Sta. Rita Hills Winemakers Come to Santa Barbara Shoreline

After 20 years of luring pinot noir and chardonnay lovers up to their vineyards and wineries between Buellton and Lompoc, the Sta. Rita Hills Wine Alliance last year decided to bring their wares down to Santa Barbara by hosting the inaugural Saunters & Sips event at the Presidio. This year, they’re doing it again, but instead taking their bottles down to Chase Palm Park, where more than 35 wineries will be pouring rosés, sparkling wines, and much more around the Carousel House amid the hopeful sunshine and sea breezes.

This year’s gathering features Thai food, BBQ sliders, and empanadas by High on the Hog and Buena Onda, plus “coastal country” music by The Down Yonders. There’s also a fundraiser-via-raffle with an instant, three-case cellar as the top award, and a few other single-case prizes as well.

I’ll be there again to lead a couple of winemaker panels for those who’d like some education to go along with their enological entertainment. This year’s topics are alternative grape varieties in the Sta. Rita Hills and the 2021 vintage of pinot noir, which is considered by many to be one of the best ever. For those who want to come to the event pre-educated, here’s why we chose these topics to explore at Saunters & Sips 2024.

Alternative Wines: Rhône, Gamay, and More

Though lauded as the land of pinot noir and chardonnay, the Sta. Rita Hills is prime terroir for exploring the cool-climate expressions of Rhône grapes like syrah and grenache, aromatic whites, and, an increasingly exciting option: gamay noir. This 3 p.m. panel will include rosy-hued pinot gris by Sea Grape’s Karen Steinwachs; dornfelder by Sweetzer’s Lisa Liberati; grüner veltliner by Lincourt’s Lorna Kreutz; grenache by Peake Ranch’s Wynne Solomon; and gamay by Holus Bolus vintners Peter Hunken and Amy Christine.

“Diversity is very important in an estate winery,” said Solomon as to why they started to explore more grapes. “Once we planted syrah and grenache, we saw how well they did in this climate. That led to us wanting to plant more, creating more diversity for our vineyard and then diversity in the winery and tasting room. I think it’s a great plan for the future of our estates and for our customers to enjoy exciting new wines.”

Her grenache tends to turn heads the most, as there isn’t much of the grape planted in the appellation. “They typically have an expectation of what grenache is like from warmer regions and are often surprised by the deep magenta color, vibrant aromatics, and textural depth of cool-climate grenache,” she explained.

Christine and Hunken planted syrah at the Joy Fantastic Vineyard because they are “big-time cool-climate syrah fans.” But their gamay planting was “more of a business decision,” said Hunken, who wanted more diversity for the tasting room. “We were both confident that gamay from a cool climate would be interesting and unique, and it certainly is!”

Many customers have an “aha moment” when trying these alternative varieties, said Hunken, explaining, “As a wine drinker, there is nothing more fun than ‘discovering’ a variety that is new to you or a region that is new to you.”

Kreutz sees a similar thing in her tasting room. “Branching out to explore a new varietal outside of their comfort/buy zone, they will be rewarded with the discovery of exceptional wines that will embolden them to continue their journey of curiosity and risk versus reward,” she said. “Who doesn’t love an underdog that wins?!”

Pinot Noir: 2021’s Epic Vintage

Like few vintages that I have ever reviewed, the 2021 is a standout across the Central Coast, with the Sta. Rita Hills showing especially vibrant and energized. We’ll be talking about why at this 4 p.m. panel with Gray Hartley of Hitching Post; Bryan Babcock of Babcock Winery; Robert Daugherty of Margerum Wine Co.; and Laura Hughes of Sanford, though she’ll be pouring her 2020 brut rosé sparkling wine.

Hartley, who’s been making Hitching Post wines with his buddy Frank Ostini since 1979, loves sharing the 2021s. “They’re fruit-forward, have balanced structure with substantial depth and body, and are easy to enjoy in their youth,” he said. “The harvest was moderately cool (like most odd years), so grapes were able to achieve full maturity at a gentle pace.”

Though he’s got more than a decade under his belt, having started under Rick Longoria back in 2012, Robert Daugherty is a baby compared to Hartley. But he too agrees on the quality of 2021, calling it a “grand cru” vintage. “The 2021 vintage was a season of uniformity,” he said. “It was a vintage that allowed winemakers to avoid the freneticism that usually surrounds the harvesting of fruit. In short, we were able to do exactly what we wanted!”

Looking forward, both winemakers are excited about the 2023 vintage as well, even though it was the latest harvest season that anyone can recall. “With patience, we picked grapes in wonderful condition with full maturity, balanced flavors, and good acidity,” said Hartley. “It was the first vintage that nearly every pick was perfect and required no adjustments.” He did offer the disclaimer that asking a winemaker about the most recent vintage is like asking a parent about their new baby. “But really, most every new vintage seems better than the past, and we love our old wines,” said Hartley. “Every year we get better, but mostly it is the growers who get better, allowing us to make better wines.”

Saunters & Sips is Saturday, April 13, 2:30-5:30 p.m., at Chase Palm Park’s Carousel House (223 E. Cabrillo Blvd.). See staritahills.com and see tinyurl.com/sauntersandsips24 for the $130 tickets.