Santa Maria Valley Wine Trail, Santa Barbara country, wineries, tasting rooms, winemakers, chardonnay, pinot noir, syrah


	Justin Mund, a graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo has had a myriad of experience in winemaking from Sonoma County to the Central Coast, specializing in Pinot Noir. Prior to his work with Addamo Vineyards, he went from working with small production, boutique wineries to working at an award-winning, mass-producing, tri-label winery. His experiences at all levels have played an integral role in establishing his philosophy for winemaking at Addamo. Addamo Estate Vineyards 400 E. Clark Avenue, Suite A, Old Orcutt (805) 937-6400 The tasting room is open 11-7 Tuesday through Sunday.

	Kenneth Volk's first professional winemaking experience was at nearby Edna Valley Vineyard, working "the crush," as harvest is known in the winegrape industry. The following year he convinced his family to back his plans for developing a vineyard. In 1981, Ken and the Volk family established Wild Horse Vineyard and constructed Wild Horse Winery. Over the next twenty-two years, production grew from 600 to 150,000 cases. In 2003 Ken sold Wild Horse Winery & Vineyards to Peak Wines International a division of Jim Beam Brands Worldwide. In December of 2004, Ken purchased the "Original" Byron Winery facility from the Robert Mondavi Corporation and renamed the property Kenneth Volk Vineyards. The first wines were released in 2006. Aqua Pumpkin/Kenneth Volk Vineyards 5230 Tepusquet Rd., Santa Maria (805) 938-7896 Stop by the Tasting room, open daily 10:30 - 4:30, to sample Ken’s Chardonnay, Grenache, Merlot and Syrah.

	Jonathan Nagy is Director of Winemaking at Byron Vineyards & Winery, a producer of handcrafted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, located in the Santa Maria Valley, California. Founding winemaker Byron "Ken" Brown, who taught and influenced many of the region's most notable winemakers, hand picked Jonathan for this role. Ken recognized Jonathan's highly-developed skill and his desire to make world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In this position, Jonathan is also the winemaker for Io, a Rhone-inspired blend and two vineyard designated Syrahs. Byron Vineyard & Winery & Io 5230 Tepusquet Rd., Santa Maria (805) 937-7288 Tasting “by appointment” only.

	Denise Shurtleff came to Cambria as the Assistant Winemaker in September of 1999. In May 2003, she was promoted to Winemaker and manages all wine production for the estate. She received her Bachelor of Science in Dietetics and Food Administration from California State Polytechnic University. Denise is a natural, gentle leader and is touted for her incredible ability to pick out various aromas in wine. Cambria Winery & Vineyard 5475 Chardonnay Lane (805) 937-8091 Tasting room open 10-5 weekends & holidays.

	Though born into a farming family, Gary Burk's first love was music. So after earning his business degree from Cal Poly, SLO, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a musician. During his time in LA, Gary’s father Ron Burk and Bob Espinola planted their 30 acre Gold Coast Vineyard. That is when Gary’s interest in grape growing and wine took off. He began selling Gold Coast grapes to winemakers from his LA base. In 1993, on a visit home to Santa Maria, Gary was fortunate enough to share a dinner with Au Bon Climat's Jim Clendenen and Dominique Lafon of Domaine des Comtes Lafon. After that evening, Gary was hooked ... funny what a great glass of Meursault will do! In 1994 he was invited to work harvest at the Au Bon Climat/Qupe facility and was hired full time in 1995. He worked in production and marketing for ABC/Qupe until August of 2002 when he left to devote all of his time and energy to Costa De Oro. He made one barrel each of Gold Coast Vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in 1994 and has increased production of the Costa de Oro label each year to the current level of 4,500 cases annually. He currently produces his wines at the Central Coast Wines Services facility in Santa Maria. Costa De Oro Winery & Gold Coast Marketplace 1331 South Nicholson Avenue, Santa Maria (at Stowell Road and US Highway 101) (805) 922-0168 The Gold Coast Marketplace and Tasting Room is open from 11-5 daily

	Norman Beko and his family founded Cottonwood Canyon Vineyard and Winery in 1988 with the purchase of 78 acres of prime Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. His desire to give his wines the perfect environment for aging saw the completion of 6000 square feet of underground wine caves in 1996. The Tasting Room creates a lively arena for his passion for food and wine pairing. Week-ends will often find him bar-b-queing shrimp, sausages and various homegrown vegetables for visitors to the winery. Cottonwood Canyon Vineyard & Winery 3940 Dominion Rd., Santa Maria (805) 937-9063 Tasting room open 10:30-5:30 Monday-Friday, 10-6 Saturday & Sunday.

