 The
Alma Rosa Vineyards
Richard Sanford traveled throughout California in the late 1960’s
in search of the perfect site to plant Pinot Noir. He found it on
the north-facing slopes along Santa Rosa Road in the Santa Rita Hills.
There the transverse mountain range of California prevails, running
east to west and allowing the onshore Pacific maritime breezes to
cool the vineyards. It is here that Thekla and Richard planted the
vineyards of Sanford & Benedict in 1970.
Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards maintains two vineyards in the Sta.
Rita Hills AVA. Both the El Jabalí and La
Encantada vineyards are organically certified (the first to
be certified organic in Santa Barbara County); and both were part
of the 15,525 acre Rancho Santa Rosa Land Grant originally ceded
to Ex-Corporal Francisco Cota in 1839 and 1845. The historic significance
of the land is reflected in the name of the winery (Rosa), and
the Spanish word for soul (Alma) represents the wines reflecting
the “soul” of the original Rancho.
 Rancho
El Jabalí
Rancho El Jabalí (Ranch of the Wild Boar) is located in the
western end of the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County within
the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. The site was purchased by Richard and Thekla
Sanford in October 1982, and the vineyard planted in 1983. The property
encompasses extensive wildland and includes the Sanfords’ home,
which was built in 1925 as the original ranch foreman’s house.
The 7 acre El Jabalí Vineyard, situated at the entrance to
the family ranch, is planted to 3.5
acres Pinot Noir and 3.5 acres Chardonnay. The soils of the vineyard
are derived from the Monterey Formation, a sedimentary marine deposit
from the Miocene period, approximately 35 million years ago. The
well-drained, clay-loam soils are perfect for grape growing. Soil
types include: mocho silty clay-loam, cobblestones, limestone, and
silica chert.
 La
Encantada Vineyard
La Encantada Vineyard is the westernmost Alma Rosa vineyard and
is one of the coolest sites in the region. The vineyard is planted
on a ridge which straddles the Santa Ynez River Valley and is open
to the full impact of the cooling afternoon maritime breezes.
The 100 acre vineyard was planted in 2000 to 96
acres Pinot Noir, 1.9 acres Pinot Blanc, and 1.5 acres Pinot Gris.
Like the El Jabalí vineyard, the soils of the La Encantada
Vineyard are derived from the Monterey Formation. Soil types include:
Gazos clay-loam, Ballard fine sandy-loam, and Sta. Lucia shaly
clay-loam.
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Sta. Rita Hills AVA
Recognized as an official “American
Viticultural Area” (AVA) in May of 2001, the Sta.
Rita Hills AVA is a relatively small appellation of approximately
100 square miles. It extends from 4 miles west of Highway
101 (at Buellton) to about 2 miles east of Lompoc on
both sides of the Santa Ynez River, and is bounded on
the north by the south-facing slope of the Purisima Hills
and on the south by the north-facing slopes of the Santa
Rosa Hills.
This valley that runs east-west along
the Santa Ynez River allows the cooling influence of
the Pacific Ocean to travel east, creating a long, cool
growing season perfect for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
grapes.
For additional information about the
Sta. Rita Hills AVA and to view a map of the appellation
with all of the vineyards and wineries within its boundaries,
please visit the official website of
the Sta. Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance.
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