Critic picks

Wine Enthusiast's top-rated wineries in Santa Barbara County

Wine Enthusiast scores on the 100-point scale. Its 208 ranked Santa Barbara County producers run from 93 to 95 points, each with at least two rated wines.

Ranked by Wine Enthusiast's mean score across every wine of theirs Wine Enthusiast has rated. Highest average first; ties go to the producer with more wines rated.

208
Producers Wine Enthusiast rates
95
Top score
406
Wines scored, top 25

The list

  1. 195Crown PointHappy Canyon of Santa Barbara, United States18 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  2. 294Domaine de la CôteSta. Rita Hills, United States3 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  3. 394Bien Nacido EstateSanta Maria Valley, United States30 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  4. 494AetherSanta Barbara County, United States4 wines ratedCRITIC-RATED→
  5. 594The HiltSanta Barbara County, United States8 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  6. 694Solomon Hills VineyardsSanta Maria Valley, United States19 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  7. 794Samuel Louis SmithSta. Rita Hills, United States23 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  8. 894Mail RoadSta. Rita Hills, United States8 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  9. 994Story of SoilSanta Barbara County, United States2 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  10. 1094MartianSanta Barbara County, United States2 wines ratedCRITIC-RATED→
  11. 1194ExprimereSta. Rita Hills, United States2 wines ratedCRITIC-RATED→
  12. 1293DonnachadhSta. Rita Hills, United States18 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  13. 1393ChaninSanta Barbara County, United States68 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  14. 1493Trippers & AskersSanta Barbara County, United States3 wines ratedCRITIC-RATED→
  15. 1593Ranchos de OntiverosSanta Maria Valley, United States3 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  16. 1693MarbesoSta. Rita Hills, United States9 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  17. 1793BoscoeSanta Ynez Valley, United States5 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  18. 1893Brewer-CliftonSta. Rita Hills, United States104 wines ratedCRITICS' PICK→
  19. 1993PiroSanta Maria Valley, United States12 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  20. 2093Ryan CochraneSta. Rita Hills, United States26 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  21. 2193Antonio PatricSta. Rita Hills, United States2 wines ratedCRITIC-RATED→
  22. 2293SantSta. Rita Hills, United States2 wines ratedCRITIC-RATED→
  23. 2393La BargeSta. Rita Hills, United States14 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  24. 2493TreadSanta Barbara County, United States15 wines ratedDISTINCTION→
  25. 2593Tanner DafoeSanta Ynez Valley, United States6 wines ratedDISTINCTION→

How we choose

Wine Enthusiast rates individual wines, not estates. Each producer's place here is its average Wine Enthusiast score across every wine of theirs the critic has scored. A producer needs at least two such wines to appear: the guard stops a single lucky score on one bottle from outranking an estate with dozens of rated wines. More on how the list works

Frequently asked

How many Santa Barbara County wineries has Wine Enthusiast rated?
208 wineries in Santa Barbara County, United States have at least two wines scored by Wine Enthusiast. Only those appear here.
Which Santa Barbara County winery does Wine Enthusiast rate highest?
Crown Point, at a 95-point average from Wine Enthusiast, followed by Domaine de la Côte and Bien Nacido Estate.
How is this list ranked?
By Wine Enthusiast's average score across each winery's wines. A winery needs at least two Wine Enthusiast-rated wines to be listed, so a single high score cannot top the ranking.
Does this use user reviews?
No. Only Wine Enthusiast's professional ratings. There are no crowd star averages in it.

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