Santa Barbara County wine is an appellation that designates wine made from grapes grown mostly in Santa Barbara County, California, which is located approximately 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Los Angeles County. County names in the United States automatically qualify as legal appellations of origin for wine produced from grapes grown in that county and do not require registration with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) of the Treasury Department. TTB was created in January 2003, when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, or ATF, was extensively reorganized under the provisions of the Homeland Security Act of 2002.
From the Wikipedia article Santa Barbara County wine, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Santa Barbara County is an appellation in California, United States. We track 98 of its wines in stock at 25 shops, from 18 wine houses, from € 17.95; mostly red, white.
| Vintage | Wines | From | Median / 75 cl | Critics' score | Growing season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | – | – | – | – | hotso far +1.0 °C · 1,799 GDD · 88 % rain |
| 2025 | – | – | – | – | averagewet harvest ±0.0 °C · 1,856 GDD · 96 % rain |
| 2024 | 4 | € 35.20 | € 39.29 | – | averagedrydry harvest +0.4 °C · 1,948 GDD · 63 % rain |
| 2023 | 15 | € 30.51 | € 39.78 | 94.0 (4 wines) | cooldry −0.5 °C · 1,760 GDD · 63 % rain |
| 2022 | 23 | € 25.29 | € 71.79 | 91.8 (4 wines) | hotdrywet harvest +1.0 °C · 2,072 GDD · 49 % rain |
| 2021 | 18 | € 26.63 | € 71.68 | 94.5 (2 wines) | averagedrydry harvest ±0.0 °C · 1,859 GDD · 59 % rain |
| 2020 | 13 | € 32.00 | € 76.58 | 98.0 (1 wine) | warmwetdry harvest +0.9 °C · 2,062 GDD · 134 % rain |
| 2019 | 10 | € 17.95 | € 83.56 | – | averagedry harvest −0.2 °C · 1,826 GDD · 88 % rain |
| 2018 | 1 | € 43.33 | € 43.33 | – | warmdrydry harvest +0.5 °C · 1,975 GDD · 31 % rain |
| 2017 | – | – | – | – | warmdrywet harvest +0.7 °C · 2,019 GDD · 51 % rain |
| 2016 | – | – | – | – | averagedry harvest +0.3 °C · 1,936 GDD · 75 % rain |
| 2015 | 2 | € 60.88 | € 63.83 | – | hotwet harvest +1.0 °C · 2,076 GDD · 112 % rain |
| 2014 | 1 | € 101.00 | € 101.00 | – | hotdrydry harvest +1.0 °C · 2,076 GDD · 51 % rain |
| 2013 | – | – | – | – | averagedrydry harvest +0.2 °C · 1,901 GDD · 31 % rain |
| 2012 | – | – | – | – | average +0.2 °C · 1,908 GDD · 104 % rain |
| 2011 | – | – | – | – | cold −1.0 °C · 1,646 GDD · 103 % rain |
| 2010 | 1 | € 470.00 | € 470.00 | – | coldwetdry harvest −1.3 °C · 1,595 GDD · 179 % rain |
| 2009 | – | – | – | – | averagewetdry harvest ±0.0 °C · 1,861 GDD · 144 % rain |
| 2008 | – | – | – | – | warmdrydry harvest +0.5 °C · 1,969 GDD · 25 % rain |
| 2007 | – | – | – | – | averagedrywet harvest −0.2 °C · 1,828 GDD · 62 % rain |
| 2006 | 1 | € 1,400.00 | € 700.00 | – | averagewet ±0.0 °C · 1,874 GDD · 247 % rain |
| 2005 | – | – | – | – | coolwet harvest −0.8 °C · 1,699 GDD · 125 % rain |
| 2004 | – | – | – | – | averagewet +0.1 °C · 1,878 GDD · 196 % rain |
| 2003 | – | – | – | – | averagewetdry harvest +0.2 °C · 1,908 GDD · 181 % rain |
| 2002 | – | – | – | – | cooldry −0.6 °C · 1,741 GDD · 25 % rain |
| 2001 | 1 | € 1,900.00 | € 950.00 | – | averagedry harvest ±0.0 °C · 1,871 GDD · 82 % rain |
| 2000 | 1 | € 2,590.00 | € 1,295.00 | – | averagewetwet harvest −0.1 °C · 1,842 GDD · 215 % rain |
| 1999 | – | – | – | – | cool −0.9 °C · 1,678 GDD · 101 % rain |
| 1998 | – | – | – | – | coldwetwet harvest −1.0 °C · 1,654 GDD · 234 % rain |
| 1997 | – | – | – | – | hotdry +1.1 °C · 2,092 GDD · 15 % rain |
| 1996 | – | – | – | – | warmdry harvest +0.7 °C · 2,009 GDD · 122 % rain |
| 1995 | – | – | – | – | cooldry harvest −0.6 °C · 1,736 GDD · 82 % rain |
| 1994 | – | – | – | – | averagewet harvest ±0.0 °C · 1,863 GDD · 85 % rain |
| 1993 | – | – | – | – | averagedrydry harvest ±0.0 °C · 1,861 GDD · 29 % rain |
| 1992 | – | – | – | – | warmdrydry harvest +0.9 °C · 2,055 GDD · 59 % rain |
| 1991 | – | – | – | – | cooldrydry harvest −0.9 °C · 1,677 GDD · 29 % rain |
| 1990 | – | – | – | – | warmdrywet harvest +0.7 °C · 2,016 GDD · 46 % rain |
| 1989 | – | – | – | – | averagedrywet harvest +0.3 °C · 1,920 GDD · 51 % rain |
| 1988 | – | – | – | – | averagedry harvest +0.1 °C · 1,885 GDD · 129 % rain |
| 1987 | – | – | – | – | warmdry harvest +0.6 °C · 1,982 GDD · 85 % rain |
| 1986 | – | – | – | – | averagewet harvest −0.3 °C · 1,802 GDD · 72 % rain |
| 1985 | – | – | – | – | averagedry +0.4 °C · 1,952 GDD · 31 % rain |
| 1984 | – | – | – | – | hotdrywet harvest +1.3 °C · 2,146 GDD · 51 % rain |
| 1983 | – | – | – | – | averagewetwet harvest ±0.0 °C · 1,858 GDD · 310 % rain |
| 1982 | – | – | – | – | averagewetwet harvest −0.4 °C · 1,777 GDD · 163 % rain |
Growing season (April–October; October–April south of the equator): mean temperature against Santa Barbara County's 1991–2020 normal (hot: 1 °C or more above, warm: 0.5 °C, cool/cold below), growing degree days (warmth for the vines, base 10 °C) and rain against normal, with the harvest month (September/March) flagged when very wet or dry. Monthly data from NASA POWER (MERRA-2) at one point in the appellation. The current year is compared with the same months of a normal year (“so far”); its latest months are preliminary and revised by NASA later.
Critics' score: the average of the best 100-point score quoted for each wine of that vintage, as the shops quote them. A few quoted wines make a thin average; the number of wines is in brackets.
Au Bon Climat 14 · The Hilt 12 · Tyler Winery 9 · Sine Qua Non 9 · Sandhi 7 · Jonata 5 · Kendall-Jackson Vineyards & Winery 4 · Andrew Murray Vineyards 4 · Fess Parker Winery 3 · Ampelos Cellars 2 · Leo Steen 2 · Paul Lato Wines 2 · Aux Mages 2 · Belle Glos 2 · Chanin Wine Company 1 · Solomon Hills Estate 1