LOCATIONS

MORNING SESSION 1: Bien Nacido Vineyards’ Adobe
Bien Nacido Vineyards has become one of the most prestigious and best known vineyards in the Santa Maria appellation – a region which owes much of its reputation as a producer of world class wines to the remarkable Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Syrah, and Merlot wines produced from Bien Nacido Vineyards  grapes.   Most of the vines were originally from stock grown by the University of California at Davis.






MORNING SESSION 2: Cambria Winery
Proprietor Barbara Banke acquired a large portion of the original Tepusquet Vineyard (planted between 1970 and 1971) in 1986 to serve as the site for Cambria winery. Over the last two decades the vineyard has been expanded, replanted and updated with new clones and rootstocks to take advantage of the unique climatic and geological conditions of the Santa Maria Bench.

In 1984 when Ken Brown founded Byron, his plan seemed simple enough: produce spectacular Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Santa Barbara County. At the time, this was both good news and bad news. Chardonnay was the good news. Santa Barbara had established a solid reputation by the mid-‘80s for its tropical, buttery bottlings. But Pinot Noir? That was a completely different story. This challenging and complex varietal was a daunting hurdle for the winemakers of Santa Barbara.

Today we tend to forget the obstacles that historically confronted Santa Barbara’s producers. In those days, no one dreamed of competing with the North Coast when it came to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. And now? To most wine drinkers, Santa Barbara is regarded as one of California’s premiere appellations for both varieties.

As it turned out, the climate was never the problem. The Santa Maria Bench – Byron’s home – is less than 20 miles from the Pacific Ocean allowing for cool ocean air to sweep through. Once growing methods were perfected, Pinot proved to thrive on the Bench.

GRAND CHARDONNAY TASTING: Tres Hermanas Winery
Founded in 2001 by Marvin & Paulette Teixeira with the planting of a small vineyard on their cattle ranch, Tres Hermanas (Three Sisters) was named for the couple’s three daughters, Stacey, Tracey & Marcey.

The Tres Hermanas label is a picture of the barn that exhibits the JT cattle brand, which was Marvin’s fathers brand used to identify cattle today. The barn still exists on the winery property and the ranch is still headquarters for the family cattle operation.

Their first harvest was in the fall of 2003 with the tasting room opening in July of 2007.