Pinot Noir in Santa Barbara County: where it grows and where to taste it

Pinot Noir is the grape we see most often on the lists of the places we hold. Of the 198 that take visitors, 106 name it. Our Sta. Rita Hills guide covers the estates in that AVA. This one takes in the rest of the county.

What it is like

Pinot Noir is light to medium in body, soft and silky, with red cherry and earthy notes. It sits well beside salmon, roast chicken, duck or a mushroom risotto.

What the federal record says

Of the federal AVA rules we have read for the county, only those for the Sta. Rita Hills name the grape. The 2001 rule that created the AVA said its cool, foggy climate suits grapes such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and that these were the main grapes grown there. The 2016 rule that expanded it listed both among the grapes in the added land. We hold no planting figures for any AVA, so we leave it there.

Where it is poured

By AVA, counting places located in the area or pouring its wine:

• Sta. Rita Hills: 66
• Los Olivos District: 38
• Santa Ynez Valley: 33
• Santa Maria Valley: 26
• Ballard Canyon: 11
• Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara: 7
• Alisos Canyon: 5

Most places pour from more than one AVA, so these overlap. Another 13, mostly in Santa Barbara, do not tie their wines to an AVA with us.

By town, Lompoc has 27, Los Olivos 23, Santa Barbara 14, Buellton 12, Solvang 11 and Santa Maria 10.

In the Santa Maria Valley

Eight places with a home in the Santa Maria Valley list Pinot Noir. Three open every day: Riverbench Vineyard & Winery (10am–4pm), FOXEN Vineyard & Winery (11am–4pm) and Tres Hermanas (12pm–4pm on weekdays, 11am–5pm on weekends). Presqu'ile opens every day except Tuesday and The Gatehouse at Bien Nacido Thursday to Monday, 11am–5pm. Our Santa Maria Valley guide has the rest.

Open every day, walk-ins welcome

Outside the Sta. Rita Hills, 13 places that list Pinot Noir say they open every day and welcome walk-ins. Hours are as each place posts them.

• Solvang: Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards, from 12pm, to 8pm Wednesday to Sunday and 6pm Monday and Tuesday. Sanger Wines, 11:30am–9:30pm Friday to Monday, 12pm–7pm Tuesday to Thursday. Blackjack Ranch, 11am–4:30pm. Rideau Vineyard, 11am–4:30pm. Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards, 10am–4:30pm.
• Santa Barbara: Santa Barbara Winery, 12pm–6pm. Jamie Slone Wines, 12pm–6pm, to 7pm Friday and Saturday (from 11am Saturday). Silver Wines, 3pm–6pm Monday to Thursday, 1pm–6pm Friday and Saturday, 1pm–5:30pm Sunday. Carr Winery, open daily; we do not hold its times.
• Los Olivos: Saarloos + Sons, 11am–5pm. Evan's Ranch Tasting Room, 12pm–5pm. Liquid Farm, from 11am.
• Santa Ynez: Gainey Vineyard, 11am–5pm.

Into the evening

Besides Alma Rosa, Sanger and Jamie Slone above, these stay open to 7pm or later on at least one day:

• Santa Barbara: Municipal Winemakers, daily 12pm–8pm, to 9pm Thursday to Saturday. Skyenna Wines, daily to 8pm. Melville Winery Tasting Lounge, daily 12pm–7pm, to 8pm Friday and Saturday. Longoria on State, to 8pm Thursday to Saturday. Riverbench Tasting Room, daily 12pm–7pm.
• Goleta: SAMsARA Wine Co., daily to 7pm.
• Lompoc: Longoria Wines, to 7pm Friday, walk-ins welcome. Montemar Winery, to 7pm Friday.
• Los Alamos: Lumen Wines, to 8pm Wednesday to Sunday. Clementine Carter Wines, to 7pm Thursday to Saturday, walk-ins welcome.
• Los Olivos: Strange Family Vineyards, to 7pm Friday and Saturday. Toretti Family Vineyard, to 7:30pm Friday and Saturday.
• Solvang: McClain Cellars, daily 11am–7pm. Casa Cassara, to 7pm Friday and Saturday, walk-ins welcome.

Plan it

Pinot Noir in the county lists every place on one page. Add a few to My day and the planner checks each stop against its posted hours for your date. Lompoc has the most rooms pouring the grape; our Lompoc Wine Ghetto walk says which open on which days. In Santa Barbara, start with the Funk Zone.

A note on these numbers

We counted on October 13, 2026, from our approved listings, each checked against the winery's own website. A place counts when Pinot Noir is on its list of wines and it takes visitors; 11 more producers list the grape but have no tasting room open to the public. The two lists leave out places with a home in the Sta. Rita Hills, which have their own guide. "Pours an AVA's wine" means its own sources show wine from there, not that every bottle is. Hours and walk-in policies are as each place posts them. The federal facts come from the two rules listed below.