Santa Barbara:
California’s Undiscovered Jewel

BY ANTONIO GALLONI | AUGUST 15, 2024&nbsp;My tastings this year further confirmed what I have believed
for a long time. Santa Barbara County is one of the most exciting and dynamic
regions in the world. Despite dealing with the ups and downs of 2022, inspired
winemakers found a way to deliver compelling wines that rank among the world’s
finest. Readers who appreciate nuanced, cool-climate wines of place will find so
much to discover in Santa Barbara. 

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1723733635295-Brandon+Sparks-Gillis+and+John+Dragonette.jpg">

Brandon Sparks-Gillis and John Dragonette presented a
fabulous set of wines this year.

2022: Traversing the Valley of Death

Two thousand twenty-two will go down as one of the most challenging
years on record. It is a highly variable vintage, although the top wines show
plenty of site character, something that can often be lost in difficult
vintages. Chardonnay and Syrah benefitted from thick skins and later ripening, making them the clear winners in 2022. Sauvignon Blanc, which ripens early, avoided the worst of the heat. Several producers noted that own-rooted vineyards fared much better overall. Unfortunately, Pinot Noir suffered quite a bit, yielding wines that are all over the map.&nbsp;The 2022 growing season is mostly remembered for an intense
and sustained heat spike around Labor Day. Gaining a clear understanding of the
vintage—if that is even possible in 2022—requires more in-depth analysis.
Conditions were quite dry and cool for most of the year. Flowering and set were
variable. Some producers noted a fairly normal set, while others saw potential
yields affected significantly because of irregular weather. "We had 6.5 inches of rain instead of 12 in 2022. Contrast that to 30 the following year," winemaker Anthony Avila explained at the Bien Nacido Estate and Solomon Hills Estates. “Budbreak was early. We had a poor set, so yields were down 30-50%.” Elaine and Manfred Krankl reported losses of 50% on their Grenache crop. Much the same is
true of disease pressure, which was high in some areas and less of an issue in
others. Paul Lato and Graham Tatomer are among the producers who experienced elevated&nbsp;disease pressure and reduced yields.

When all was said and done, the&nbsp;Labor Day heat lasted 8-10 days, far longer
than initially forecast, with elevated temperatures not seen before in Santa Barbara.&nbsp;That was followed by heavy rainfall on September 19
and 20. Some sites reported as much as 1-2 inches of rain during that storm, a
very high level considering most vineyards see annual rainfall of around 14
inches. Temperatures then dipped for most of the fall until rain in October
essentially brought harvest to a close. The Labor Day heat was so intense that it blocked ripening.
In some places, ripening resumed as conditions returned to normal, but in other
spots, the vines never fully recovered.&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1723733917023-Jill+Russell2.jpg">Jill Russell continues to do important work at Cambria. Her Chardonnays in particular are impressive this year.

Unfortunately, the Labor Day heat coincided with the
central part of the Pinot Noir harvest, which wreaked havoc for producers. As I
have written before, one of the real pressure points in Santa Barbara is the number
of producers who purchase fruit and who, therefore, rely on outsourced farming.
As heat approached, winemakers were faced with very difficult choices. Pinot
Noir is a thin-skinned variety that is especially fragile under stress. Picking
early might help preserve freshness, but also result in anemic wines lacking in
depth. Waiting carried other risks, including vines stalling out and never restarting or overly rich, alcoholic
wines. For logistical regions, most vineyard companies require a 72- to 96-hour
notice to schedule picks, which is very hard for producers attempting to be
nimble in the face of very challenging conditions. As this unfolds, vineyard
owners press their customers to pick because they are naturally risk-averse and
want to protect themselves from losing crop. "Our
harvest always starts at Fiddlestix. It was so hot that in just a few days, we
lost one third&nbsp;of the weight of the fruit through dehydration,” Justin Willett told
me at Tyler as he shared his unique perspective as both a buyer and seller of
fruit.What this means in practical terms is that many producers simply
were not able to get their fruit in at the most optimal time for their needs. There
was no “ideal’ time to pick the Pinots, just choices that turned out to be
better than others. Some producers picked early; others waited it out as long
as they could. “I have never regretted waiting, but I
have regretted panicking and picking too early,” Chad Melville told me as we
tasted through his new releases. On balance, though, considering the severe shocks of 2022, my overriding impression is that vineyard managers and winemakers are getting accustomed to dealing with heat. For example, 2017 also saw a heat wave around Labor Day. That episode was much less severe than in 2022 and yet the wines were quite marked. 

Compounding matters, at many estates ripening was also
concentrated into very narrow windows, meaning properties were forced to
harvest a substantial amount of fruit in a short period of time, which is hard
to deal with for wineries that need to turn tanks over during harvest, in other
words, to use them more than once. "Everything
ripened at once. We picked the two ranches (Sanford &amp; Benedict and La
Rinconada), all 262 acres, in 13 days, as opposed to 26 to 35, which is more
typical,” winemaker Trey Fletcher shared as we tasted through the 2022s at
Sanford Winery. Several winemakers commented on the struggle to keep cellars
cold during ferments given the intense heat outside. In some places, yields may have been too high to start with.&nbsp;

Interestingly, producers took very different
approaches to stem inclusion in Pinot Noir. Some followed their usual protocols
of working with a high percentage of stems, others reduced stem usage, and a
third group of producers opted to lower whole clusters. Readers will find more
details on specific choices in the accompanying producer commentaries.

