The Winery

The chaparral watershed and classic Mediterranean climate of the Santa Maria Valley inspired our family owners to plant their first vineyard on the property in 1968. Under the guidance of Napa Valley enologist Andre Tchelistcheff, grape varietals were matched with the ecosystem of Rancho Sisquoc. In 1972, owner Jim Flood and ranch manager Harold Pfeifer crafted our first vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling.

Since then, Rancho Sisquoc winemakers have perfected the process and the varietals grown have been adjusted for the ranch’s microclimates to create superb vineyards and award-winning estate wines. From harvesting in the cool of night to gentle handling in the winery, we take great care to preserve the precious fruit and ensure the entire operation happens on property.

After careful selection of each varietal lot, our team guides the fermentation and aging process to bring out the best from each vineyard block. Fermenting our aromatic white varieties in stainless steel tanks preserves their enticing characteristics, while barrel fermentation and aging adds a lush texture to our Chardonnay. Our red wines are fermented in open top tanks with a combination of gentle hand punch downs and pump overs to slowly extract the color, flavor, and tannins appropriate for fine wines. For our barrel aged wines, specific cooperage is selected to harmoniously match each lot. Most of our wines are cellared for 18 months in barrels before bottling them on site.