Last Week in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is in a state of near perfection right now
Hi Friends,
I finally landed back in the U.S. after 4 months of being gone on Monday February 20, and well, it has been a bit of a rough re-entry. A crazy, unpredicted snowstorm struck Portland a couple of days after my return and left people stranded on highways for hours and then the temperatures dropped into the teens and froze everything, shutting down driving and even making walking treacherous as the snow froze on roads and sidewalks. It was wild. I had a few personal dramas as well so not thrilled to be back stateside after such an incredible few months abroad.
However, a week after my return I was scheduled to go to Santa Barbara, California for a wine work trip and have just gotten back and am so eager to share all the gloriousness that is Santa Barbara right now. So, let’s get to it!
Santa Barbara, California
Known as the American Riviera, this bucolic, pristine, gorgeous town is located on the central California coast, with the Santa Ynez mountain range as its dramatic backdrop. The quaint and stylish downtown, with its tidy neighborhoods full of craftsman cottages, a few Victorian homes, and adobes is a wonderful place to stay while exploring the region. Mediterranean-style white stucco buildings with red-tile roofs reflect the city’s Spanish colonial heritage. Upscale boutiques and restaurants offering local wines and seasonal fare line State Street. On a nearby hill, Mission Santa Barbara, founded in 1786, houses Franciscan friars and a museum.
The region has gorgeous beaches, world-class wineries, and horse farms. The city also has over 50 parks and green spaces. Santa Barbara is really a little slice of heaven.
I have not been to Santa Barbara in a few years due to many variables, but it is a place that I love and was excited to return to. This year there have been many weather events that have brought much-needed (but sometimes destructive) heavy rains and even snow to the area. Right now though Santa Barbara is SHINING. Never in my adult life have I seen this area so GREEN. The hills are spectacular shades of green dotted with happy livestock and blooming flowers. The mountains are snow-covered and the lakes and rivers are full and flowing. This is pretty much a miracle and absolutely heavenly.
If you are in the market for a trip and Santa Barbara is doable for you, I would get it on your itinerary ASAP to capture all the magic. I wish I could go back and spend a month there. Hmmm, maybe it’s time to work with some Santa Barbara wineries too?
This Trip
There is an event called the World of Pinot Noir that happens in Santa Barbara every year in March (except for covid restricted years of course). I started attending this event back in the late aughts when it was originally held at the Cliffs Hotel in Pismo Beach. The event was much smaller then and the Cliffs is a wonderful hotel to stay in - so very charming. However, over the years the event has grown and had to be moved to a bigger venue and has been at the Bacara Resort for several years.
Late last year, I recommended my Pinot Noir-focused Oregon wine owner clients participate in this event. They have just launched their wine label in the last year and this is a great event to network with the fine wine industry and with Pinot Noir-centric consumers. You can find out the details and see the weekend's roster of events here at the WOPN website to learn more. When my clients decided to attend and confirmed their participation in the Saturday Grand Tasting, they asked me if I would go with them to not only the event but to fly into Santa Barbara early and help them create a tasting itinerary and restaurant visits since they have not spent any time in the area. Since creating itineraries is my love language (and I really like these clients personally) I said an enthusiastic yes!
Back in December, I started to work on the itinerary. We were flying in on Tuesday and would stay in a house for 2 nights and then move over to the Bacara on Thursday through Sunday for the events. We would have Tuesday and Wednesday dinners and Wednesday and Thursday for some wine tastings.
I bookmarked several houses in downtown Santa Barbara. My clients wanted to stay in the center as they have never been and I agreed this was a great spot to be. I will link to the Airbnb’s I found and also to the one they booked below.
The house we had was very central - a cute, updated classic bungalow with a spectacular backyard (this backyard is truly a paradise). 2 bedrooms and 2 baths with an open kitchen/living room floor plan. The backyard is huge and landscaped and has many different seating areas; party areas; grills and a hot tub. Several fully producing citrus trees lend to charm and beauty.
Unfortunately, it rained very hard our first day and the next two days we were out exploring so we never got to really enjoy the yard. I think for a longer visit this house is perfect for people wanting to stay in town and enjoy their accommodations. The beds were very comfortable and the house had some nice upgraded lighting and linens.
Downtown and the beach area of Santa Barbara run down State Street, which is only a couple of blocks away from this home and you can find many charming shops, restaurants, and cafes there.
Airbnb links to some pretty awesome Santa Barbara area properties:
And this is the one we stayed at:
I think you will be very inspired to visit when looking through these!!
Dining & Drinking
We had two nights for dining and were not disappointed with the choices below:
The Lark - highly recommend for the lovely ambiance, the shared plates, the cocktails and wine list. This is a must-stop while visiting SB. There is also a cheeky “speakeasy” type bar behind the main dining room. I had my favorite Italian Amaro there as a nightcap.
