Since my last trip in 2007, I've become very enamoured with Santa Maria Valley as a wine lover's destination. Before the Sideways phenomenon, which I can tell you is ever-presently real, the wines of Santa Barbara county have been captivating cool-climate wonders. The Pinots are world class, and the best Chardonnays are crisp, floral, citrus-y, and bursting with character.
I am lucky to have some friends in the wine trade in Santa Maria and they have been gracious with their time and contacts and I'm planning on the next few posts sharing a taste of the insider's guide to Santa Maria Valley/Los Olivos/Solvang/Buellton tasting and eating. If it's your first time in the area, there are quite a few tourist traps, and I'm afraid I'm not here to tell you what to avoid. I'm here to help you plan on the things to savor.
The first insider's tip is something that may appear at first as just a tourist destination, but if you're lucky, you'll strike gold.
Most people find the Tastes of the Valleys tasting room by searching for Au Bon Climat wines, as this is the main tasting place for the great wines of Jim Clendenen. But it's also the tasting room and retail shop for a lot of other excellent wines.
The most important find at Tastes of the Valleys really is Elizbeth Breen, who is one of the most knowlegable tasting people I have ever seen run a tasting room. If you spend an hour tasting with her, you'll walk out knowing some new wines to share with your friends, the up-and-coming winegrowing areas and AVAs, and brief histories of a bunch of new winemakers that you don't know yet. Go for the most expensive tasting flight, which is still remarkably inexpensive, so you can try as many things as you can.
If you're looking for a good dinner in Solvang and don't want to head over to the Hitching Post II (see below) I have heard lots of great things about Cecco. It's a new good local hang for brick-oven pizzas and pastas. Local sommeliers are also talking about Full of Life Flatbread Pizza in Los Alamos.
Here are the wine favorites that I tasted. They are all for sale in the shop, and some of them are pretty available in your local wine shop.
Margerum Sybrite Sauvignon Blanc 2009: Cold fermented with a tiny spritz to it and a good touch of wood. Not too grapefruity from the latest applelation in the area, Happy Canyon. Doug Margerum started the wonderful Wine Cask restaurant in Santa Barbara back in the 80s. After selling it in 2007, he's devoting all his time to winemaking and it shows.
Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir "Knox Alexander" 2008 - Light and lovely with a distinctly spicy overtone. The '08 Isablle is lovely too but I think the Knox is in a great place right now.
Belle Glos Pinot Noir "Taylor Lane" 2008 - Very sweet nose. Chewy texture with ranier cherry on the nose. Very popluar in the tasting room because it's good a distinct sweet fruit character. It's too sweet for my usual tastes, but I can see the attraction.
Belle Glos Meiomi 2009 Pinot Noir - this is a mix of Sonoma/Monterey/Santa Barbara bulk wine, but picked out by Joe Wagner at Belle Glos. Very appealing at around $18 bucks.
Margerum M5 - this Chateauneuf-du-Pape style blend is a great value at around $20 bucks.
My first night, I had to go to the Hitching Post II in Buellton. Yes, it was featured in Sideways, but it was picked out for a reason to be featured in the film. It is a local institution and deserves your attention if a good glass of wine and a perfectly cooked steak sounds good. After a day of tasting I can't think of anything I want more. Make no mistake --this is a tourist destination, but the steaks are perfect, the Pinots that are made by Hitching Post are delicious and inexpensive and you need to make a reseveration if you're going to be around the area for any length of time.
Part of the charm is the Central Valley itself. At the long table that was close to me, by the chef's window, there was a woman wit a straw ranger hat on and a guy in his late 50's with overalls on, and an older woman with a wild mane of gray hair --a far cry from the scene in San Francisco! The 10 oz. strip steak I had was cooked to perfection and basted with some kind of magic. Special feature? The relish tray, campy and weird, but great in its own way. Big plus --the garlic toast and perfect baked potato with tons of chives.
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