Three Saints wines are a vivid expression of carefully selected grapes from our vineyards in three of Santa Barbara County's premium growing areas: Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Maria Valley
and Santa Rita Hills.

Dierberg Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley

Dierberg Vineyard is located in the Santa Maria Valley, at the northern end of Santa Barbara County, fourteen miles from the Pacific Ocean. The vineyard was planted in 1997 and consists of small undulating hills that run north-south. Cool ocean breezes extend our growing season by four to six weeks compared to other growing regions in California. This lengthened growing season allows each grape to develop complex flavors while it slowly ripens. Grape size is small, thus creating a high skin to juice ratio in each grape. The lasting imprint in the bottle is an ideal balance of ripeness and acidity highlighted by concentrated tropical fruit and citrus flavors in the Chardonnay and ripe berry flavors in the Pinot Noir.

The marine environment is ultimately trapped by the Sierra Mountain Range, several miles to the east, which encircles the vineyard and the Santa Maria Valley by nearly 220 degrees. Vine rows are planted perpendicular to the ocean which allows the prevailing winds from the Pacific Ocean to travel unimpeded through the vineyard. This maritime influence is undoubtedly positive for the 45 acres of Chardonnay and 115 acres of Pinot Noir.

In addition to the maritime climate, the sandy loam soils which predominate in the vineyard promote excellent drainage and naturally limit the productivity of each vine. Rainfall averages less that twelve inches a year. Typical weather during the growing season reflects a daytime and nighttime temperature difference of 30-40 degrees. This dry weather and dramatic temperature variations are ideal conditions for growing high quality grapes.

A significant key to the success of these vineyards has been the planting of a wide variety of rootstocks and clones. The Pinot Noir planted in Dierberg Vineyard is divided into twenty five different blocks that feature seven different clones and six different rootstocks. Some of the classic California clones like Swan, Mount Eden and Calera are complimented by popular Dijon clones like 114, 115 and 777. Each of these clones and rootstocks produce unique flavors that allow us to create a complex wine.

Star Lane Vineyard, Santa Ynez Valley

The Star Lane Vineyard is located in the San Raphael mountains in the very eastern end of the Santa Ynez Valley on the southern slope of Ranger Peak, thirty minutes northeast of the town of Santa Barbara. The vineyards are planted on hillsides that range in elevation from 950 to 1550 feet.
Planting began in 1996 and the vineyard now consists of 110 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, 45 acres of Merlot, 20 acres of Cabernet Franc, 3 acres of Petite Verdot, 1 acre of Malbec, 40 acres of Syrah and 26 acres of Sauvignon Blanc. These varietals are relatively unique to Santa Barbara County where the cooler growing conditions encourage the planting of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. However, in this sheltered, eastern corner of the Santa Ynez valley daytime temperatures are dramatically warmer here than most parts of Santa Barbara County. The vineyards are also further away from the cool ocean breezes that cool most of this area. As a result, grapes that would struggle to ripen in other parts of Santa Barbara County, flourish here.

These varietals are further enhanced by the variety of well drained, shallow soils that predominate in this unique site. Soils vary from alluvial gravel, sand and clay on the valley floor to gravel, shale, sandstone and pebbly sand on the hillsides. As in the Dierberg Vineyard, a variety of clones and rootstocks have been planted. There are 4 different blocks of Sauvignon Blanc, ten of Syrah, seventeen of Cabernet Franc, eleven of Merlot and thirty four of Cabernet Sauvignon.
The planting of classic Bordeaux varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot enable us to create a dramatic, ageable Bordeaux-style red wine that reflects this unique growing region.

The history of this area is a testament to its unique character. Originally part of a Spanish land grant that was called Canada de los Pinos Rancho, the area is now referred to as Happy Canyon. Star Lane Ranch has served as a cattle ranch, a breeding ranch for famous race horses and has even served as a home for famous TV horses like Roy Roger’s horse, Trigger. Clarence Kelly Johnson, who designed the famous U2 spy plane, among other spy planes, was the previous owner before the Dierbergs acquired the property in 1996.

Dierberg Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills

Located on the eastern edge of the acclaimed Santa Rita Hills appellation, the newest Dierberg Vineyard is currently under development. Careful planning to take advantage of the hillside vineyard and the extreme maritime influence in the appellation has been top priority. Completely planted on hillsides, the 16.5 acre vineyard will include exciting new Pinot Noir clone and rootstock pairings, including the Swan, Calera and 115 clones on 3309 rootstock and 667, 777, 115 and 82A rooted to 420A. The combination of clones, rootstocks, soils and aspects at the vineyard will allow us to craft wines of complexity and character.

The Santa Rita Hills appellation is characterized by fog shrouded mornings, which are followed by maritime breezes and sun-filled days. Definitely a cool-climate area, daytime temperatures rarely rise about 75 degrees. The Dierberg Vineyard in Santa Rita Hills is located at the intersection of Highway 246 and Drum Canyon Road, making it the gateway vineyard to the north end of the appellation.