Que Syrah Syrah Syrah: 3 from Santa Barbara

What’s local when it comes to wine? For me, based in Ventura in Southern Central California, in an eight hour drive I can get to just about every wine growing region in California — both above and below the border in Mexico! From the well known areas like Sonoma and Napa, to lesser known gems like Mendocino and El Dorado, as well as Baja’s Valle de Guadelupe, it is all relatively accessible. 

But I’m only an hour away from the verdant vineyards of Santa Barbara County where a geographical anomaly allows the cooling Pacific Ocean breezes to race east along the Santa Ynez River Valley from the Pacific to Lake Cachuma.  Continue reading →