We were fortunate enough recently to spend a weekend at the Circle Bar B Guest Ranch with our friends Linda and Dana. The ranch is just north of Santa Barbara nestled in the hills above the Pacific in a beautiful coastal mountain paradise! The accommodations are cabins and each guest receives three square meals a day which works for me! Breakfast and dinner are served in the recently built lodge featuring overstuffed couches a fireplace and a beautiful western style bar.
Horseback riding is offered daily from the oldest public stables in Santa Barbara County and we enjoyed a 2 hour trail ride on Saturday morning and experienced some fantastic views!
Since Santa Ynez was in our back yard we decided to spend the afternoon wine tasting, so we packed up our Circle Bar B lunches and headed up the 101.

First stop was the brand new Foley Wines tasting room East of Solvang on Highway 246.



We have always enjoyed the Foley wines, but were very impressed by the beautiful new facility with a 3500 square foot tasting room and event center. It was very open and inviting and the outdoor picnic tables were the perfect place to enjoy a glass of wine and our sandwiches.
We purchased the following:

Foley 2008 Santa Rita Hills - Chardonnay - Steel - $28

Foley 2007 Santa Rita Hills - Chardonnay - Rancho Santa Rosa - $30

Foley 2007 Santa Rita Hills - Pinot Noir - Barrel Select - $40

The Rancho Santa Rosa is in Santa Barbara's Santa Rita Hills and is part of the original Spanish land grant. The 460 acre ranch is an historic parcel producing chardonnay's with signature mineral aromatics and fruit notes of lime zest and lemon! The Pinot Noir is hand picked and the barrel select is from barrels of the winery's best pinot! This is a powerful wine without being heavy. Lots of blackberry/blueberry fruit.

Next stop was the beautiful Melville Winery, just a little further along Highway 246. The facility
is reminiscent of a Mediterranean villa with beautiful landscaping surrounded by vineyards. It is the perfect picnic spot (if you hadn't already eaten your sandwiches at Foley!!) Once again the Santa Rita Hills location (appellation) is well situated for both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Here we chose to purchase the following:


Melville 2008 Pinot Noir - Estate - Verna's $24

Melville 2007 Pinot Noir - Estate - $30

Melville 2007 Pinot Noir - Terraces - $52

Hands down, these Pinot's were well crafted with a complex array of wild red and black fruit.....very deep, rich color and the Terraces (I know, $52) was intriguing, rich and concentrated on the palate. There is an earthiness accompanied by spice, rhubarb and current!! A VERY pleasing wine!
We are rarely disappointed by a visit to this region and we cannot wait for our next excuse to visit!