The Sta. (Santa) Rita Hills are a lesser-known wine region along the central coast of California. It is located between the cities of Buellton and Lompoc and makes for a fun weekend getaway from Los Angeles. I have been able to visit this area a few times and have created this list of the best wineries in Lompoc and the Sta. Rita Hills.
Disclaimer: Special thanks to the Lompoc Tourism Board for hosting me during my stay. As always, all thoughts and opinions remain my own. This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission at no cost to you!
Table of Contents
History of the Sta. Rita Hills
The Sta. Rita Hills AVA is part of the larger Santa Ynez Valley AVA located in Santa Barbara County, California. The area is exposed to a lot of fog and ocean breezes thus making it a cooler-climate wine region. It is best known for its Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays, and Syrahs.
How to Get to the Sta. Rita Hills
The Sta. Rita Hills are located about 150 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The closest major airport is Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). You can also opt to fly into the Santa Barbara airport which is about 50 miles away. However, you will usually find a better flight deal into LAX.
From Los Angeles, follow the 101 north for about 130 miles. Then hop on the 1 north for another 30 miles and you will arrive in the Sta. Rita Hills area.
When to Visit the Sta. Rita Hills
The Sta. Rita Hills are a fun place to visit any time of the year. I personally like visiting in spring or early fall. The spring is nice because a lot of the flowers are in bloom. In the early fall, you may be able to catch the harvest season. No matter what, you will have fun when wine tasting in the Sta. Rita Hills.
Where to Stay in the Sta. Rita Hills
TripAdvisor is a great place to start your hotel search. Search for the best Lompoc and Sta. Rita Hills hotels here!
Lompoc or Buellton are the closest places to the Sta. Rita Hills. If you stay in Lompoc, opt to stay at O’Cairns Inn and Suites. The hotel comes with a great happy hour and breakfast. In Buellton, the Pea Soup Anderson’s Inn was a fantastic budget spot. There is also a Marriott in Buellton.
Transportation in the Sta. Rita Hills
To get around the Sta. Rita Hills, you will need a car. You can opt to rent one or hire a driver. If you opt to visit wineries in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto, you can park in one spot and walk around from there. You could also book this shuttle from Santa Barbara to the Santa Ynez Valley.
Best Wineries in Lompoc and the Sta. Rita Hills
After having visited the area multiple times, I have been able to visit some of the best wineries in the Sta. Rita Hill. Overall, the area has about 60 wineries and I hope to continue finding new delicious ones to try.
Ampelos Cellars
Cost: $10
Hours: Thus-Sun: 11am-5pm, Mon: 11am-4pm
Favorite Wine: Syrache -Sigma
Ampelos Cellars is one of the best wineries in Lompoc. It has a ton of unique wines. They do the basic wines like Pinot Noirs and Syrahs, as well as some dessert wines. Ampelos also has a line called “Funky Town” where they create more natural wines like a Piquette and an Albarino-orange. A tasting here is only $10 and you get to try 7 different wines. They also threw in a few bonus pours as well.
Brewer-Clifton
Cost: $25
Hours: 10am-3pm
Favorite Wine: Sta. Rita Pinot Noir
Brewer-Clifton is one of the best wineries in the Sta. Rita Hills. Their tasting room is in an industrial complex but you can get up close and personal with the wine-making process. We were able to see where they store the vats as well as the process of smooshing the grapes. They also specialize in Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays.
Dierberg Vineyard and Tasting Room
Cost: $35
Hours: 11am-5pm
Favorite Wine: Chenin Blanc
Dierberg Vineyard is another one of the best wineries in the Sta. Rita Hills. The winery has two vineyard locations, but the tasting room is located near Lompoc. This sustainable single vineyard winery has the basic wines of the area and offers such a relaxing area at the tasting room. A tasting consists of 5-6 wines.
Lafond Winery & Vineyard
Cost: $15
Hours: 11am-4pm
Favorite Wine: SRH Chardonnay
Lafond Winery is a super cute vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills. The vineyards were planted in 1971 and span 175 acres. They are mostly known for its Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays, and Syrahs but produce a couple of other wines. A tasting here is $15 for 5 tastes which vary depending on what they have open.
Montemar Winery
Cost: $20
Hours: Fri-Sun: 11am-6pm
Favorite Wine: La Encantada Pinot Noir
Montemar was another fun stop and one of the best wineries in Lompoc. They had a mixed flight, a Syrah flight, and a Pinot Noir flight. Each flight came with 5 wines. I highly recommend the Pinot Noir flight if you have never traveled to this wine region before. This gives you a good sampling of the different pinots of the area. Their outdoor tasting area was very relaxing.
Peake Ranch Winery
Cost: $50
Hours: 11am-5pm
Favorite Wine: Peak Ranch Chardonnay
Peake Ranch is one of the best wineries in the Sta. Rita Hills and a hidden gem. Although the tasting is very pricey for the area, the pours are huge and a tasting takes a couple of hours. You can definitely compare the wines to Napa level wines and you will love the views as you sip on delicious wines.
Sanford Winery
Cost: $30
Hours: 10am-4pm
Favorite Wine: La Rinconada Pinot Noir
Sanford Winery is one of the most well-known and best wineries in the Sta. Rita Hills. It is a bit more commercial than the other wineries in the area, but the property is gorgeous. They were the first winery to plant vineyards in the area and have perfected their wines. You can even opt to bring your own snacks to enjoy with the wine.
Spear Vineyards and Winery
Cost: $25
Hours: Wed-Thurs: 11am-5pm, Fri-Sun: 10am-5pm and Mon: 10am – 3pm, Closed Tuesdays
Favorite Wine: Estate Pinot Noir
Spear is my personal favorite of the wineries in the Sta. Rita Hills. This awesome vineyard specializes in Pinot Noirs, Syrahs, and Chardonnays. It is a small family-owned and sustainable winery. A tasting lasts 45 minutes and you get 5 tastes.
Sweetzer Cellars
Cost: $20
Hours: Fri-Sun: 11am-5pm
Favorite Wine: La Encantata Pinot Noir
Sweetzer Cellars was another favorite and one of the best wineries in Lompoc. A tasting here costs $20 and gives you 5 tastes. You could mix and match choices off of their menu to create your own flight, or go with one of their preset tastings. The owners’ Mike and Lisa were super nice and we enjoyed pretty much all the wines we tasted.
Zotovich Vineyards
Cost: $25
Hours: Sun-Thurs: 12pm-5pm
Favorite Wine: Syrah
Zotovich is one of the larger and older wineries in the area as well as one of the best wineries in Lompoc. They have three lines: a basic “Zoto” line, a mid-level line, and a higher-end “Z” line. All of the lines had delicious wines. A tasting comes with 6 wines, but we got to try some that were off the menu as well. I really liked their “Zoto” Pinot Noir and mid-level Syrah.
Other Best Wineries in Lompoc and the Sta. Rita Hills
Although we have not tried all of these wineries yet, other people have recommended to us Sandhi, Melville, Fiddlehead Cellars, and Brick Barn. Most of these are located in Downtown Lompoc.
If you have more time, make sure to check out the other California wine regions such as Paso Robles, Santa Maria, the Santa Ynez Valley, and Los Olivos.
