alma rosa winery and vineyards

Thank you for visiting the new Tasting Room! Glad to hear you enjoyed your experience!Sincerely,The Alma Rosa Family

We joyfully made the right turn off Santa Rosa Road (we were coming from Sanford's, not 101), anticipating a great tasting to be shared with Jack and Winston, our two newly-rescued Golden Retrievers, since AR was on the Dog Internet as '"dog-friendly" (they would share the ambiance, not the wine!), when we noted a small sign about a "new" tasting room in Buellton. Hmmm. Not to be deterred, we charged on up the old gravel road, only to be stopped by a sign that said the old tasting room was closed! Winston had to "go", but once that was accomplished, we headed off to Buellton. We found the new "temporary" tasting room in a strip mall on Industrial Way! (NO winery should be so crass ["Frass"?] as to locate a tasting room on Industrial Way!).Despite the unprepossessing surroundings and minimal parking, we entered the tiny tasting room. The pleasant lady in charge was very welcoming and said that, yes, this venue was dog-friendly, as well. J. & W. enjoyed sniffing all the Christmas decorations, and had a little snack, courtesy of Mr. Sanford. The Pinot gris was excellent!HOWEVER! the old, rustic, real California tasting room (see attached photo) will be sorely missed!

I went to Alma Rosa a number of times, even when it was still Sanford, and I admit I miss the old, rustic tasting room. But the wines are still great in the temp tasting room in Buellton and I'm looking forward to the new one building across the street,

The first, and still among the most renowned, Burgundy grower and winemaker in Santa Barbara County now seems to be in business better than ever, moving into a new facility in Buellton and planning some very big things. Still, the wines remain as they ever have been: crafted, nuanced, light but not lightweight, a bit of complexity and yet well able to pair with everyday foods and activities. Pinot Blanc is a winner in the high summer, fruity and fine when chilled, and the Chardonnays are always great. But it's the Pinot Noirs which still carry the weight at Alma Rosa, and several to choose from, all well done. Don't anyone tell you the screwcaps make for lesser wines: Alma Rosa wines, like almost everything in the U.S., are crafted for the here & now, not for your grandchildren's parties, and no Alma Rosa wine is ever "corked." Buy and enjoy!

We can't speak of the grounds, as we went to a temporary tasting room while they are transitioning. But the ladies were very kind and knowledgeable. We had met the GM in Los Alamos at Bell Farm, and he and his wife were very funny and told us we needed to go there for a tasting and go to Industrial Cafe to eat - - both great recommendations while we were driving through toward home. Delicious and we bought 2 bottles on our way out.

This is always a fun place to stop as you make your way into the Santa Rita Hills. Only did the red flight this time and found that the higher end pinots were quite good. Only negative is that it seems they are trying to do too much instead of focusing on a few quality wines.

Quaint little winery tucked into the Santa Rita Hills. No point lying. We came here because of Sideways. This is the first wine tasting room that they visited in the film. Since the film's release, the owner had to give up the Sanford name (long story explained to us by one of the employees). So yes, this is the actual place in the film.For variety, we decided to share the varietal flight and the pinot flight. A refined wine palate I have not, but I did enjoy a few of the wines and found a couple not so enjoyable. If I remember correctly, my favorite was the "2011 Pinot Noir - Santa Rita Hills," whereas my girlfriend liked the "2011 Pinot Noir - Clone 115 - La Encantada Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills."Now this isn't Alma Rosa's fault, but boy are some winegoers loud and obnoxious. Part of the charm is how small the tasting room is. But when a group of people suddenly enter and act like they own the place, your experience goes south quickly.Fortunately, we were on our last glass and we escaped to the back to check out the surroundings. The aforementioned employee saw me taking photos and invited us to check out their planning room. Apparently, the walls are stacks of hay bales reinforced with rebar and covered in clay. You can see how thick the walls are. It was a cold day and the inside was toasty warm thanks to the insulation.It's great to see small wineries remaining small and maintaining that independent charm. Despite the annoying patrons, we enjoyed our quick stop at Alma Rosa.

Continuing our Sideways imitation, we followed the signs along a dusty gravel road, across a dry streambed and up to a ramshackle building that looked at least a hundred years old. For those into movie trivia, the scene in Sideways where Jack and Miles are allegedly at Sanford's was actually filmed here. Much more authentic-looking and, in fact, still owned by the Sanford family (which Sanford's is not). The Pinots here were not as good as Sanford's (or the Hitching Post II, for that matter), but the atmosphere was Old California, and reminded me of Napa-Sonoma-Mendocino in the 1950s. "Sigh!"

I took the Pinot tasting and the only stand out for me was the 2010 Pinot Noir - Mt. Eden Clone, El Jabalí Vineyard, this bottle followed me home!. They are a little out of the way but worth the trip just for the Sideways connection.

Alma Rosa was our first stop on a weeklong visit to Santa Barbara County's wine country. Richard Sanford is one of the original pioneers who put the region on the wine map -- and his Alma Rosa endeavor continues his legacy of making very good wines. The tasting room is a bit rustic, but you have a choice of two tastings -- we went for the pinot noir focus. All the wines were pretty good, though a bit different stylistically than most of our Oregon pinots. We did buy a bottle (the La Encantada Vineyard) and enjoyed the start to our weeklong wine odyssey,

As I say with visits to wineries, don't rate the wine as much as the place since everyone has different palate.Alma Rosa is my favorite winery to visit. It is off the path a bit and has charm that you cannot find in at a big winery. The beautiful setting causes you to want to linger. I loved that it was not crowded just 2 other couples while we tasted. The wine here is good. My favorite of the day was a the Vin Gris from Alma Rosa and I am a red fan!The service here was great, we had a very mellow lady pour for us, which was nice, she really took her time and chatted about what she enjoyed in the wine. My only thing that might be off putting for some is the prices are a bit high for a tasting.

Alma Rosa is so understated and funky that you're not even sure if you're in the right place when you drive down the long dusty gravel road. However, it is definitely worth the time and effort to find it. The history of Alma Rosa is interesting as Pinot Noir wine pioneers, Richard and Tekkla Sanford now own Alma Rosa and bring their many years of wine growing experience to this boutique winery. There are some good white wines as well, but overall, the pinot noirs are excellent! Chris, the Willie Nelson look-a-like still writes the fanciful wine descriptions but has taken leave of pouring these days. Stroll around the grounds with wine glass in hand for a relaxing day in the vineyard.

This winery is rustic.. think tin roof shed off a gravel road, but it has charm and the surrounding beauty makes it a worth while stop. We tried the Pinots which were all good and purchased one bottle that was very good. The winery does not have a bathroom, only portables in the parking lot.

This winery is set off the main road a ways but has beautiful grounds and wildlife around. The wine itself from the 2009 and 2010 vintage was disappointing and for the $15 tasting fee I would have expected much better. Hopefully 2012 treats them well.

This is my favorite winery in all of California. I love the setting, I love the people, and I love their Pinot Noir. We have been coming here for years to pick up wines for our Thanksgiving dinner, and I just love the beauty of the place. I really hope that Richard and Thekla Sanford can continue to make Alma Rosa a place that I can return to year after year. Be warned, there isn't really an on-site restroom (porta potty only).