Barbareńo - the other restaurant on our list was cut from the same cloth as Lark with local ingredients focused shared plates and was also very good. The restaurant does not serve cocktails - only wine and beer but has a plentiful list of both. Stylish and delicious.
We ate in Los Olivos on Thursday at Los Olives Wine Merchant & Cafe, which was praised by everyone we talked to. I highly recommend visiting Los Olives town square - there are many tasting rooms and lovely shops and restaurants and it just is charming as all get out. A great place to spend an afternoon and evening.
Winery Visits:
Wednesday: Brave + Maiden
This winery has been on my list to visit and I was thrilled to get us an appointment. Open by appointment only, we had a privately hosted wine tasting with Phillip at 11:30 a.m. to taste through their current releases.
Located in the heart of wine country between Santa Ynez and Solvang, just a few minutes south of Los Olivos - a perfect location for exploring the wine region.
Brave + Maiden has an absolutely stunning setting, I can’t even do justice to the entry and how perfectly the building is situated in the natural environment. Seagrass and green grass and a footbridge to the home-like tasting areas made me want to pause and take in the flowing stream and vineyards planted to the west.
We tasted through 5 wines - all reds and they were all impeccable. Seriously elegant and wonderful. The 2019 Merlot really rocked my world. I think it’s hard to get merlot right (whatever that means) but they DO. I loved it.
Phillip was a great host and brought us some super special extra pours - one of these still-in-barrel Cab Franc (I’m a huge Cab Franc fan) which was delicious.
This is a super luxury experience in settings and wines. I highly recommend it.
Thursday:
We went to a winery that I’m going to decline to name that was a huge disappointment in experience and product. I don’t like to write negative things. Maybe it was an off day. Enough said.
I wanted to visit Zaca Mesa winery because of two reasons: it is a legacy winery of the region, celebrating its 50th anniversary as a family-owned and operated winery and its wines have been consistently good to excellent throughout their history.
The drive to Zaca Mesa from downtown Santa Barbara is worth it for the stunning views alone. It is a climb above the city and coastline that then heads down to the rolling horse country hills.
We had an absolutely delightful tasting with Summer (who I was super impressed by). There were two flights, one being a reserve flight of Zaca Mesa wines (see here) and one of their fairly new label, TREAD, which focuses on Pinot Noir and Chardonnays. I was completely blown away by these TREAD wines. I am in love with them. Obsessed, maybe….It has been a long time since I had a domestic wine completely knock my socks off as these wines did. Beautifully and thoughtfully crafted with elegance and a distinct sense of place, they definitely remind me of aged burgundy wines from France. The Zaca Mesa Reserve flight was also wonderful but TREAD stole the show for me. Highly recommend.
I wish I had time for more wine appointments in the area. There are so many good ones that I have visited before and would like to go back to and so many to discover. I must visit again soon and stay longer. Sigh.
WOPN - World of Pinot Noir at The Bacara St. Regis Ritz-Carlton
This resort is a stunner. Located above the ocean with excellent views from its multi-tiered pools it’s a top luxury property. They are about to do a complete update/remodel beginning later this year and the resort needs it. The rooms are a bit tired but the location, views, and service are pretty top-notch. It might be nice to try to get in there for a bit of a discount if you can before the remodel because its likely going to go through the roof when it is done.
For folks who love to travel for food and wine and love Pinot Noir, this is a lovely event. I have always enjoyed it. There are excellent wine producers pouring their wines at the Grand Tastings and a nice assortment of lunches, dinners, and seminars over the 3 days. I have discovered some of my all-time favorite California producers at this event and this time was no exception. I recommend booking as far in advance as possible to get the best rates as the hotel definitely sells out. I would get on the WOPN email list to be notified about 2024 events.
Wrapping it all up….a few more thoughts
Again, I really wish I had more time to walk on the beach, read a book, and go to more of the spectacular wineries dotting the coastline.
I love the wines of the Santa Ynez Valley, the Santa Maria Valley, the Sta. Rita Hills and Happy Canyon to name a few. There are so many more to visit and discover.
The town of Solvang, a quirky Dutch enclave, was made famous by the movie ‘Sideways’ (don’t get me started, I hate that movie) and is also a wonderful place to wander and explore. It is extremely “old school” and if you look it up I think you will see what I mean.
Writing this post on Santa Barbara has me thinking about my road trip from Portland to Tucson in 2021 and the time I spent in Mendocino, Elk and the Anderson Valley that was really, really special so I will be doing a post on that very soon. You can start planning your spring and summer trips to the California coast now!
Let me know if you have questions on any of the above, need any recommendations, or want help with an itinerary.
If you decided to visit Santa Barbara or the surrounding wine country, please share what you discover and enjoy. I always love hearing from you!
Ciao for now….thanks for reading.