USA, California, Central Coast: Santa Barbara County – Highlights from 2020 & 2021

During the harvest this September, I visited over 20 wineries in Santa Barbara County to taste new and upcoming releases from 2020 and 2021—two drastically different vintages in terms of the growing season and stylistic expression, yet with plenty of lovely wines to highlight from each. As the region expands and new wineries are built and purchased, lovers of this region have a plethora of new projects, cuvées and styles to explore.

https://robert-parker-content-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/media/image/2022/12/07/01deb61fc9604bb99983d0456c988612_1-california-central-coast-santa-barbara-county-terre-et-sang-wine.jpg — *Wines from the new Terre et Sang project in Santa Barbara County*

2020 was a warmer vintage marked by record-breaking heat waves and wildfires—San Luis Obispo reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit and thousands of acres burned from August through October. The best wines offer one of two styles: lighter, fresher expressions from grapes harvested before the heat or riper, more concentrated expressions from grapes harvested afterward. Fortunately, the smoke that devastated the West Coast in 2020 spared much of Santa Barbara County, and I tasted very few smoke-affected wines. Top-performers include Liquid Farm, Paul Lato, Sandhi, Sanford, Bien Nacido, Brewer-Clifton, Chanin and Dragonette. Tyler winery crafted stunning releases from its brand-new Mae Estate Vineyard and released its first-ever sparkling wine, although the most exciting news here is the acquisition of the Fiddlestix vineyard in late 2021. Alma Rosa continues to rise in quality under the tutelage of Bosnian winemaker Samra Morris. Dragonette’s offerings of Sauvignon Blanc are some of the most impressive in the United States.

https://robert-parker-content-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/media/image/2022/12/07/dfd352f3ab004842a569ad105654e934_2-california-central-coast-santa-barbara-county-samra-morris-winemaker-alma-rosa.jpg — *Samra Morris, winemaker at Alma Rosa*

Smoke is a complicated issue, and 2020 was made more chaotic by COVID-19 restrictions in the winery. I did come across a few questionable wines, and some winemakers commented on briefly smoky conditions. “For about a week, there was some smoke way up high in the sky, and a couple of vineyards had a tiny bit of ash,” noted Matt Brady, winemaker at Samsara, which produces around 18 cuvées. Although most of the wines in this report are drinking beautifully, I kept drinking windows short with the knowledge that smoke influence can appear years later in bottle. For the risk-averse, 2020s can be drunk young and fresh; for those willing to take on a bit more risk, there may be unexpected rewards with patience, as many of these 2020s offer the harmonious structure, freshness and concentration to develop positively in bottle. As always, purchase from brands you trust, and consider supporting as many wineries as you can—it’s been a rough go with drought, heat, wildfires, COVID-19 restrictions, labor shortages and disrupted supply chains. Questionable wines have been denoted with a question mark. For more detailed information on the 2019 and 2020 vintages along the Central Coast, read my previous article—USA, California, Central Coast: New Releases from 2019 and 2020—that was published earlier this year.

2021 offered a much-needed respite from the challenges of the previous vintage. The season offered forgiving temperatures, and Joey Tensley noted that it is the coldest vintage he has witnessed since 2011. Simon Faury, winemaker at Crown Point in Happy Canyon, compared 2021 to the cool 2019 vintage. “2021 was a mild vintage. In July and August, the maximum average temperature was around 90 degrees,” he said. “Both vintages had only four to five days above 100 degrees—that is what guides the vintage for us, how many days there are above 100 degrees.”

https://robert-parker-content-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/media/image/2022/12/07/b92d5edd879544da9f9f79859cb123f8_3-california-central-coast-santa-barbara-county-crown-point-vineyard.jpg — *(Photo courtesy of Crown Point)*

Rainfall, however, has become increasingly insufficient. “In 2020, we got 14 inches of rain. In 2021, we got 10 inches. And in 2022, we got eight inches,” Faury explained. Mildew pressure was higher in 2021, and increased sulfur sprays could result in increased reductive character to the wines; although, what I’ve tasted so far is showing beautifully. The 2021s boast lighter structures, generous freshness and quietly intense, detailed flavors.

