The Jalama valley, formerly part of an old Spanish land grant named Rancho San Julian, sits just a few miles from the Pacific. The area has a rich history of cattle ranching and farming dating back to the time of the first California missions. A few of the original vines first planted by the natives of La Purisima Misson still remain nearby. Today, we continue the ranching and farming tradition by raising Black Angus cattle and Pinot Noir grapes.

Jalama Vineyard is on a portion of the family-owned and operated Cargasacchi ranch which includes the Cargasacchi Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills. Our vineyards on the ranch at Jalama are the culmination of a lifelong love of wine. The western-most vineyard in Santa Barbara County, Jalama Vineyard is close to Jalama Beach and Point Conception. This unique region is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean on three sides, resulting in foggy nights and cool, breezy days making the area ideal for growing Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris.

Although we grow our own Pinot for our estate bottled Giallo and Pinot Noir, we also source different varieties from select vineyards throughout the region. As opportunities arise, we are always eager to source new allotments of varietals at some of the best vineyards available.

Regardless of variety, our grapes are always harvested by hand, with clusters sorted in the vineyard and in the winery, then left whole cluster or gently de-stemmed. From there the resulting must is cold-soaked in small open-top fermenters, then left to begin a process of slow fermentation on native or cultured yeasts. Each bin is manually punched down three times per day over a two-week period, with maceration periods of up to 28 days. Upon completion of primary fermentation and maceration, we transfer all free-run wine directly to barrel for up to three years.

Bottled unfiltered and unfined, the result is a selection of small-production, artisanal wines of exceptional quality.