When we first heard of Folded Hills, we were excited that we were going to try a new winery.
Folded Hills was definitely new to us, although Eve’s Wine 101’s own Eve Bushman wrote about a tasting of their wines that she attended in early 2020:
www.evewine101.com/2020/02/28/discovering-folded-hills-winery-plus-winemaker-angela-osborne/
The winery itself is also fairly new. The 15 acres of vineyards were planted in 2014 and the first vintage of Folded Hills wine released was the 2015 vintage – of purchased grapes at that time, of course; by the 2016 vintage some estate grown grapes were used. The wines now are almost 100% estate, which are organically and bio-dynamically grown. The original tasting room opened in Montecito and the Homestead onsite tasting room not too long after that.
And the winemaker is pretty new, to this winery at least. Original winemaker Angela Osborne has moved on to devote more time to her own A Tribute To Grace winery and Michael Brughelli has been with Folded Hills since 2020. Michael is well known for his own brand, Brughelli, as well as Scar of the Sea, which he previously co-owned, in addition to his own Vignerons Consulting.
But all this newness belies the rich heritage of the property. If you are heading north on Highway 101 from Santa Barbara up to Buellton, this is the first winery property you will see. The original Homestead was established in 1898 and there were wine grapes planted and a winery here pre-prohibition. The entire property is about 600 acres, near Nojoqui Falls Park and the famous Alisal Ranch.
The owners have a rich heritage as well. Andy and Kim Busch moved their family to Santa Barbara County in 2002, after falling in love with the area when Andy was captain of the U.S. Polo team in 1998. It took a while but they found this property in 2004. Andy was no stranger to large properties and hard work, having managed Grant’s Farm in St. Louis Missouri which the Busch family has owned for generations.
We had the great pleasure of touring the farm with Andy Busch. His pride was evident and justified as he showed us that the vineyard and winery operations were just a small part of this beautiful property. We saw farmed crops and orchards, the beautiful lake, polo grounds and the amazing family home. There were lots of animals too, including peacocks, pigs, chickens, goats, alpacas, llamas and a zebra. Of course, there were Clydesdales – in case you haven’t already figured out, Andy is part of that famous Busch family. We even caught a glimpse of George the camel! Andy also pointed out to us the view of the hills seemingly folding into each other, which gave the property its name.
At the end of all this, it was just about time to taste some wines, but not before one of the farmers stopped by and offered us a taste of some of the sweetest strawberries we’ve ever had. Then, onto the tasting room, or in our case the patio just outside the tasting room.
What we tasted:
2022 Lilly Rose of Grenache – Santa Ynez Valley AVA. Fragrantly floral on the nose with stone fruit notes. Very bright and clean. Named after Andy’s great grandmother, Lilly Anheuser.
2021 August White – Santa Ynez Valley AVA. 86% Grenache Blanc, 14% Viognier. Lemon, green fruit notes and good minerality. Nice long finish. Named after Andy’s father and grandfather.
2021 Estate White – Santa Ynez Valley AVA. 50% Grenache Blanc, 37.5% Clairette Blanche and 12.5% Marsanne. Light citrus notes and rich on palate due to the Marsanne with a lively finish.
2021 Grant Grenache – Santa Ynez Valley AVA. 100% Grenache. Milk chocolate on the nose. A naturally lighter style but with a full mouth feel and a medium finish. Named after Grant’s Farm in Missouri and its original Farmsteader, Ulysses S. Grant
2020 Estate Grenache – Santa Ynez Valley AVA. 100% Grenache. The warmer year than the 2021 resulted in bright red fruit with some new oak imparting vanilla and cocoa notes. Fuller body than the 2021 also with a lingering finish. Mostly from Golden Eagle block.
2020 GSM – Santa Ynez Valley AVA. A classic blend of 58% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 12% Mourvedre, Ripe, dark fruit and herbaceous on both nose and finish.
2019 August Red Blend – Santa Ynez Valley AVA. 70% Grenache, 30% Syrah. Cote de Rhone style blend with cherry and pomegranate on the nose. Clove and spices notes. Sharper tannins, lower acidity, very structured.
2020 Estate Syrah – Santa Ynez Valley AVA. 100% Syrah. From the Nojoqui Vineyard, the southernmost block of Syrah. Deep, burgundy color. Plum, and boysenberry on nose, very fruit driven. Tobacco, leather and mocha notes followed by a lush finish, with a hint of sweetness belying its dry fermentation.
We really appreciate that Andy spent so much time to give us the complete flavor of the property. The wines themselves are delicious, elegant and among the best we have tasted in Santa Barbara County. You can taste and acquire these wines at the Montecito tasting room or the Homestead tasting room. If you can, we recommend you go to the winery to enjoy the entire experience. If you go, please say hello to George for us.
From Folded Hills: “To meet George, guests can book a private tour by emailing events@foldedhills.com. We also have a wine club and awesome private club member events…like our Polo Classic, where guests get to tailgate and picnic while watching a polo match on the Folded Hills Private Polo Field.”
Folded Hills Winery / Ranch / Farmstead
Tasting Room at the Homestead: 2323 Old Coast Highway, Gaviota CA 93117
Tasting Room and Wine Shop in Montecito: 1294 Coast Village Road, Montecito CA 93108
Michael and Karen Perlis have been pursuing their passion for wine for more than 30 years. They have had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show them the way and after a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as they possibly could, they had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Michael and Karen do their best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers.
