Large Exotic Animals Meet Small Batch Wines at Folded Hills in Gaviota

“Do you want to come out to the ranch and meet the Clydesales?”

They had me at the chance to taste their delicious but perennially sold-out Lilly Rosé, but adding the famous Anheuser-Busch mascots to the mix made me want to stampede to the Folded Hills Winery, Ranch, and Farmstead immediately for a tour.

Located in Santa Barbara County Wine Country on Old Coast Highway in Gaviota — the southernmost vineyards of the entire Central Coast — entering the 600-acre Folded Hills property feels like taking a pastoral journey back in time. After a brief introduction at the Estate Tasting Room, our terrific tour guide, Jill, a retired teacher, gave us an overview of the history of the ranch. Kim and Andy Busch — who have their roots in St. Louis, with Budweiser beer, Busch Gardens, and a long equestrian connection — moved to Santa Barbara in 1998 to raise their children, after falling in love with the area when Andy served as captain for the U.S.A. Polo team at the World Cup. 

The ranch itself was founded over 100 years ago and the Busches purchased it in 2004 (it was built by the Morton Salt family in the 1920s, and parts of the surrounding acreage and farmstead were previously owned and operated by the Giorgi family, long-time farmers and ranchers in the area) and considered changing the name, but the way the golden twilight hits the “folded hills” was such a perfect description of the terrain that they decided to keep it.

They planted grapes alongside existing acres of organic row crops and stone fruit orchards in 2014 (originally intending to sell them) and launched Folded Hills wine in 2017, because “the grapes were just too good, they needed to start a label,” said Jill. They opened the tasting room, which was once the Giorgis’ house, soon after launching the Folded Hills label, and ranch tours and organic/biodynamic farming have been part of the brand from the get-go. 

Our tour of the ranch started with the Budweiser Clydesdales, gentle giants who loved the organic carrots we fed them. They share the pasture with a handful of polo ponies and it all overlooks the family’s private polo field. We also met George the camel and Zazu the zebra, who is stunning but very mean to George, even though the two of them came as a package deal. The animals are gorgeous up close (Zazu’s photo is on the 2024 Folded Hills Wilder Red Blend), as is the property. We also got a peek at the lake dock, one of the family’s favorite spots on the ranch, for good reason. It has sweeping views of the mountains, vineyard, and polo field, as well as the ranch animals.

There are also loads of animals at the Farmstead Market across from the tasting room, including chickens, Kunekune pigs, goats, miniature donkeys, llamas, sheep, and a mini Jersey cow named Peaches. The farmstead sells small batch staples, homemade baked goods, and fresh produce. There’s also a U-Pick field with heritage fruit trees of Blenheim apricots, peaches, apples, pears, persimmons, and olives, all grown under the supervision of the legendary farmer Tom Shepherd.

From there it was back to the tasting room for an excellent selection of wines on the patio, including the Madre Chenin Blanc, a crisp, slightly melony sipper that was perfect for the warm early autumn day. It truly was a lovely place to hang out, with a nice ocean breeze, friendly staff, and the joyful sounds of kids playing cornhole and tag on the grounds.

The just-released 2025 August White, made of 90 percent grenache blanc, was a bit heartier white than our first taste. We also had the 2025 Cluster Grenache, which had a lovely light fruitiness to it, along with a note of spice that reminded me of sangria. Very quaffable. 

The 2025 Syrah had a nice peppery finish, and the Estate Grenache was outstanding, pairing exceptionally well with the wood-fired pizza on-site. The 2024 GSM (featuring our buddy Zasu) was a complex and interesting blend, as was the 2024 Roper Reserve Syrah, which had the boldness and soft tannins of a cab, but went down a bit more smoothly and I didn’t feel like I needed food to enjoy it, the way I usually do when I’m tasting cabernets. 

It was a lovely day and a great way to combine a ranch tour with a tasting. In addition to enjoying the wines, you can feel good that 10 percent of every bottle purchased at Folded Hills goes directly to support patients and family with immediate, practical financial relief from the moment of a glioblastoma diagnosis (a brain tumor that Andy suffers from). The winery also does a series of Philanthropy Friday partnerships on the last Friday of every month, when 100 percent of their gross sales go to a community nonprofit partner. See foldedhills.com.