Ernst Storm grew up in South Africa, working and studying winemaking in the Stellenbosch and Walker Bay regions before a desire for a northern-hemisphere harvest experience brought him to California. He was drawn to the diversity of climate and soils found in Santa Barbara County, in large part due to its uniNotary Publicque transverse mountain ranges that open up directly to the Pacific Ocean. Ernst decided to work primarily with cool-climate Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, founding his eponymous label Storm Wines in 2006. A parallel interest to explore the warmer regions of the eastern Santa Ynez Valley led to the birth of Notary Public in 2012, focusing on Cabernet Sauvignon and Chenin Blanc in an approachable, elegant and structured style.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Gavin Chanin began his wine career at the age of 18. While studying Art and Photography at UCLA, he landed an internship under Jim Clendenen and Bob Lindquist at benchmark Santa Barbara County winery Au Bon Climat. Gavin became Assistant Winemaker for “ABC” in 2007 while simultaneously launching Chanin Wine Company, focusing on single-vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir sourced from some of Santa Barbara County’s oldest vineyards. The unique terroir of each site is emphasized by sustainable farming, providing world-class fruit from which Chanin produces his hand-crafted wines.
The Skinner story is a long, fascinating one full of twists, turns, family legacies and California history, they narrative of their ancestors and vineyard sites dating back to the time of the Gold Rush and Pony Express. Current proprietors Mike & Carey Skinner pay homage to memory of their predecessors by continuing to work with the varietals they originally planted: Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache, and Grenache Blanc and others. Winemaker Adam Smith was raised in El Dorado County, and after collecting experiences in Oregon, the Sonoma Coast and New Zealand, his dream of returning to the Sierra Foothills and expanding on the legacy of his own family dovetails perfectly with the Skinner vision.
Blagden Wines
Blagden is a small producer of Vineyard Designate Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from the Petaluma Gap - Sonoma Coast and Cabernet Sauvignons from Moon Mountain and Napa Valley. Catherine has an M.S. from UC Davis and has been making wine since 2003.
Led by wine maker Matt Brady and owners Joan and Dave Szkutak focus on showcasing the unique and expressive terroir of the Santa Rita Hills and cool climate vineyards. At SAMsARA the goal is to make honest, balanced wines in small lots that are true to place and vintage along with old-world wine making techniques: native yeast, whole cluster fermentation, gentle maceration and extended barrel aging.
Roark Wine Company
Founded in 2009 by Ryan Roark, the Roark Wine Company creates small batch wines with low interference and native fermentation. Initially a project to create 100 cases of Chenin Blanc, it turned into a bigger operation that turns out 1500 cases of wine a year!
Ryan Roark is Demetria’s winemaker. Ryan grew up in Marshall, TX, a small town in the northeast part of the state. He studied at Texas A&M and graduated with a degree in Bioenvironmental Sciences. One summer while in school he participated in a summer immersion program at an agriculture university in Angers, France. After the program he worked at Domaine Taillandier in Savennieres, a small village in the Loire Valley. This experience sparked a love of wine which after graduation took him to the Napa Valley, New Zealand and then Santa Barbara County.
