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The Santa Rita Hills appellation of Santa Barbara County is undoubtedly one of the most picturesque and naturally beautiful wine growing regions in the entire state of California. It's rugged and rural landscape sits only a few miles from the mighty Pacific Ocean and features a rare set of East-West oriented mountain ranges on either side, with dramatic rolling hills running parallel between them. The area's difficult terrain has long kept it relatively undeveloped aside from a few sprawling cattle ranches and some agricultural operations in its lower bench lands. These days vineyards have begun to occupy more of the open space and further serve to enhance the natural charm of the countryside.
There is no shortage of photogenic properties with scenic views in the Santa Rita Hills, but the holdings of Spear Vineyards & Winery compete with the best of them. Located near the center of the appellation bordering Highway 246 to the south, Spear sits on over 1000 mountainous acres covered in old growth oak trees and canyon chaparral. 34 of these acres sit at various elevations up to 900 ft above sea level and are currently planted to grape vines including a range of different varieties and clones. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are of course the primary focus of the estate, but they also have substantial plantings of Syrah, Grenache, and Grüner Veltliner. Thanks to a range of different top soils and various microclimates that exist on the property each of these varieties are able to thrive despite the cool, fog covered, wind-swept terrain.
Spear Vineyards & Winery only came into existence relatively recently. The passion project of owner Ofer Shepher, Spear was dreamt up and the property was carefully selected by Ofer himself after it was identified as an ideal site for wine growing. Planting took place in 2014 with the aid of Coastal Vineyard Care and the first harvest followed in 2016. Young female winemaker Kat Gaffney was selected to lead production and legendary winemaker Greg Brewer of Brewer-Clifton fame was brought on to consult with the first vintage.
We were lucky enough to get to tour the wonderful Spear property with Kat herself to see and learn what makes this project so special. From the moment we entered the gate and drove up the long winding driveway we were enamored at the scene. This place is straight out of a wine lover's wildest dreams. We witnessed row after row of full leafy vines climbing the rolling hillsides, standing stoically in the late morning breeze - peaceful, serene, and surreal.
The first hour or so of our visit consisted of us riding around on a 4 wheel drive golf cart to observe every detail of the land. We made our way up to highest elevation on the property first for context. This zone sits above the just above fog line and is one of the warmest microclimates on the estate. The Syrah, Grenache, and Pinot Noir planted here struggle to ripen as they fend off cool marine winds aided only by soft infertile sandy soils. Thankfully the extended sun exposure at this site provides just enough warmth for these vines to produce delicate and nuanced fruit.
After spending many minutes enjoying the scenery at the peak of the estate we descended down to the lower lying vineyards. Here Chardonnay and Grüner Veltliner dig into soils of granular diatom rich sandy loam. These lower zones are entrenched in fog almost every morning and allow for intense acidity to develop in the fruit. Because they are tucked down into canyons these vineyards are slightly shielded from the winds and the fruit is not subjected to the same level of torment as the upper vineyards.
While we did not want our vineyard tour to end we were anxious to get back to the winery and taste their line up of wines. Spear's combination winery & tasting room was built on the footprint of an old barn that came with the property that was unfortunately not able to be restored. Beautiful natural wood decorates the interior and exterior of the new facility, and the original grain silo still stands out in front as a reminder of days past. Massive glass windows line the walls of the tasting room allowing for a panoramic view of the property and some neighboring vineyards. The winery portion of the facility sits just next to the tasting room inside the same building and its filled with shiny new presses, tanks, and toys. As beautiful as the estate itself is the tasting room facility is equally as impressive.
Ok, so the property is incredible and the winery/tasting room is pristine - but how are the wines? We're happy to report that the wines at Spear are as magical as the rest of the operation. Pure restrained fruit, flawless typicity, beaming acidity, and a distinct sense of place. Despite the fact that the wines we tasted came from the very first production vintage from ultra-young vines they were already remarkably impressive. Stylistically these are on the cutting edge of where California is beginning to traject - clean, lean, and expressive rather than oppressive. Age-worthy yet immediately enjoyable, these are the kind of terroir driven goodies that are again getting coastal Californian wine recognized on an international scale.
In the short time they have existed Spear Vineyards & Winery has already pushed themselves into the upper echelon of producers in Santa Barbara county. Their vineyards are idyllic and produce top quality fruit. Revered producers like Liquid Farm, Brewer-Clifton, and Babcock have already taken notice and are each sourcing fruit from Spear's estate for their own wines. There are many remarkable and world-class wineries and vineyards to visit on your next trip to Santa Barbara county, but Spear has earned its place at or near the very top of that list.
