseshoe pit, is ideal for a wine country picnic.

6020 Foxen Canyon Rd, Santa Maria, CA 93454    – https://riverbench.com/

 

4 Cambria Estate Vineyard & Winery

Cambria wines faithfully express the unique stamp of one of the finest cool-climate crus in California. All grapes from our Estate Vineyards are certified under the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance and Sustainability in Practice.

Cambria Estate Winery is one of Santa Maria Valley and Santa Barbara County’s most iconic, storied wineries dating back to 1986 when it was founded by wine icon Jess Jackson and his wife Barbara Banke. Today, the winery remains family-owned and operated, with daughters Julia and Katie Jackson serving as co-proprietors

Operated by a team proud to be stewards of this remarkable property, each wine Cambria produces is 100 percent estate, fully revealing the essence of the Santa Maria Bench. Located at the northern end of Santa Barbara County, Cambria’s estate vineyards thrive on the foothills of the largest east-west oriented valley on the West Coast. With the Pacific Ocean just 15 miles away, coastal air and fog temper the sun that shines on south-facing vineyards. As a level 1 climate, it is one of the coolest wine-growing regions in the world, while the long growing season results in fully developed and concentrated flavors in the fruit. Fourteen different types of soil make up four distinct vineyards on just over 1,600 acres. Cambria also sits along the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail.

 

A family heritage filled with a love for wine and the land in the Santa Maria Valley, the Jackson family is a true vineyard family. Named after the two Jackson daughters, Katherine and Julia each have their own vineyard. From the vineyard managers and founders, to their winemaker Jill Delariva Russell, they are all a tight knit vineyard family focused on honoring the generations that loved this land before them by leaving a minimal footprint, so the land can be shared with future generations. With an effort to produce world-class wines in a sustainable way, winemaker Jill Delariva Russell embodies this responsibility in pursuit of the perfect cool climate wine. Jill’s love for wine began when she became a server at a winery. She pursued her love for wine at the California Polytechnic State University where she studied wine and viticulture.

 

During her college years she traveled throughout winegrowing regions in California to learn more about winemaking. With a learning and hands-on mindset, Jill spent some time working a harvest at a local winery in Adelaide, Australia and has since then had the opportunity to make wine in France.

 

Jill’s first loves–that’s right, there’s two–is Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Although she has tasted and made wine in several parts of the world, the Santa Maria Valley’s cool-climate is ideal for her winemaking journey. You can find Jill perfecting Cambria’s Chardonnays to pair with a steak or her beloved Pinot Noir while enjoying the coastal breeze in the Santa Maria Valley. Note: As Cambria Winery finish up their renovations, tastings will be hosted in their cellar amongst the barrels. Hours are: Sat – Sun from 10 am – 4 pm

 

Fortunately, Cambria Estate Vineyard & Winery is pretty close to Byron so we suggest visiting them back to back. Plus, Cambria has a tasting room, as well as their yummy wines and a fabulous valley view.  Simply tasting the wines in the tasting room, and finding your favorite one. Then, you can grab a bottle to relax and enjoy the most beautiful valley view in the region. located at 5475 Chardonnay Ln, Santa Maria, CA 93454 — https://www.cambriawines.com

 

 

5 Presqu’ile Winery 

In 2007, we undertook extensive research to find the best land possible suited to growing Pinot Noir. The adventure spanned from Oregon to the Russian River and ultimately landed in the Santa Maria Valley, where we acquired 200 acres of land to establish what is now Presqu’ile Winery.

Presqui’le Winery is quite possibly the most beautiful winery in the region also making beautiful incredible wines. Dieter and the Murphy family, owners of Presqu’ile, built the winery and tasting room from the ground-up, to their exacting specifications. The result is a world-class, gravity fed winemaking operation focusing on exhibiting fascinating Pinots, Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs Dieter Cronje isn’t shy about what he needs as a winemaker – more storage! In helping build Presqu’ile Winery from the ground up, he’s acutely aware of the needs of his vineyard. As he puts it, “the problem is, an empty barrel of air takes up the same space as a full barrel!

located in the heart of Santa Barbara County, Presqu’ile (pronounced press-KEEL) is a small, family-run winery. After searching high and low along the west coast of the country, in 2007 the most perfectly diverse land was found on the hills of the Santa Maria Valley. Following this extensive quest, the Murphy family, Santa Barbara County Vineyard Manager Jim Stollber and winemaker Dieter Cronje, planned a winemaker’s dream, which the world now knows as the Presqu’ile Vineyard & Winery. Presqu’ile which means “almost an island,” in French was named after a property the Murphy family lost to Hurricane Katrina.

 

Winemaker Dieter Cronje’s love for wine traces back to his family. A South Africa native, Dieter’s passion for winemaking was encouraged by his father – who to this day remains as one of his biggest inspirations. He pursued an education in winemaking at the globally renowned Elsenburg Agricultural college in South Africa and had the opportunity to be mentored by renowned winemaker Richard Kershaw. Richard was the first winemaker Dieter ever worked with hence gaining a lot valuable knowledge from one of the best. As if taken from a movie scene, when Dieter sipped on a glass of 1997 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche, he realized he wanted to spend the rest of his life making Pinot Noir.

 

He continued his winemaking journey working in Kanu vineyards and continued to travel throughout the world, stopping by Burgundy and Champagne in France where he continued to learn the ins and outs of winemaking. One of his destinations was a custom crush facility in the Santa Maria Valley, where he vowed to return and soon after, he returned as an assistant winemaker for Ambullneo. As he fell in love with the cool Santa Maria Valley climate. He continued his education and earned his degree in enology and cellar technology.

Throughout his time at Ambullneo, and a few shared bottles of wine, Dieter and Matt Murphy realized they both were on the life journey to make the best Pinot Noir in the region. Dieter’s first wine vintage was in 2004 and 2019 will mark his 18th harvest. Whether it’s his first or 18th harvest, Dieter always has the same goal – to make wine in as pure a way as possible by emphasizing the Santa Maria Valley grapes’ unique qualities. His favorite part about the entire winemaking process is fermentation because that’s the part of the process which makes wine what is is.

 

Although most winemakers share the same goal – making the most delicious wine in the region – Dieter explains each winemaker interprets a vineyard differently. That, cellar dynamics and the transverse Santa Maria Valley’s cooler climate is what creates a vast plethora of interesting and overall elegant wines. Dieter’s love for Pinot Noir and the Santa Maria Valley became the perfect clash on his winemaking journey. Even though he was born and raised in a different continent, he has felt at home and as an integral part of the community since day one. Today, he continues to make elegant wines and perfecting his Pinot Noirs

 

Open weekdays 12 pm – 5pm (closed on Tuesday) and weekends 11:30 am – 5 pm. reservations@presquilewine.com or (805) 937-8110  located at 5391 Presqu’ile Drive Santa Maria, CA 93455  

Would you like to experience Self-Guided Santa Maria & Foxen Canyon Limousine Winery Tours?

Let Us Help You Plan the Perfect Temecula  Wine Tour. We offer Luxurious Private Wine Tours to Santa marina, Ca from Los Angeles and surrounding cities. We have a great reputation with all the best local wineries, and we can assist you in planning your event. On the big day, the pressure will be off, and you can take it easy! Kickoff your celebration or corporate event kicking up dirt on a vineyard tour. There are numerous stops on this tour. Guests can expect to see gorgeous mountain views, enjoy five beverages and a charcuterie board for each vehicle rented, take advantage of numerous photo opportunities,  So, what are you waiting for? Let’s go get some wine and have a great time