As you have probably read, I’m in LOVE with Santa Barbara County’s Wine Country. Why? Because they are making some of California’s most incredible wines, especially if you enjoy cold climate Pinot Noir or Chardonnay (which I absolutely do). Below is a list of my Top 10 Favorite Lompoc Wineries & Wine Ghetto Tasting Rooms. If you want to see some other great Santa Barbara County Wines, read more here. Happy wine tasting and I hope you enjoy!
Top 10 Lompoc Wineries & Wine Ghetto Tasting Rooms
Sandhi Wines
Any serious winos or wine enthusiasts are familiar with the well-known and respected Rajat Parr. Not only because of his involvement in various wine labels, including Sandi and Domaine de la Cote, which he makes with Sashi Moorman but also with his role as Wine Director for the Michael Mina Group. When visiting Sandhi Wines, you can also taste their other wine, Domaine de la Cote. Both are incredible for different reasons. The Chardonnay & Pinot Noir Wines from Sandhi truly reflect the various AVAs their grapes come from.
The more familiar I get with the Santa Maria & Sta. Rita Hills AVA, the more I understand how each AVA and even each vineyard has its own nuances. See for yourself when you visit The Lompoc Wine Ghetto and experience Sandhi Wines. By appointment only, visit the website for details.
The lineup of wines I tasted, including both Domaine de la Cote and Sandhi. Both are so incredible!
Domaine de la Cote
This is the second label from team Rajatt Parr and Sashi Moorman. As mentioned above, they focus on Pinot Noirs from the Santa Barbara County region. By appointment only, visit the website for details.
Palmina & La Voix Wines
Another tasting room I really enjoyed is Palmina Wines where Steve Clifton also makes his Burgundian varietals under the La Voix Wines. With a focus on Italian varietals using California-grown grapes, this tasting room is very charming and has really delicious wines. Winemaker Steve realized that California and Italy have microclimates—specifically, Piemonte, Friuli, and Santa Barbara County—that are similar. All climates feature cold air pushing warm air to create growing conditions that provide enough natural sunlight to help fully develop fruit flavors. All three regions enjoy cool night temperatures that help to maintain the grape’s natural acidity levels and allow winemakers to create wines with a balance of fruit, tannin, and acid. Speaking of wines that go well with food, be sure to try the cheese pairing which they offer when you visit the wine tasting room. This truly deserves a spot on my list of Top Lompoc Wineries. 1520 E Chestnut Ct, Lompoc, CA 93436.
Tasting through La Voix’s newest Spring 2018 Wine Club releases at The Ballard Inn (read more about The Ballard Inn and their restaurant The Gathering Table here) with La Voix Winemaker Steve Clifton.
Palmina & La Voix Winemaker Steve Clifton.
Kita Wines
A wine brand that I learned about on my most recent visit was Kita Wines. Their philosophy is to create wine that is a balance between soil, climate, location, and taste. All of their wines are hand-harvested and the fruit is hand-sorted in the vineyard and the winery. This is to ensure that only the best grapes are carried into the wines. Kita wines symbolize the essence of terroir-driven winemaking. 300 North 12th Street, Unit 1A
Lompoc, CA 93436.
Tasting with Kita Winemaker, Tara Gomez, during my visit to the Winery/Tasting room.
Tyler Winery & Lieu Dit Wines
Tyler Winery is another great winery among the many Lompoc Wineries located in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto dedicated to producing wines of delicacy and balance, where structure and nuance are favored above all else. The winery makes a Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and also a Cabernet Franc. They also have another table, Lieu Dit, which has some lovely white wines. 300 N 12th St #4a, Lompoc, CA 93436.
Flying Goat Cellars
Flying Goat Cellars is another winery among the many Lompoc Wineries located in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto. Two pygmy goats, Never and Epernay, inspired winemaker Norm Yost to name his winery Flying Goat Cellars. I first tasted their wines at the World of Pinot Noir festival (read more about the festival here) at a Sparkling Wine seminar I attended. Their wines are well-made, accessibly-priced, and are produced to be drinkable when they’re released as opposed to holding onto them for additional aging. 1520 E Chestnut Ct Unit A, Lompoc, CA 93436.
Brewer Clifton
Brewer Clifton is another tasting room you must see when visiting the Lompoc Wine Ghetto. They aim to be singular and true to the region. They do everything in their power to display and celebrate it in as honest and impactful a manner as possible. I tasted every single Pinot Noir & Chardonnay here and truly enjoyed each wine. 329 North F Street, Lompoc, CA 93436.
What a treat tasting! These two incredible wines, 2005 and 2010, were my favorites.
Lutum Wines
LUTUM WINES are made by winemaker Gavin Chanin, who is also the winemaker behind Chanin Wines. Bill Price, entrepreneur and owner of Price Family Vineyards, and winemaker Gavin Chanin are the masterminds behind LUTUM. Their wine focuses on small-production, single-vineyard Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay from prime vineyard sites in California. One of my favorite elements of this wine, besides the wine, are the labels! They are all painted by Gavin, not just a winemaker, but an artist. 300 N 12th St (by appointment only), Lompoc, CA 93436.
Hanging out with Winemaker Gavin during a visit through Lompoc. Cheers to getting to enjoy these lovely wines with the winemaker himself!
Chanin Wines
If you like the wines from LUTUM Wines, you’ll also enjoy Winemaker Gavin’s other wine label, Chanin Wines. Chanin Wine Co. aims to craft wines from Santa Barbara County that reflect the individual vineyard from which winemakers grew the wine. There’s a focus on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, two grapes that are especially revealing of subtle differences in geography, geology, and climate. With grapes grown in Santa Barbara County, where cool coastal winds, diverse marine-based soils, and a long growing season provide an exciting and unique environment for Burgundian varieties, these are wines to be sure to check out. 300 N 12th St (by appointment only), Lompoc, CA 93436.
Longoria Wine
Another charming tasting room to check out in Lompoc is Longoria Wine. They have quite a large tasting room with a bar where you can try various wines. Be sure to swing by during your Lompoc Wineries Wine Tasting. 415 E. Chestnut Avenue, Lompoc, CA 93436.
What do you think?