On a rather warm October afternoon, I find myself at Folded Hills Winery, about 30 minutes north of Santa Barbara, California. The chilled glass of rosé offered to me hits the spot. Unlike most California rosés, this one is elegant, fruity, and dry — very much French Provence-style. It's no surprise that I returned home with a bottle.
Natives of St Louis, Missouri, Kim and Andrew Busch fell in love with the Santa Barbara lifestyle in the late 1990s, and bought a sprawling ranch in Gaviota near Santa Ynez Valley. In 2014, they decided to try their hand at winemaking. After testing the soil and terroir for a year, they planted several varieties of grapes like Syrah, Viognier, Grenache, and more. “This whole valley has been organic for generations, way back since the mid-1800s. So, we decided to do what the land wanted,” said Kim. A decade later, Folded Hills Winery has 15 acres of biodynamically grown organic grapes, and they make about a dozen wines across rosés, whites, and reds.
On my week-long road trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles, California’s scenic Central Coast offered many memorable moments, from driving the iconic Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) to hiking amidst the redwoods in Big Sur to sunset cruising in Santa Barbara. But what surprised me the most was the thriving wine scene along the coastline. It’s a far cry from the Golden State’s better known winemaking regions of Napa and Sonoma, but that hasn't deterred boutique wineries from testing the waters.
Savouring the terroir in Monterey
After spending a couple of days in San Francisco, I began my road trip heading south towards Monterey County, considered the new ‘It’ wine region in California. My destination was Carmel Valley Ranch, a luxury resort spread over 500 acres, encompassing woodlands, farmland, and a vineyard. The winery is relatively young but it’s already known for the signature mineral-forward Estate Reserve Pinot Noir produced under the private label Swing. Saša Marinković, food & beverage director of Carmel Valley Ranch said: “Swing Pinot Noir is a direct reflection of Carmel Valley's distinctive coastal terroir. The Pacific Ocean acts as a natural climate regulator, with the ingress of cool ocean air moderating the warmer inland temperatures, leading to an extended growing season. This long hang time results in a Pinot Noir with beautiful texture, complexity, natural acidity, and lower alcohol.” The Swing portfolio also contains a sauvignon blanc, rosé, and another pinot noir made in collaboration with an award-winning local winemaker, all of which are exclusively available at the resort.
Pour perfection in Paso Robles
Halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, Paso Robles is the heart of Central California wine country. Located in San Luis Obispo county, it is dotted with over 200 wineries, one of which is Halter Ranch on Adelaida Road. Their elegant, wood-panelled tasting room with floor-to-ceiling glass looks out over the expansive vineyards beyond which the wild Santa Lucia Mountain Range looms up. “Our wines are produced entirely from our estate — which is certified organic and regenerative — providing consistency every year,” said Halter Ranch winemaker Kevin Sass. While the winery produces some lovely whites and rosé, it is better-known for the reds; I particularly enjoyed the 2020 CDP (Côtes du Paso, since it mirrors the Côtes du Rhône style), a fruity blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Tannat. Their velvety rich Cabernet Sauvignon and the flagship, full-bodied Ancestor are also worth trying. Sass believes that Paso Robles can certainly give Napa-Sonoma a run for their money: “Years of tasting, regional visits, and lab analysis have convinced me the main reason some of these regions command a higher price is supply and demand. Don’t take critics or high-dollar marketing recommendations; trust your own palate,” he said.
The next day, after exploring local attractions like Hearst Castle and the San Simeon Elephant Seal Rookery, I dropped in at Hearst Ranch Winery. While their vineyard is inland (with its own tasting room), their seaside tasting room overlooking San Simeon Bay is a picture-perfect spot for a sundowner. The tasting room (formerly a warehouse) and the adjoining Sebastian’s General Store (the oldest, continually operated general store in the US) both date to the 19th century and have been recently remodelled. The winery itself is only 15 years old, but the owners Jim Saunders and Steve Hearst carry forward the long legacy of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst. “We craft very fine wines in small lots (not million-gallon tanks) that are varietally correct, which means the Cabernet, Malbec, Chardonnay, and all the other varietals we produce taste like they are supposed to,” said Saunders. Their crisp Julia Rosé is perfect for a hot summer’s day while the bold and complex Syrah is made for fireside evenings.
Refined sips in Santa Ynez Valley
The last wine stop of my road trip was Folded Hills Winery , which is also a working ranch and farmstead. After meeting the ranch’s menagerie — which includes horses, sheep, goats, pigs, and miniature donkeys, not to mention a couple of llamas, a camel, and a zebra — I proceeded to the charming picnic table set up on the lawn outside the Busch family home. Over a fantastic lunch dished out by chef Mark Gonzales (I’m still thinking about his raspberry pavlova), Kim shared how their New Zealand-origin winemaker Angela Osborne uses old-world practices to handcraft small-batch artisanal wines. “We follow the biodynamic or lunar calendar; for instance, we plant, prune, water, and harvest on a fruit or flower day (determined by the constellation in which the moon rises),” she explained. Apart from the Lilly Rosé that I started with, I would recommend their crisp, dry Estate White and the Rhône-style GSM (Grenache-Syrah-Mourvèdre blend).
When to visit: While California is a year-round destination, wine lovers should plan a visit in September, which is celebrated as California Wine Month. There are regional wine festivals, special vineyard tours, and tastings with winemakers. The Paso Robles Wine Country also organises a four-day Paso Wine Fest every May.