In the mid-1970s, the Firestone family built Santa Barbara County’s first post-Prohibition winery to bottle their homegrown wine grapes under their own label. Tony Austin, prote;ge; of Andre; Tchelistcheff, the godfather of the California wine industry, came aboard as winemaker and eagerly shepherded the fruit of the young vines into remarkably good wines.
Since then, local vintners have planted thousands more acres of grapes and launched dozens of new, often eponymous labels. Operating mostly under the radar of pundits and critics focused on trumpeting the wines coming from Napa and Sonoma counties, they have evolved into a merry band of daring and innovative winemakers.
It seems the rest of the world has finally noticed our native talent, for no less an authority than Steve Heimoff, West Coast editor for Wine Enthusiast magazine, recently named four local boys among his “Six Winemakers to Watch Out For.” Blogging at steveheimoff.com on Aug. 17, Heimoff described his choices as “brilliant young winemakers who aren’t yet well known to the public, but ought to be,” and declared that all of them would be around for a long time to come.
Heimoff started his list of local wine industry stars with Mikael Sigouin (pronounced “see-gway”), a Hawaiian-born oenophile with a flair for crafting stylish Grenache and Syrah. Currently head winemaker at Beckmen Vineyards, Sigouin discovered his life’s work during a 1996 trip to Napa Valley.
After meeting Francis Ford Coppola at the director’s winery and enjoying a watershed luncheon overlooking the vineyards of what is now Rubicon Estate, Sigouin hired on as a “harvest grunt” in the fall of 1999. In 2001, he took over as assistant winemaker and started his own label, called Kaena Wines in honor of his given name, which in Hawaiian means “potential for greatness.”
In 2005, Sigouin made a lateral move to Fess Parker Winery, where he oversaw everyday operations of the facility, and two years later, he was back at Beckmen Vineyards. He credits his German uncle with introducing him to the world of fine wines, a world he has entered with gusto and well-deserved success.
Justin Mund, Heimoff’s next pick for vinicultural greatness, specialized in Pinot Noir in Sonoma County at several small production wineries and one large facility that boasted three separate labels. A graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, he headed south to work as assistant to winemaker Eric Hickey at Laetitia Vineyard, in Arroyo Grande, before accepting the head winemaker position at Orcutt’s elegant Addamo Winery.
At Addamo, Mund continues to work with small lots of Pinot Noir, decrying the “Syrah-ization” of Pinot that sometimes occurs when ripe grapes yield huge, high-alcohol fruit bombs lacking the acidity required for structure and aging. His deft touch helps transform the winery’s estate varietals, including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Grenache, and Syrah, into luscious expressions of the Santa Maria Valley terroir.
Mike Padrick, owner of the cryptically named P2, also made Heimoff’s illustrious list. Mentored by Brian Loring, Padrick crafts his wine at Loring’s Lompoc winery and has made headlines with both his Cargasacchi Jalama Vineyard and Brosseau Vineyard Pinot Noirs.
Formerly a restaurant worker in Vail, Colo., Padrick met Loring at a tasting and was inspired by the former’s transition from the world of high-tech science to the wonders of ag-based winemaking. He headed west to work a harvest and stayed, learning the ropes from Loring and naming his winery for the two personal characteristics that have helped him succeed in such a competitive and tricky pursuit: passion and perseverance.
Last, but not least, Heimoff singled out Russell From, winemaker/proprietor of Herman Story Wines, named for From’s grandfather, a larger-than-life-character who was adept at ranching, logging, banking, and telling tales. Specializing in blockbuster Rhones, both red and white, From worked as cellarmaster at Central Coast Wine Services before heading out to make some vinicultural waves of his own.
From’s tasting notes describe his 2006 Grenache, Larner Vineyard as “a beast,” with deep black currant flavors and soft, fleshy tannins, while his 2008 Nuts & Bolts Syrah bears sensory notes of blueberry cobbler, warm chocolate, and root beer. Bold and distinctive, these memorable wines can only enhance the Central Coast’s standing as a wine-growing region.
As Santa Barbara County’s wine industry has grown, so have the skills and refreshing audacity of its practitioners. Taking a page from the pioneers who planted wine grapes here in spite of the naysayers up north, these vinicultural turks, both male and female, continue to burnish the reputation of area wines, while providing us locals with a ready supply of fine vintages for toasting, tasting, and sharing with wine lovers in the larger world.
K. Reka Badger has always had faith in Santa Barbara County wines. E-mail comments or ideas to rekabadger@hotmail.com.
This article appears in Sep 11-18, 2008.