Iconic and outstanding houses in Sta. Rita Hills.
The east-west valley funnel cold Pacific air across Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines, creating wines where restraint and ripeness hold constant tension—red fruit stays bright, oak stays invisible, acidity cuts through richness without apology.
Save these houses, build your route through Sta. Rita Hills, and navigate when you're there.
Region DNA
The character of Sta. Rita Hills
Based on 380 wines with structural data
Style profile
Broad range with a recognisable character
FEM score distribution
Based on 60 rated wineries in this region
Flavor territory
Most frequent primary flavor groups
Style breakdown
Wine style frequency · Bar length = relative count
Top grape varieties
Varieties ranked by number of wines · Number = wine count
Most representative winery
The estate whose wines are closest to the regional average — the truest expression of Sta. Rita Hills
Spear
VisitSta. Rita Hills wineries worth the stop
The 12 best critic-rated producers in Sta. Rita Hills with a cellar-door address, ranked by their highest critic score. Check opening hours and book tastings ahead.
- 01
- 02Sandhi
1503 E Chestnut Ave, Lompoc, CA 93436
Critics' peak 95 · Decanter · Wine Advocate · Wine Enthusiast
- 03Liquid Farm
2445 Alamo Pintado Ave #101, Los Olivos, CA 93441
Critics' peak 95 · Decanter · Wine Advocate · Wine Enthusiast
- 04Domaine de la Côte
1712 INDUSTRIAL WAY, LOMPOC, CA, 93436
Critics' peak 95 · Decanter · Wine Advocate · Wine Enthusiast
- 05Racines
P.O. BOX 30873, 93130, Santa Barbara, United States
Critics' peak 95 · Decanter · Vinous · Vivino
- 06Mail Road
835 East Canon Perdido, 93013, Santa Barbara, United States
Critics' peak 94 · Decanter · Wine Advocate · Wine Enthusiast
- 07Melville
5185 East Highway 246, 93436, Lompoc, United States
Critics' peak 94 · Decanter · Wine Advocate · Wine Enthusiast
- 08Hilliard Bruce
2075 Vineyard View Ln,, 93436, Lompoc, United States
Critics' peak 94 · Wine Advocate · Wine Enthusiast · Vinous
- 09Brewer-Clifton
329 N F St, Lompoc, CA 93436
Critics' peak 94 · Decanter · Wine Advocate · Wine Spectator
- 10Diatom
Santa Rita Hills / Purisima Hills area, Santa Barbara County, California., Geographical Focus: The region is known for fossilized marine diatom deposits (diatomite), United States
Critics' peak 94 · Decanter · Wine Advocate · Wine Spectator
- 11
- 12Peake Ranch
7290 Santa Rosa Road, 93427, Buellton, United States
Critics' peak 93 · Decanter · Wine Advocate · Wine Enthusiast
Sta. Rita Hills is a wine region in United States, home to 97 producers tracked on Femente, 42 of them rated 90+ on the critic index. Its vineyards are led by Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Shiraz/Syrah, producing Californian Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir Red and Californian Santa Barbara County Chardonnay White wines with notes of Red fruit, Oak, and Tree fruit.
Sta. Rita Hills — good to know
- What grape varieties are grown in Sta. Rita Hills?
- The most planted varieties in Sta. Rita Hills are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Shiraz/Syrah, and Grenache, based on the wines Femente tracks across the region.
- What wines is Sta. Rita Hills known for?
- Sta. Rita Hills is known for Californian Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir Red, Californian Santa Barbara County Chardonnay White, and Californian Syrah wines and flavors of Red fruit, Oak, and Tree fruit.
- How many wineries are in Sta. Rita Hills?
- Femente tracks 97 producers in Sta. Rita Hills, of which 42 are rated 90+ on the critic index.
- Where is Sta. Rita Hills?
- Sta. Rita Hills is a wine region in United States.
Sta. Rita Hills
The east-west valley funnel cold Pacific air across Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines, creating wines where restraint and ripeness hold constant tension—red fruit stays bright, oak stays invisible, acidity cuts through richness without apology.
Producers in Sta. Rita Hills
- Flores Family Vineyards - Esfuerzo — undiscovered
- Mail Road — critic
- Melhill — honest
- Sillix — distinction
- Samuel Louis Smith — distinction
- Peake Ranch — distinction
- Ground Truth — undiscovered
- Lompoc Wine Co. — honest
- Fesstivity — distinction
- Saudade — distinction
- Chiron — honest
- Lampoc — undiscovered
- Seagrape — distinction
- Sweetzer Cellars — honest
- La Barge — distinction
- Hilliard Bruce — critic
- Saarloos And Sons — honest
- Tyler — critic
- Brewer-Clifton — critic
- Diatom — distinction
- Liquid Farm — critic
- Spear — distinction
- ClusterFreak — honest
- Domaine de la Côte — critic
- Donnachadh — distinction
- Ferrari Brothers — undiscovered
- Camins 2 Dreams — distinction
- Racines — critic
- Strange Family Vineyards — honest
- Konverterra — distinction
- Three Furies Wines — distinction
- Bolt To Wines — distinction
- Branzino — undiscovered
- Bad Wine — undiscovered
- Voyz'n Wines — undiscovered
- Clos Pepe Estate — distinction
- Melville — critic
- Thorne — distinction
- Marbeso — distinction
- Voon — undiscovered
- Sandhi — critic
- Fates' Lieutenant Wines — undiscovered
Restaurants in Sta. Rita Hills
Restaurants in Sta. Rita Hills