American Viticultural Area
Sta. Rita Hills
Established July 30, 2001 · Inside Santa Ynez Valley
- What sets it apart
- The corridor lets ocean air and late-night and morning fog in from the Lompoc side, which makes it cooler than the valley east of Highway 101.
- Grapes you will find most
- Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah, Grenache
- Named most often by the 84 listings here.
AVA boundaries: UC Davis Library AVA Project.
Sta. Rita Hills lies at the western end of the Santa Ynez Valley, in an east–west corridor between the Purisima Hills and the Santa Rosa Hills. It was established in 2001 as Santa Rita Hills; the name was shortened to Sta. Rita Hills in 2006, and the boundary was expanded in 2016.
Climate and soils
The corridor lets ocean air and late-night and morning fog in from the Lompoc side, which makes it cooler than the valley east of Highway 101. Soils are mostly loams with a high share of marine and alluvial sand.
Facts on this page come from the TTB rulemaking: read the rule in the Federal Register
The facts
- Established
- July 30, 2001
- Regulation
- 27 CFR 9.162
- Final rule
- T.D. ATF-454, 66 FR 29476
- Lies within
- Santa Ynez Valley, Central Coast
- Renamed
- From “Santa Rita Hills” on January 6, 2006 (T.D. TTB-37, 70 FR 72710)
- Expanded
- 2,296 acres added on September 21, 2016 (T.D. TTB-141, 81 FR 56492)
Dates are the effective dates of the federal rules. Acreage is shown only where a rule states the total.
Wineries and tasting rooms in Sta. Rita Hills
Also making Sta. Rita Hills wine
Located elsewhere, with vineyards or wines from this AVA according to their own websites.
Named vineyards in Sta. Rita Hills
55 vineyards, named by the wineries that farm or buy from them and by the federal rulings. Working farms, not places to visit; where we list the winery tied to one, it is linked.
- 3D VineyardBrewer-CliftonSource
- Ampelos VineyardAmpelos CellarsSource
- Babcock VineyardBabcock Winery & VineyardsSource
- Bentrock VineyardThe Hilt EstateSource
- Bloom's Field VineyardDomaine de la CôteSource
- Casa Cassara VineyardCasa Cassara Winery and VineyardSource
- Christy & Wise VineyardDuvarita VineyardSource
- Clos Pepe VineyardSource
- Donnachadh VineyardDonnachadh Family WinesSource
- Drum Canyon VineyardSource
- El Jabali Vineyard (Alma Rosa estate)Alma Rosa Winery & VineyardsSource
- Evan's RanchGainey VineyardSource
- Fiddlestix VineyardFiddlestix FarmSource
- Gnesa VineyardSource
- Groundstar VineyardSource
- Hapgood VineyardBrewer-CliftonSource
- Hibbits Ranch VineyardSource
- Hilliard Bruce VineyardSource
- Hilltop VineyardSource
- John Sebastiano VineyardPeake RanchSource
- Juliet VineyardDomaine de la CôteSource
- Kessler-Haak VineyardKessler-Haak Vineyard and WinesSource
- La Côte VineyardDomaine de la CôteSource
- La Encantada VineyardSource
- La Rinconada VineyardSanford WinerySource
- LaBarge Estate VineyardLaBarge WinerySource
- Lafond VineyardLafond Winery & VineyardsSource
- Machado VineyardBrewer-CliftonSource
- Mae Estate VineyardTyler WinerySource
- Melville Eastside VineyardMelville WinerySource
- Melville Rancho Nuevo VineyardMelville WinerySource
- Melville Westside VineyardMelville WinerySource
- Memorious VineyardDomaine de la CôteSource
- Mt. Carmel VineyardMail Road WinesSource
- Our Lady of Guadalupe VineyardSource
- Pali VineyardPali Wine Co.Source
- Peake Ranch VineyardPeake RanchSource
- Pence Vineyard (Pence Ranch)Pence Vineyards & WinerySource
- Perilune VineyardBrewer-CliftonSource
- Puerta del Mar VineyardThe Hilt EstateSource
- Quinta Santa Rosa VineyardSource
- RWR VineyardSource
- Radian VineyardThe Hilt EstateSource
- Rancho EsperanzaGainey VineyardSource
- Rancho La Viña VineyardSource
- Rancho Las HermanasFoley EstatesSource
- Rancho Santa RosaFoley EstatesSource
- Rio Vista VineyardSource
- Rita's Crown VineyardSource
- Sanford & Benedict VineyardSanford WinerySource
- Sea Smoke Estate VineyardSea SmokeSource
- Sous le Chêne VineyardDomaine de la CôteSource
- Spear VineyardsSpear Vineyards & WinerySource
- Vineyard FrancescaSource
- Zotovich VineyardZotovich VineyardsSource