El Jabali Estate
Video of Gilles de Chambere, MS, discussing the Alma Rosa Estate
Situated on the north-facing slopes of the Santa Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County, the Alma Rosa estate vineyard, El Jabali, was first planted in 1983 by California wine pioneer Richard Sanford, who founded Alma Rosa Winery in 2005.
Today, our 628-acre estate has five distinct vineyard sites planted to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah and Grenache that stretch from the valley floor to 850’ in elevation. Our total 40 vineyard acres comprise a small portion of our ranch and are separated by open wildlife corridors, meadows and forest.
Alma Rosa is committed to farming sustainably to preserve the stunning natural environment of our estate for generations to come, and we minimize inputs in the winemaking process to preserve the special terroir of our Sta. Rita Hills appellation. Our wines are immensely influenced by our proximity to the Pacific Ocean. Here, the cool ocean air funnels through our unique east-west traverse mountain range, resulting in layered, vibrant and balanced expressions.
Our current estate plantings include:
22 acres of Pinot Noir
11 acres of Chardonnay
3.5 acres of Syrah
3.5 acres of Grenache
In process are 6 additional acres planted to Syrah, Grenache, Pinot Noir and Aligoté