	Chuck Carlson has been making Rhône-style wines locally for more than 20 years. His winemaking style requires physiological ripeness in the vineyard, followed by minimal handling in the cellar, to ultimately achieve authentic vineyard and vintage expression. Chuck is passionate about all things “Rhône,” and he is currently president of The Rhône Rangers association. Frequently seen in colorful shirts that express his tropical affinities, Chuck has earned the nickname “Calypso” from his friends and colleagues. Curtis Winery 5249 Foxen Canyon Road, Los Olivos (805) 686-8999 Tasting room open daily 11 a.m to 6 p.m (April-September) and 11 a.m to 5 p.m. (October-March).

	Blair Fox continues the stylistic direction set by Eli Parker when capturing the terroir of the vineyards. He aims to continue raising the bar for the award-winning Fess Parker wines, such as the 2001 Rodney’s Vineyard Syrah (91pts, Wine Advocate), 2002 Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir (93pts, Wine Spectator), and 2001 American Tradition Reserve Syrah, (92pts, Wine Advocate). Fess Parker Winery & Vineyards 6200 Foxen Canyon Rd., Los Olivos 800-841-1104 Tasting room and visitor center is open 10-5 daily.

	Kevin Willenborg's winemaking career spans a wide swath of geography, from the hallowed soils of Bordeaux to the heart of Napa Valley, the peaks above Sonoma Valley to the challenging terrain of British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. Now, as the winemaker at Firestone Vineyard, he wields his talents in Santa Barbara County’s Santa Ynez Valley, where he has taken Firestone Vineyard wines to new heights since joining the winery prior to the 2001 harvest. Under Kevin’s direction, Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc have emerged as particularly strong performers, garnering broad acclaim in the wine media and at major wine competitions. Firestone Vineyard 5000 Zaca Station Road, Los Olivos (805) 688-3940 Tasting room is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Winemaker, Bill Wathen (right) Co-owner/Marketer Dick Dore (left)	Bill Wathen after graduating, Cal Poly Universtiy with a Fruit Science major, worked for Santa Barbara County viticultural pioneers, Dale Hampton and Louie Lucas. In 1978, Bill became vineyard manager at Chalone Vineyard, where he was mentored by California wine pioneer and Chalone founder, Dick Graff. At Chalone is where Bill learned traditional French winemaking techniques. Graff’s influence inspires Bill’s minimalist winemaking philosophy. Foxen Winery & Vineyard 7200 Foxen Canyon Rd., Santa Maria (805) 937-4251 Tasting room open 12-4 Thursday-Monday.

	Daniel Gehrs was contacted by Louis Lucas, a wine grape grower from whom Dan had purchased many of his grapes. Louis, having grown fine wine grapes in Santa Barbara County for over 30 years, was more than impressed with Dan's winemaking skills and reputation for excellence - and was especially impressed with Dan's understanding of the importance of careful vineyard practices in the production of fine wines. Consequently, Lucas and his partner, retired Judge Royce Lewellen, asked Dan to join them in creating Lucas & Lewellen wines. Since producing their first vintage together in 1999, they have continued to win numerous significant awards for the wines of Lucas and Lewellen. Lucas & Lewellen 1645 Copenhagen Dr., Solvang (805) 686-9336 The Lucas & Lewellen Tasting Room is open 11:00 5:30 daily. (the tasting room stays open until 8:30 p.m. on Fridays during the summer months)

	Alec Franks came to Rancho Sisquoc in 1997 as the Assistant Winemaker. In 1999 he was promoted to Winemaker. He received his Fruit Science Degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Alec enjoys the hands on creativity that is involved working with the many different varietals grown on the Ranch. Alec, his wife Stacy and daughter Juliana reside on Rancho Sisquoc and much enjoy the tranquility. Rancho Sisquoc Winery 6600 Foxen Canyon Rd., Santa Maria (805) 934-4332 Tasting room open 10-4 daily.

	Chuck Ortman is recognized as one of California’s most respected winemakers. His winemaking career extends over nearly 40 years, during which he cultivated his signature “Ortman style” of winemaking. Chuck began his winemaking career in the cellar at Napa Valley’s Heitz Cellars in 1968. He quickly worked his way up in the winemaking ranks, and by the mid-1970’s he was consulting for some of Napa Valley’s premium wineries, including Far Niente, Shafer, and Cain. Along the way, Chuck became one of the first Californian winemakers to explore the benefits of barrel fermentation of Chardonnay, earning him the nickname “Mr. Chardonnay.” Later, Chuck founded Meridian Vineyards in Paso Robles. The success of Meridian helped establish the Central Coast as one of California’s most dynamic and prestigious winegrowing regions. Chuck now returns to his earlier years, when he sourced the fruit from Riverbench for Meridian. Over three decades, he has watched the progression of the vineyard, and is proud to carefully hand craft stellar small lots of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the paramount sections of our property. Riverbench Vineyard & Winery 6020 Foxen Canyon Road, Santa Maria 805) 937-8340 Tasting Room open 10 - 4 daily.