Sandhi wines & Domaine de la cote

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 3.5/5 (tasting room is downtown but you can also visit their vineyard)

  • QPR: 5/5

  • Main varietals: Chardonnay, Pinot, Sparkling wine

  • Tasting fee: $50

Sandhi and Domaine de la Côte are two different brands founded by a sommelier Rajat Parr. Both focus on some of the most prestigious and distinctive vineyards in Santa Barbara County, particularly in the Sta. Rita Hills, known for its cool climate and coastal influence that favors Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Domaine de la Cote gained its fame when one of their wines was featured in Somm 3 during a blind tasting. Sandhi has an emphasis on old vines and dry-farming techniques and whole-cluster fermentation, enhancing the wines' structure and earthy aromatics.

The tasting room is located in downtown Lompoc along with other wine making facilities, close to the beautiful vineyards in Sta Rita Hills. We were welcomed with a traditional method sparkling wine, 2016 Blanc de noir, and it was delicious! We then drove 5 minutes and got to see the unique terroir and elevation of their vineyards.

Their Chardonnays and whole cluster Pinots were a treat and I enjoyed various bottles from both Sandhi and Domain de la Cote. I went back and forth revisiting and doing side by side tastings and ended up buying a bottle of 2020 Sandhi Sanford & Benedict Pinot, 2021 Romance Pinot, and 2016 Blanc de Noir.

If you like Champagne or cool climate Pinots, highly recommend trying their wines!

More about Sandhi and Domaine de la Cote

Tyler Winery Mae Estate

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 4/5

  • QPR: 4/5

  • Main varietals: Chardonnay and Pinot

  • Tasting fee: $50 or $125

I first learned about Tyler for good Burgundian Pinots and Chardonnays outside of Burgundy. I got to try a few of their Pinots and wanted to make sure I stop by their tasting room. I was greeted with a glass of rosé and welcomed at the property overlooking the vineyard.

I learned during the tasting that a lot of their wines are exported to Europe, which might be why you might not have seen their bottles, They have a few different bottles of Pinots and Chardonnays including Mae Estates which are from vineyards around their property and additional single vineyard wines under the Tyler label.

My favorite from the tasting line up was the Bentrock vineyard but I’ve also had a bottle of their Sanford & Benedict and La Rinconada before and both were tasty.

More about Tyle Winery: Website

Three Sticks Wines

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 4/5

  • QPR: 4/5

  • Main varietals: Chardonnay and Pinot

  • Tasting fee: $80, waived for members

Three Sticks Adobe tasting room is located in the heart of Sonoma downtown off the main square. Once you walk through an adorable door from the street, you will be greeted with a tasting space that feels like a hidden garden. Although you don’t get any vineyard views, the vibe here totally makes up for it.

Tasting flight includes a few different Chardonnays and Pinots from all around Sonoma including Gap’s crown, Russian River Valley, and Sonoma Coast. They do a great job with the side by side pouring of the line up so you can compare the difference and really see which one you like!

More about Three Sticks: Website

Small Vines Wines

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 5/5

  • QPR: 4/5

  • Main varietals: Chardonnay and Pinot

  • Tasting fee: $100

There’s nothing I love more than finding a hidden gem winery and Small Vines is one of them! I’ve been hearing about this winery from others in the wine & hospitality industry and was so excited to finally visit. They are a small production family owned winery, but can be found in high-end restaurants like French Laundry!

Tasting room overlooks their estate vineyard and the entire property/ground was beautiful. It almost felt like I was at a winery resort with cute red barn chairs, wine barrels, and a tree swing. I tasted through their 2018 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, 2017 TBH Chardonnay, 2019 TBH Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, 2018 Estate Cuvée Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, and 2015 Baranoff Russian River Valley Pinot Noir and they were all great.

What was more impressive and fun was hearing more about their farming practice while looking at their vineyard and drinking the wine from the same vineyard. They plant their vines close to each other, which decreases yield but increase concentration, and strictly maintain high quality fruits by keeping 2 clusters and 15 leaves per shoot. At the end of the visit, we even got to meet the owner/winemaker Paul (perks of visiting a small winery) and got a sneak peak of their sparkling wines yet to be released.

If you like private visits with great wines and vineyard views, highly recommend!

More about Small Vines : Website

Gavalas Winery

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 3/5

  • QPR: 5/5

  • Main varietals: Greek whites, reds, and sweet wine

  • Tasting fee: €16-35 depending on the flight you choose

  • Average wine rating on Vivino: 4.0

I remember personally liking the wines here better compared to Venetsanos so recommend trying Venetsanos for the view and trying Gavalas for wine tasting flights! This winery is filled with history as it started more than 300 years ago. You can take a peak at their old traditional facility and handmade barrels, which are still used to store Vinsantos, sweet wine that put Santorini wines on the map. Tasting flight was a good representation of Santorini grapes: Aidani, Assyrtiko (whites) Mavrotragano (red), Vinsanto (sweet).

More about Gavalas: Website