Six Wine Tasting Experiences in the Santa Maria Valley

Presqu’ile Winery

Located just off the 101 Freeway, Presqu’ile Winery is in the most western part of the Santa Maria Valley. Presqu’ile is owned by the Murphy family who have farmed land in Arkansas and Louisiana for four generations. In 2007, they purchased the 200-acre property in the Santa Maria Valley. The vineyard is located sixteen miles from the Pacific Ocean, and the vines are planted in ancient sand dunes. The name is Presqu’ile is French/Creole, which means “almost an island.” It was the name of the family property on the Mississippi Gulf Coast that was destroyed in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina. Presqu’ile Winey honors that place and the memories the family shared.

Food plays an important role in a visit to Presqu’ile Winery. Chef Julie Simon creates original menus using ingredients from the organic one-acre vegetable and herb garden, as well as seasonal ingredients from local purveyors.

• Chef Julie’s food can be enjoyed in The Food & Wine Experience ($68), a two-hour tasting that captures the essence of the Santa Maria terroir,
• The Presqu’ile Food & Wine Tour ($135-$160), a guiding tour through the state-of-the-art winery that concludes with a Mezze picnic.
• An excellent way to see the vineyard is on the Estate Horseback Tour & Tasting ($250). Led by horse trainer Shawnee Cook, travel by horse around the 400-acre estate with views of the San Rafael Mountains, Solomon Hills, and Santa Maria Valley. The views from atop a horse are breathtaking. After the ride, enjoy a Food & Wine Experience with a Mezze Picnic and the newest wine releases while sitting on the terrace overlooking the estate.

Bien Nacido

On the Eastern side of the Santa Maria Valley is one of the most famous vineyards in California, Bien Nacido, one of the oldest cool-climate vineyards in California. It is home to the world’s most single vineyard designations and was named a Top Chardonnay Destination by Wine Enthusiast Magazine in 2023. The 2500-acre property was part of a Spanish land grant in the 1800s. Brothers Stephen and Bob Miller purchased the property in 1969, and in 1973, they planted 300 acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Today, there are 700-900 acres planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Grenache, and more.

Bien Nacido, which means “well born” was not open to the public until 2023 when they opened their Gatehouse at the entrance to Bien Nacido. Inspired by the adobe that was built in 1857 that still sits on the property, the Gatehouse is a modern version. Offering both inside and outside seating, there is not a bad view in the house. Inside, the spacious tasting room has floor-to-ceiling windows that open into a courtyard.

Bien Nacido offers various tasting flights.

• The Estate Flight ($45) offers four wines from Bien Nacido and Solomon Hills (the Miller’s 300-acre vineyard that is the westernmost vineyard in Santa Maria).
• For those who want to delve specifically into Chardonnay and Pinot Noir or Grenache and Syrah, try the Focused Flights ($60).
• The top-of-the-line flight is the Black Label Flight ($75), which includes the wines that are sourced from specially selected blocks of the vineyard. This includes the elegant and pretty Belle of the Ball Chardonnay from the Solomon Hills Vineyard and the beautifully perfumed The Captain Pinot Noir from the Bien Nacido Vinyard. Each of these flights can be paired with a beautiful charcuterie board from Amazing Grace ($45).
• If sitting down for a tasting with a view is not what you want, you can get out into the vineyard on an ETV tour, tasting wine as you stop to see White Rock, the Adobe, and The Captain block.

Cambria Estate Winery (Save At Cambria With Priority Wine Pass - Click Here)

Five minutes down the road from Bien Nacido sits Cambria Estate Winery. Established in the 1970s, the Jackson family purchased the 2200-acre property in 1986. Today, there are 1500 acres planted, and Cambria produces only estate wines.

Cambria Estate Winery farms organically and was SIP Certified in 2011 and CCSW (Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing) accredited in 2014. With the goal of having a carbon-neutral footprint, more than 50% of the winery operations are solar-powered, water is recycled from the winery and used in the vineyards, and waste is recycled, reused, or turned into compost, with only 1% of waste sent to the landfill.

Cambria Estate Winery is not only a champion of the environment, but they are rooted in female leadership. Barbara Banke oversees the estate with her daughters Katherine and Julia Jackson; Denise Shurtleff is the General Manager after two decades as winemaker; Jill Russell is the winemaker.

The renovated tasting room offers a casually elegant indoor lounge and outdoor patio.

• Enjoy an Estate Tasting ($25) featuring Cambria’s Winemaker’s Collection and Clone Collection highlighting singular Chardonnay and Pinot Noir clones, as well as specific vineyard sites.
• A Reserve Tasting ($35) features the oldest vines on the estate and bottlings that hold the name of the founders. This includes Katherine’s Signature Chardonnay, a barrel select from vines planted in 1971, and Julia’s Signature Pinot Noir.

The best seat in the house is on the Oak Knoll, overlooking a panoramic vineyard view. From here, you can reserve a picnic table for up to 8 guests. Bring outside food and enjoy bottles of Cambria wines off the wine list.

Riverbench

The Foxen Canyon Wine Trail, which promotes wineries and tasting rooms along Foxen Canyon Road is a 30-mile road that winds from Los Olivos in Santa Ynez to Santa Maria. Riverbench, a 300-acre property five minutes down the road from Cambria, is one of three wineries on the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail that sits in Santa Maria Valley.

Located on the Santa Maria Bench, on the bank of the Sisquoc River, the Riverbench property was originally a dairy ranch. The Riverbench Vineyard was planted to Chardonnay and Pinot in 1973 by Jack Niven and for decades, the grapes were sold to various wineries. From the 1980s until early 2002, the property was under different ownership but in 2005, three local Santa Maria families purchased the property. In 2006 they produced their first wine and Clarissa Nagy joined as winemaker in 2012.

The tasting room at Riverbench is in the charming old ranch house that was built in the 1920s and sits at the entrance to the property. Outside is a large garden area set up with garden chairs and tables. In addition to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Riverbench is known for its sparkling wines. In addition, Riverbench was the first winery to plant Pinot Meunier in Santa Barbara County in 2014 and made a Pinot Meunier sparkling wine in 2016. And, in 2021, they made a still Pinot Meunier.

• These wines can be tasted in three standard flights offered at Riverbench ($25-35). The Riverbench Tour includes the still Pinot Meunier, in addition to two Chardonnays and two Pinot Noirs; the Sparkling Wine Flight includes four sparkling wines; the Pinot Noir Tasting offers the Estate Pinot Noir and three clonal Pinot Noirs.
• Add a Picnic Basket ($30) to any of the flights, or with a glass or bottle of wine, and enjoy the sunshine and ocean breeze in the charming garden.