Unique Wines Thanks to a Unique Climate
Nestled along the southern portion of California’s famed Central Coast, Santa Barbara County is defined by a unique one-two terroir punch of topography and climate. The majority of the world’s coastal mountain ranges run parallel along the coastline, acting like a protective shield for the inland communities from the harsh marine layer. However, due to a shift in tectonic plates over 15 million years ago, Santa Barbara is home to rare east-west mountain ranges that run perpendicular from the coast which opens the door for a rush of frigid coastal air, wind and fog to infiltrate and extend into the inland valleys. These unfriendly, chilly weather conditions from the Pacific are courtesy of breezes being swept in from the deep offshore ocean currents that originated in Alaska which results in a very light rainfall (14 inches or less annually, on average) and an extremely long growing season in the area.