Domaine de la Côte produced a lovely lineup of serious yet approachable 2021s, offering a bit more concentration and a touch less overt reduction than in the past. “Raj and I are getting a little older, and our winemaking style is a little anachronistic,” Sashi Moorman, winemaker at Domaine de la Côte and Sandhi, noted frankly as we discussed the evolution of these wines from tighter, leaner expressions to more fruit-forward, approachable iterations in recent vintages. Whole-cluster usage has been lowered to around 30% to 40%, resulting in softer, more balanced tannins. “In the past, I was trying to make wines in a more philosophical way versus a sensory way,” he explained. His approach today? “Let’s just make the best wine.”

https://robert-parker-content-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/media/image/2022/12/07/35b17dda6cf34eb4aaafe4896999a807_4-california-central-coast-santa-barbara-county-fermenters-domaine-de-la-cote.jpg — *Fermenters at Domaine de la Côte*

In San Luis Obispo, Mikey Giugni made beautiful wines from a gamut of grape varieties at Scar of the Sea, including new varietal Palomino and Alicante Bouschet bottlings. At Lady of the Sunshine, Mikey’s wife, Gina Giugni, has released some of the best iterations of her wine I have had to date—a striking achievement from exclusively organic and biodynamically farmed vineyards in this very cool vintage. The most surprising overperformer was the Scar of the Sea 2021 Rosé of Pinot Noir Methode Ancestrale pét-nat, a wildly drinkable example of this trendy yet finicky style where style can easily trump quality.

https://robert-parker-content-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/media/image/2022/12/07/7ee2c2d525d84edc98199b0ee6d8d8b4_5-california-central-coast-santa-barbara-county-mikey-gina-giugni.jpg — *Mikey and Gina Giugni, of Scar of the Sea and Lady of the Sunshine*

I was pleased with the performance of Rhône varieties during my trip to the Central Coast, beginning with an extended visit to Alban Vineyards near Edna Valley. John Alban was in the thick of harvest, monitoring macerations and pump-overs. His latest set of releases, mostly from the 2018 and 2019 vintages, were more impressive given the ingenuity I witnessed in the cellar, such as the use of homemade tools like the “Dunkelberger 2.0” to achieve his unique style.

https://robert-parker-content-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/media/image/2022/12/07/d93909e7698a4888afddbd6eabdbbe4a_6-california-central-coast-santa-barbara-county-john-alban-dunkelberger-pump-over-system.jpg — *John Alban’s Dunkelberger 2.0, a homemade pump-over system that emulates rainfall*

A retrospective of the Rhône blend True Believer Reserve from Hammell Wine Alliance shone a spotlight on the potential for Syrah and Grenache in Santa Maria Valley—proprietor Chris Hammell trained at Sine Qua Non and has managed the farming at Bien Nacido Vineyard for over two decades.

https://robert-parker-content-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/media/image/2022/12/07/f0239cf9709a44e3980c91666ec2aa02_7-california-central-coast-santa-barbara-county-hammell-wine-alliance-true-believer-reserve.jpg — *Hammell Wine Alliance’s True Believer Reserve*

Meanwhile, Joey Tensley remains committed to producing affordable ($18) wines for his Fundamental brand. In 2020, he released his first P2KV wines, a new project highlighting Rhône varieties from the oldest vines in Santa Barbara County. Terre et Sang is an impressive new brand from mother-and-son team Dalita and Duncan Harmon, focused on Syrah and Grenache.

https://robert-parker-content-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/media/image/2022/12/07/49294d038842463fbb91c5960ad431d1_8-california-central-coast-santa-barbara-county-joey-tensley-P2KV-wines.jpg — *Joey Tensley’s new P2KV wines*

Donnachadh (pronounced Don-nuh-kuh) is a new 40-acre vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills that has winemakers buzzing. In 2013, Drew and Laurie Duncan planted Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah and Gamay on hillside blocks exposed to the ocean, plus better-protected blocks that sit next to the Santa Ynez River. They began crafting their own wines in 2016, and this report offers reviews of their 2019, 2020 and 2021 vintages. Most of the fruit at this stage, however, is still sold—Chanin and Tyler made compelling wines from this new property.

https://robert-parker-content-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/media/image/2022/12/07/e99d3eaae27e43978272602ad97226d1_9-california-central-coast-santa-barbara-county-drew-duncan-donnachadh-vineyard.jpg — *Drew Duncan in his Donnachadh vineyard*

Visitors to Santa Barbara County can look forward to new experiences in Los Alamos, where Donnachadh and Terre et Sang each plan to open new tasting rooms. Manfred and Elaine Krankl have almost completed their new winery in Buellton—more about that here—and 2020 marked the first year that Sine Qua Non, The Third Twin and Next of Kyn were all made with estate fruit. New brands, styles and estates signal a maturing wine region, as I discussed with Pence Vineyards proprietor Blair Pence and winemaker Sashi Moorman while visiting the property in the Sta. Rita Hills. “The strongest wines here used to be négociant and not estate,” Moorman explained. “Sine Qua Non and others were buying grapes in the beginning, and that’s the case in a lot of young appellations. Then estates show their seniority with resources and time. Within the last five years, things have really started to change. Estates are now producing the best wines. We are finally in that chapter—it’s a clear indication of how Santa Barbara County is really transforming.”