Zaca Mesa Winery just celebrated its 50th anniversary. That’s quite an achievement in this relatively young wine region. The land was purchased in 1973 by John Cushman and five of his friends. It was only the third winery in Santa Barbary County and served as the training ground for many winemakers who then went on to become famous. Its first winemaker was Ken Brown, and some other notables are Adam Tolmach, Jim Clendenen, Bob Lindquist and Daniel Gehrs, to name just a few. It is no wonder that the winery is sometimes referred to as Zaca University or just Zaca U. Current Head Winemaker and GM Kristin Bryden and Associate Winemaker Andrew Keil are maintaining the Zaca Mesa tradition.
Rhone varietals are the primary focus at Zaca Mesa. In fact, the first Syrah grown in Santa Barbara County was planted in 1978 in the Black Bear Block of the Zaca Mesa Vineyard. Of course, the region is also well known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which is now produced under their TREAD label.
We had an opportunity to taste some of the wines one beautiful afternoon on the Zaca Mesa patio:
2018 Roussanne Estate – Santa Ynez Valley AVA from the Foxen Block. 100% Roussanne. White flowers on the nose. Ripe, creamy, peach notes with a luscious, rich finish.
2019 TREAD Pinot Noir – Santa Barbara County – from Cottonwood Canyon, Spear, John Sebastiano, Bien Nacido and La Encantada vineyards. 100% Pinot Noir. Classic notes of cherry and raspberry. Solid on the middle palate and medium body with notes of mushroom and autumn leaves followed by a smooth finish.
2020 TREAD La Encantada Pinot Noir Black Label – Sta. Rita Hills AVA, La Encantada Vineyard. 100% Pinot Noir. Bright fruit, pomegranate and strawberry nose. Earthy notes of black tea and nutmeg.
2021 TREAD Our Lady of Guadalupe Pinot Noir – Sta. Rita Hills AVA, Our Lady of Guadalupe Vineyard. Big plummy red fruit on nose. Wisps of cinnamon and clove notes with a medium mouthfeel and finish.
2017 Mourvedre Estate – Santa Ynez Valley AVA, from the Chapel and Mesa Blocks. 95% Mourvedre, 5% Syrah. Deep, dark burgundy color. Brambly berry with pepper notes. Medium finish, full body.
2018 Toyon – Santa Ynez Valley AVA, Zaca Mesa, TTT, Vogelzang, Happy Canyon vineyards. An unusual blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvedre and Petit Verdot, the wine is named for a local shrub that grows around the Zaca Mesa vineyard. The Petit accounts for the deep color and the blend is softened by the Cabernet. Blueberry fruit notes with a full mouthfeel and medium finish. [Note that the actual Toyon shrub produces bright red berries – don’t eat these though; they’re poisonous!]
2016 Estrella Syrah Estate Black Label – Santa Ynez Valley AVA, Mesa Block. 100% Syrah/Estrella Clone. Deep color, almost black. Star anise nose with black fruit and black currant notes. Layered, structured, and very yummy.
2017 Mesa Reserve Syrah Estate – Santa Ynez Valley AVA, Chapel and Mesa Blocks. 100% Syrah. Big jammy fruit with a touch of lavender and eucalyptus on the nose. Milk chocolate, white pepper notes and a whisper of tobacco leaf notes. Long, complex and balanced finish.
The Cushman family continues to own Zaca Mesa Vineyard after all these years. Sadly, shortly after our visit we learned that founder John Cushman had passed away. Belated condolences to his family, friends and everyone at Zaca Mesa Winery and beyond. The Santa Barbara County wine region would have been a lot different without his vision and we are all grateful for what he accomplished. Here is a nice video that Zaca Mesa posted: John Cushman on Founding Zaca Mesa – YouTube.
Zaca Mesa Winery
6905 Foxen Canyon Road, Los Olivos, CA 93441
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.
