It has been 41 years since Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyards first broke ground in the northern reaches of Santa Barbara County’s Santa Ynez Valley. From its earliest days, this pioneering winery has cultivated superior quality grapes from its well-drained mesa soils.
After two decades of experimentation with planting numerous varieties—including Santa Barbara County’s first Syrah in 1978—it was evident that Zaca Mesa was a particularly sweet spot for grapes from the Rhône Valley of France. Since 1997, this Los Olivos winery has replaced more than half of its original vines with a high density planting of new rootstock and clone combinations. Home to the oldest Syrah vines on the Central Coast, the Black Bear Syrah Block vines, Zaca Mesa now has nine clones of Syrah and the greatest number of high density vineyard acres in the county.
All Zaca Mesa wines are estate grown and bottled. No grapes are bought or sold from other vineyards. The winery wholeheartedly embraces the California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing to achieve balance in the vineyard and view the estate as one living, breathing system. Under the leadership of Winemaker Eric Mohseni, the wines are crafted using traditional methods to express the unique spirit of the land and their vintage.
The wines have enjoyed the spotlight often. Zaca Mesa wines have been served by President Clinton at a White House state dinner and at President Reagan’s 80th birthday party. The 1993 Estate Syrah was listed #6 in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 1995; and more recently, the 2006 Estate Syrah was listed #29 in 2010.
Those who have the opportunity to visit Zaca Mesa’s tasting room come to appreciate the wines even more. The knowledgeable tasting room staff is quick to engage guests in a lively education on Rhône varietals as they taste their way through the wines. Outside, a short hiking trail leads up the mesa to a great viewing point where they can admire the estate vineyards where all Zaca Mesa’s superb wines are born.
For more information, please visit: zacamesa.com