St. Supery is a lovely and unpretentious winery. They have a great variety of both whites and reds, and even a rose which is nice and dry,not sweet. Their Virtu and Elu are white and red blends, respectively, which are different each year, but are always interesting.

In the Sta. Rita Hills, it all began with Sanford. In 1971, the Sanford & Benedict Vineyard became the first vineyard in what would develop into a world-class, cool-climate wine-growing region. From its inception, Sanford Winery has been a pioneer in the Sta. Rita Hills, thriving and innovating under the vision and hands-on leadership of the Terlato family.

The story starts with botanist Michael Benedict and his friend Richard Sanford, who were dedicated to finding a cool climate location with just enough heat to ripen wine grapes without over-ripening them. They sought a place where they could grow grapes and craft wines that would rival the best in Europe.

Michael embarked on an extensive journey, researching and touring the cool coastal regions of California to find the ideal site. After much observation and data collection, he identified a unique part of the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County, located at the foot of what would ultimately become the Sanford & Benedict Vineyard. The first vines were planted in 1971, and the Pinot Noir from this remote vineyard soon generated significant buzz. This success inspired others to seek out the magic of the region, establishing the foundation for what is now the Sta. Rita Hills AVA.

Though Michael Benedict and Richard Sanford would part ways after the 1980 vintage, Sanford Winery continued to flourish. Over the years, it has remained notable for its pioneering history and for producing exceptional wines from the Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, which also supplied cuttings for many surrounding vineyards.

B Wise is just off the 12 in Kenwood. The tasting room is elegantly decorated. Allison was friendly and opened new bottles to make sure we tasted the wine at its best. Easily one of the better wineries in the area. While they only really make small batches and prices are escalated because of that, the wine really speaks for itself.

Unconventional by Nature - Winemaker Robert Morse

Terroir is everything, but so as they say is location, and sometimes those aren’t the same place. We have chosen to stay at our vineyard, winery and estate tasting room to allow our customers to experience our unigue terroir. Opposed to what might seem apparent by the concentration of valley wineries, the best vineyard sites are not necessarily alongside the pre-existing major thoroughfares.

In the Foothills, we can grow any warm climate varietals but focus on those that perform at their best in granitic soils. Italian and Rhone varietals benefit from our consistently ideal climate. Our vineyard and winery’s location straddles ridgelines above an elevation of 2000 ft, benefitting from cooling afternoon breezes, abundant sunshine and low yielding rocky soils resulting in our unique terroir.

The Il Gioiello, “the jewel,” name comes from the final home of famed astronomer and scientist Galileo Galilei. Our 2 Roads brand name was inspired by my favorite Robert Frost poem and Morse is my name and most importantly the name of my parents. All three have inspired a slightly different approach to my choices and my respect for integrity, honesty and hard work.

Our wines and winery reflect these values; unpretentious, no concentrates or additives, just wine grapes and great value wines. In my life, the right wine has always been the wingman of a good meal, not the star of the meal. I recall great meals far better than other pleasures and that is why we make “food wines”.

As the French proverb says, “to have a great meal, one requires great hunger”. Having 17 unique estate varietals and clones allow us to create complexity and balance in our wines difficult to achieve with single varietals.

When asked about my favorite wine, the answer is always the same, “what are we eating”. If I’m having a glass of wine without the benefit of food, our 2 Roads blends Crossroad and La Strada are soft, fruity and complex.

photo - courtesy photographer Randy Caparoso