For the later-ripening Syrah, the challenges of 2022
were different. "We lost five or six Brix after the heat spikes," Andrew
Murray relayed. "We had good sugars, but phenolic ripeness lagged, so we
had to wait it out."

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1723733750500-Alice+Anderson%E2%80%99s+%C3%82mevive2.jpg">

Alice Anderson’s Âmevive is one of several new projects
in Santa Barbara that is making waves.

2023: So Far, So Good

It is very early, but the 2023s I have tasted so far point
to a potentially outstanding vintage. That is certainly true of the whites,
some of which are in bottle. It was a late year, in some places the latest
harvest in recent times. “Two thousand twenty-three was completely different
from 2022,” Sashi Moorman explained at Domaine de la Côte. “It was cool all the
way through, one of the coldest years we have seen since 2011 with a very late
harvest. We did not start picking until late September. There was no rush to
pick, no rapid accumulation of sugars.”

At this stage, I am cautiously optimistic. Cool,
late-ripening years can be tough in naturally colder regions, especially for
reds, as the wines remain intensely savory and not fully developed in flavor
profile. Cold years can also be difficult for producers who use whole clusters because
the stems don’t ripen fully. It will be interesting to see how things develop
in the coming 12 months. 

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1723733800218-Some+of+the+highlights+from+ten+days+of+tasting+in+Santa+Barbara2.jpg">

Some of the highlights from ten days of tasting in Santa Barbara.

A Broken Record

At the risk of repeating myself, yet again, I can’t
underscore how undervalued Santa Barbara is by the wider public. One of the
reasons for that is Santa Barbara suffers from a lack of a clear identity. For
better or worse, when consumers think of Napa Valley, they think Cabernet
Sauvignon. In Sonoma, the image that often comes to mind is
Russian River Pinot Noir. Santa Barbara offers an extreme level of diversity
that is an asset in many ways, but that also makes a simple definition of the region
next to impossible. As a result, many wines and top estates don’t get the
recognition they deserve. For the consumer, this means the wines are very
well-priced. Santa Barbara remains one of my go-to regions when I find myself
in a restaurant with a pricey list, as I know I will probably find something
good that does not cost a fortune.

Last but certainly not least, Santa Barbara is a fabulous
wine destination for curious oenophiles who want to discover something new or
who have perhaps already visited some of the more famous regions in the United
States. Over the last few years, the quality of restaurants has gone through
the roof, adding another compelling reason to spend a few days in the region.

<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/multimedia/antonio-galloni-in-conversation-with-richard-sanford"><img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1723733863066-Richard+Sanford+at+Alma2.jpg"></a>

Richard Sanford at Alma Rosa discussing his long, storied
career over a bottle of his 1976 Pinot Noir Sanford &amp; Benedict Vineyard,
the first wine made in what would later be known as the Sta. Rita Hills.

Fires: A Narrow Escape

Producers were a bit on edge when I visited in mid-July, as
fires had just started to recede. Several areas were evacuated in the days
prior to my arrival. Fires came within 1-1.5 miles of major wine-producing
areas, but fortunately, wind seems to have carried most of the smoke away from
vineyards. Retardant spray was visible on the hillsides in several spots as I
visited properties. Some estates reported the presence of ash. It will be
interesting to see how this plays out, as knowledge of fire and how it affects
wine quality remains limited.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1723733698824-John+Nelson+and+James+Sparks2.jpg">Jeff Nelson and James Sparks turned out a gorgeous set of 2022s at Liquid Farm. <div>About This Report </div>

I tasted almost all the wines in this article during a
series of estate visits and tastings with winemakers in July 2024. As always, this report includes a handful of producers who are based&nbsp;in neighboring appellations.&nbsp;A few wines
had not been bottled at the time of my visit or arrived at our offices past our
deadline. I will endeavor to add reviews for those wines shortly.

© 2024, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.

You Might Also Enjoy<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/brilliance-in-santa-barbara-sep-2023"></a><a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/brilliance-in-santa-barbara-sep-2023">Brilliance in Santa Barbara</a>, Antonio Galloni, September 2023 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/santa-barbara-a-rare-bright-spot-for-california-in-2020-aug-2022">Santa Barbara: A Rare Bright Spot for California in 2020</a>, Antonio Galloni, August 2022<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/santa-barbara-on-the-road-finally-oct-2021">Santa Barbara: On the Road...Finally!</a>, Antonio Galloni, October 2021

Multimedia: <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/multimedia/antonio-galloni-in-conversation-with-richard-sanford">In Conversation with Richard Sanford</a>, Antonio Galloni, August 2024

Vinous Table: <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/vinous-table-s-y-kitchen-santa-ynez-ca-jul-2024">S.Y. Kitchen, Santa Ynez, CA</a>, Antonio Galloni, July 2024

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