They were followed by Babcock Winery in 1980.

Lafond Winery also planted its first vineyards in the area that same year. This was originally demonstrated by Richard Sanford’s first vineyard in the area-Sanford & Benedict-planted in 1970, and the wines he produced from that vineyard under the Sanford label. This is not surprising, given the cool climate and marine breezes that are ideal for Pinot. Pinot Noir dominates the plantings and reputation of this AVA. Its two east-west oriented valleys are formed by the Purisima Hills to the north, the Santa Rosa Hills to the south and the Santa Ynez River flowing between them to the Pacific Ocean. Rita Hills AVA sits between the towns of Buellton and Lompoc in Santa Barbara County, comprising about 100 square miles and 1700 planted acres.

Rita Hills, permitting lots of hang time, adding complexity and flavor to the region’s wines. Many were from the relatively cool recent vintages–2009, 20–which seem to have been ideal for Sta. I was, in fact, thoroughly delighted with the wines overall. It has long been thought to be a particularly promising area thanks to its location near the ocean, giving it cool growing conditions, and to its hilly sites and geology, including calcareous soils which often make for particularly minerally wines in Europe.īased on last week’s tasting of 72 wines from this appellation, I am happy to report this region is definitely starting to fulfill its promise as a source of characterful, balanced and terroir-driven wines-from flavorful Chardonnay and Viognier to minerally and complex Pinot Noir and Syrah. Rita Hills, formerly a part of the Santa Ynez Valley appellation in Santa Barbara County, gained American Viticultural Area (AVA) status only in 2001. Rita Hills, one of California’s younger officially designated appellations, returned to San Francisco for the second time in two years for a tasting for wine buyers and media at San Francisco’s RN74 Restaurant this month. RITA HILLS WINEGROWERS ALLIANCE TASTING – RN74, San Francisco, California ()

2010 clone 5 santa barbara pinot noir