Has Success Spoiled Santa Barbara?

Santa Barbara, October 2004: A well-swept, postcard town hugging  the Pacific Ocean. Relaxed and comfortable. The San Rafael Mountains as a backdrop. In the wine making areas to the northwest, picturesque vineyards on hillsides and in valleys. Neighbor helping neighbor, producing the best wine they can.

Santa Barbara, October 2005: Pinot pathology is rampant. Busloads of thirsty “Pinovices” come in like the tide, inundating small tasting rooms. Hotels and restaurants in wine country are crowded on weekends, and there are traffic jams in downtown Solvang.

Since the Alexander Payne Oscar-winning film “Sideways” debuted in October 2004, Santa Barbara County has seen a lot of growth tied directly to the film. The SB Convention & Visitors Bureau prepared a study of the impact through June 2005 and found

• Significant growth in traffic at winery tasting rooms (Sanford + 300%; Foxen +50-70%; Kalyra +150%) and in sales of Pinot Noir (Lafond Winery +20%; Hitching Post Highliner +400% at the restaurant and +100% in national distribution).
• A projected increase of 15% a year in tourism revenues for the County over the next four years.
• Hotel occupancy up about 20% (one-in-three calls cite  “Sideways”).

Another result is that many people are trying a type of wine that they have never heard of. Nationwide, sales of Pinot Noir are up 25% to 45%, depending on whose figures you use. In September 2005, I sat next to a consultant from North Carolina at the bar at Hitchingpost II, which was prominently featured in the film. “I’m a beer drinker,” he said. “But I saw the movie and was out here, so thought I’d try Pinot Noir. It’s pretty good.” Chardonnay still outsells it by more than ten-to-one, but Pinot sales are expanding more rapidly.

But the picture is not all rosy. Bruce McGuire of Santa Barbara Winery says prices of Pinot Noir grapes have ballooned (by as much as $400 a ton). He adds, “We have 50% more tasters but the same level of sales.” Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat confirms the grape price increases. Higher grape prices to winemakers mean higher prices to consumers. In fact, some large distributors have raised the prices on every Pinot in their portfolio. Several other winemakers report that more tasters often don’t result in more sales.

While I was at the Sanford Winery, a bus full of thirsty tourists arrived, swamping the tiny tasting room. I escaped just in time. At the Kylera winery on a Saturday afternoon, getting close to the tasting counter required slither and slink tactics. The pourers were overwhelmed.

Roving packs of young men out of the south (read: LA) run the tasting circuit, in search of alcohol and the hot Stephanies and Mayas at the tasting rooms. Some are already drunk when they arrive, and at least one pourer has been roughed up trying to eject them. Now, many tasting rooms won’t admit groups of more than 6 people.
I hit the Hitchingpost II around 6:00 pm on a Monday, figuring it was early enough to beat the crowd. Table? A one hour wait, but you can eat at the bar. I hovered at the bar and shoehorned myself into the first free chair. It’s a crowd scene every night. You can still get some of the Highliner wines at the restaurant, but otherwise, the 2004s are pretty much gone.

Many winemakers share Wes Hagen’s (Clos Pepe winery) fear that Santa Barbara will be “Napa-ized.” Says Hagen, “This is still a small town. People help each other. But that could change and it would be a shame.”

How long will the Pinot bubble last? Is it a flash in the tastevin?  Frank Ostini of The Hitching Post II in Buellton, CA pointed out that you can’t take 12 months and project it out ten years. If the main reason someone is drinking Pinot Noir is based on a movie, they’re probably not going to stay with it.  And a bad experience could cause new fans to lose interest. Pinot in a good year can be sublime, but in poor vintages, it can be thin and uninteresting.

A number of the winemakers believe the “Sideways” boom will be short-lived. Only time will tell. But most are thankful that the rumored “Sideways 2” will not take place in Santa Barbara. Maybe it will feature Merlot. To answer the question….No, not yet.

Some Nice Wines

Much of the wine that is produced is not shipped out of state, unless you join the wineries’ wine clubs. Some SB Pinot Noir I recommend:

Clos Pepe: Santa Rita Hills. Wes Hagen is making some great Pinot. It runs in the $40 dollar range and is sold through the online wine store or allocation wine club. Visits by appointment only. [www.clospepe.com ]

Santa Barbara Winery and Lafond Winery: The winery has a tasting room in downtown Santa Barbara. Lafond winery is in the Santa Ynez hills and can be visited without prior arrangement. These Pinots are full and fruity and are value priced. Also a mean Syrah and lovely Sauvignon Blanc. [ www.sbwinery.com ]

Sea Smoke Cellars: Lompoc. Winemaker Kris Curran makes ten different Pinots. Nothing else. Individual and terroir driven. Available to those on the “List.” [ www.seasmokecellars.com ]

Rideau Vineyards: Solvang. Iris Rideau, a feisty Cajun ex-banker with roots in New Orleans, has a long list of super wines, though no Pinot (too warm in her area). Her white Viognier and red Syrah and Petit Sirah are wonderful. If your are lucky, you’ll arrive at the tasting room when she is cooking up a batch of gumbo.      [www.rideauvineyards.com ]

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Where to Stay: If you want to visit the Santa Barbara wine country at a leisurely pace, you should rent a car and spread the trip over 3 or 4 days. The most exciting place to stay, although pricey, is Bacara, which clings to the Pacific coast line just a few miles north of the city. I spent a weekend at Bacara and felt like I had escaped to my own private Mediterranean enclave. Food is exciting (the signature restaurant, Miro, offers Basque/Catalonian cuisine), and the wine cellar and wine lists offer a wine tour of the area’s best. There is a golf course, three heated pools and -- a real indulgence -- a 42,000 square foot spa with exercise room. And, they have their own ranch where avocados and vegetables and olives and lemons are grown for the kitchens. [8301 Hollister Avenue, Santa Barbara, CA 93117. www.bacararesort.com ]

A Good Place to Eat in Santa Barbara: If you’re staying in the city of Santa Barbara, try The Wine Cask restaurant. It has a wine store right next to it. [813 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara. www.winecask.com ]

By Patricia X Savoie

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