Santa Barbara wine country

[CalHorn]

The GF and I are heading up to the SB wine country in a couple weeks for a long weekend. We were up there once before and hit the west side of the valley (Melville, Sanford, Fiddlehead, LaFond, Foley, etc.). We're thinking that this time we'll hit the east side of the valley and focus on the wineries (or tasting rooms) along Foxen Canyon Road and in Los Olivos.

Any recommendations? We're not necessarily looking for the places with the best or most expensive wines. Rather, we're looking to hit wineries that aren't too commercialized, that put out good product and give a lot of bang for the buck, and which have nice grounds or picnic areas.

The plan is to hit Los Olivos on Friday after we get up there. Possibilities include Longoria, Verdad (Spanish grapes), Andrew Murray, Stolpman and Carhartt, but if anyone has recommendations for other tasting rooms in Los Olivos, I'm all ears.

On Saturday, we'll hit the east end of the valley. We'll probably play it loose in terms of where we go, but I was thinking that Koehler, Zaca Mesa, Rancho Sisquoc, Foxen and Cambria are prime possibilities. Again, any recommendations or advice?

[cctxfan]

The GF and I are heading up to the SB wine country in a couple weeks for a long weekend. We were up there once before and hit the west side of the valley (Melville, Sanford, Fiddlehead, LaFond, Foley, etc.). We're thinking that this time we'll hit the east side of the valley and focus on the wineries (or tasting rooms) along Foxen Canyon Road and in Los Olivos.

Any recommendations? We're not necessarily looking for the places with the best or most expensive wines. Rather, we're looking to hit wineries that aren't too commercialized, that put out good product and give a lot of bang for the buck, and which have nice grounds or picnic areas.

The plan is to hit Los Olivos on Friday after we get up there. Possibilities include Longoria, Verdad (Spanish grapes), Andrew Murray, Stolpman and Carhartt, but if anyone has recommendations for other tasting rooms in Los Olivos, I'm all ears.

On Saturday, we'll hit the east end of the valley. We'll probably play it loose in terms of where we go, but I was thinking that Koehler, Zaca Mesa, Rancho Sisquoc, Foxen and Cambria are prime possibilities. Again, any recommendations or advice?

I was going to suggest Zaca Mesa as well as Curtis. Fess Parker and Firestone are way commercialized... We'll be up there in June. Are you staying in SB? If so, you've got to eat at Andersson's each morning on State St. I love that place.

[CalHorn]

Thanks. Curtis was another one that I had been thinking about.

We're actually staying at a place in the Santa Rita Hills near the Melville and Babcock wineries. In retrospect, I now wish I'd chosen a place closer to Los Olivos, but at the time I was making reservations I didn't know that we were going to focus on the Los Olivos and Foxen Canyon Road areas on this trip. But it's no great trouble to do some driving, esp. since the countryside is so pretty up there. And since we'll be close to Babcock, I'm sure we'll hit that place as well since we missed it the last time we were up there.

[TENHORN]

Hire a driver so you can enjoy the wines.

[jg6544]

Hire a driver so you can enjoy the wines.


Sound advice, whether it's for Santa Barbara, Napa, Sonoma, or any other area where you're going to taste wines.

[CalHorn]

Well, here's my trip report for the two or three people who might be interested. *L* Had a great time. Weather was outstanding.

On Friday after getting up there, we went to Los Olivos for lunch and then hit three of the tasting rooms -- Andrew Murray, Longoria and Qupe/Verdad. The wines at Andrew Murray were a bit of a disappointment but the Albarino at Verdad was terrific. One of the better whites I'd had in a while. That evening we ate at the flatbread pizza place in sleepy little Los Alamos (I think the restaurant is called Hearth in the Cottonwoods or something like that), and it was excellent (though crowded). Everything was fresh. And after being inundated with wine during the day, it felt good to drink good beers.

On Saturday, we did the Foxen Canyon Road run, hitting Cambria, Rancho Sisquoc, Foxen and Zaca Mesa. Cambria is waaaaay too commercialized, though they were offering a barrel tasting that was nice. We ate a picnic lunch at Rancho Sisquoc -- very nice grounds. I definitely recommend RS if you want to enjoy the grounds. The wines there were okay -- nothing that blew me away. Same thing with Foxen, though I did like their Syrah. Zaca Mesa was our favorite of the day from the standpoint of the wines -- excellent value and a nice location to boot. That evening, we splurged and had dinner at the Ballard Inn -- I recommend it. Very small but very good food and a good wine list. The chef includes a lot of Asian touches in his cooking, but I had a filet mignon that I could have cut with my fork and it was excellent.

On Sunday before heading back home, we hit the (relatively) new D'Alfonso/Curran tasting room in kitschy Solvang. Tremendous wines and very helpful pourers.

All in all, a great trip. Can't wait to head back up and hit the wineries around Ballard and Santa Ynez.