Winery Overview
Pierre Lafond opened the first post-prohibition commercial winery in Santa Barbara County in 1962 at the age of 32. Two years later, he set up a winery facility on Anacapa Street in downtown Santa Barbara, just two blocks from the Pacific Ocean. It would be more than ten years before a second winery opened in the area, and today, there are more than 200 wineries in the county. In 1972, Pierre Lafond planted 65 acres in the Santa Rita Hills at the western tip of the Santa Ynez Valley. It was one of the first commercial vineyards planted here. The vineyard sits between two east-west mountain ranges (Purisima Hills in the north and Santa Rosa Hills in the south) that funnel cool morning fog into the valley, helping to create wines of excellent acidity and intense concentration. It is well suited to Burgundian varietals, and Pierre focuses on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay still today. The Santa Rita Hills America Viticultural Area (AVA) status was granted to the area in 2001. Bruce McGuire became the winemaker in 1981, and he is still the winemaker today. In 2005, the movie Sideways raised awareness of the Santa Ynez Valley which helped increase tourism to the area. Santa Barbara Winery is still owned by the Lafond family, and the tasting room is located in the Funk Zone in Santa Barbara, a popular destination between the ocean and Highway 101 known for boutique wine tasting rooms, cafes, galleries and shops. Pierre and Bruce have worked together for quite some time, and their wines have received many awards over the years.