Exploring Santa Barbara Wine Country with Rooted Vine Tours

Known for sun, sand and surf Santa Barbara has everything you need for a quintessential California getaway. The unique climate where the Santa Ynez Mountains spill into the Pacific Ocean also makes Santa Barbara one of the premier wine regions in the United States. With over 300 wineries it can be difficult to choose which tasting rooms to visit and in order to more fully enjoy the wine tasting experience it’s a good idea to leave the driving up to someone else. Enter Rooted Vine Tours.

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Home to some of California’s best beaches, I was in Santa Barbara with two other friends for a long overdue girls’ trip and as wine lovers we were eager to get out and explore Santa Barbara’s wine country. I contacted Iaon Pohlit, owner of Rooted Vine Tours, who organized a private tour for us. Iaon met us at the Hotel Milo where we were staying to begin our wine country sojourn. Iaon’s years of experience as a restaurateur and wine buyer led to many close relationships within Santa Barbara’s wine community and today he serves as an editorial tasting assistant to Wine Enthusiast Magazine Editor Matt Kettman. Rooted Vine Tours focuses on smaller family owned boutique wineries allowing for a more intimate wine tasting experience.

During our 45 minute ride out to or first winery Iaon explained what made the hills and valleys surrounding Santa Barbara such a great place to grow wine. Santa Barbara is uniquely positioned where the North and South Pacific currents divide, and this is also the only place along the Pacific Ridge where the mountains run in an east-west transverse (vs north-south). This produces a unique landscape with over 50 microclimates throughout the Santa Ynez Valley AVA, and whose vineyards are home to 85 different grape varietals.

Our first stop of the day was Koehler Winery, whose 100 acre vineyard set among rolling hills checks all the boxes when it comes stunning views. Inside the tasting room visitors are treated to a taste of six of Koehler’s best wines in a very casual and relaxed atmosphere. There is no pretense here, the gang at Koehler just want you to enjoy their wine and have a good time. This small family winery only produces around 5000 cases a year but the folks at Wine Enthusiast have taken notice, in a land where pinot noir reigns Koehler’s 2015 Grenache garnered 94 points. My personal favorite among Koehler’s line up was their Rose of Grenache, an easy drinking sipper that is perfect for summer.

Our next stop was Dragonette Cellars, a small winery tucked in the back of a warehouse park. While it doesn’t have the views I usually associate with a California winery the real magic is what ends up in your glass. With 15 smaller plots scattered across the Santa Ynez and Santa Maria Valleys the wines produced at Dragonette are varied and dramatic. With small batches (usually less than 500 cases of each wine) Dragonette wines have become a cult favorite among wine afficionados. The 2018 Happy Canyon Sauvignon Blanc is herbaceous and zingy but I really loved the complexity of Dragonette’s 2015 Radian Vineyard Pinot Noir.

Our last stop was Pence Vineyard and Winery set among the ruggedly beautiful Santa Rita Hills. The setting at Pence is equal parts old and modern California resulting in a tasting room that is intimate and inviting, tastings here are by reservation only resulting in a very personalized experience. Pence Vineyard aims to utilize french techniques to fully express the unique terroir of the Santa Rita Hills and all 38 acres (including the ranch where they raise chickens and cattle) are farmed organically.We sampled a curated selection of the estate’s Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah along with cheese and charcuterie produced nearby. The wines at Pence are rich and distinctive and among the gorgeous setting of the Santa Rita Hills I believe they may have created their own little foodie utopia.

Speaking of food Iaon took care of us on that end as well. At the beginning of our day we were each presented with a menu for our picnic lunch that was included in the tour. We’re not talking about your basic ham and cheese sandwich here either. Rooted Vine Tours provides a diverse menu of gourmet sandwiches and salads including a lot of vegetarian options. I was famished and my baguette loaded with mozzarella, prosciutto, roasted red pepper and basil hit the spot. After lunch Iaon brought us back to where our day started, the Hotel Milo. A day with good friends, good wine and beautiful views; it really doesn’t get much better than that and the service at Rooted Vine Tours made our Santa Barbara wine country experience complete.