Brick Barn Wine Estate is a Buellton landmark with deep roots in California ranch history. The land traces back to the old Buell Ranch and the Rancho San Carlos de Jonata, and its centerpiece is a striking brick barn built by an Italian stonemason in the early 1970s for a champion Arabian stallion. Today the barn is a modern winery, the surrounding fields are vineyards, and the estate turns out an unusually broad, heavily decorated lineup of Santa Ynez Valley wine.

From horse ranch to wine estate

The story begins in 1968, when Norman Williams bought 40 acres from the Buell family, eventually expanding to more than a thousand acres of the original Buell Ranch. For years it was a prestigious Arabian horse breeding operation, home to a remarkable 36-stall brick barn, hand-crafted by an Italian stonemason in the early 1970s with a distinctive split-face brick facade and a mid-century roofline. That barn housed the Williams prized stallion, Fortel.

In time, Norman and Kathleen Williams turned their attention from horses to vines. In 2012 they planted 35 acres in two locations chosen for their microclimates and soils, from sandy ground near the Santa Ynez riverbed to sun-drenched, rocky highlands. The brick barn became a modern winery, the first wines came from the 2015 vintage, and the tasting room opened to the public in 2018.

A remarkably broad, decorated lineup

Most small estates pick a lane. Brick Barn does the opposite, and does it well. The lineup runs from traditional-method sparkling wines, Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs, and Extra Brut, to crisp Albarino, Grenache Blanc, and Viognier, through Chardonnay in several styles, and on to Grenache, Syrah, and the estate Fatalist Pinot Noir.

The quality is not just broad but proven. Brick Barn wines have racked up an unusual number of awards, including double golds and scores in the mid-to-high 90s across competitions like the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, the Harvest Terroir Challenge, and the Sommeliers of the American Riviera. For a single estate to win at this level across sparkling, whites, and reds alike is rare.

Two soils, one estate

The range is possible because of the land. The two planting sites give the estate real diversity: the sandy soils near the riverbed suit bright, aromatic whites and elegant sparkling base wines, while the warmer, rockier highlands ripen Grenache and Syrah to depth and spice. Growing all of this on one property, and vinifying it in the original brick barn, lets Brick Barn control quality from vine to bottle.

The result is an estate that can pour you a flight spanning a sparkling aperitif, a saline Albarino, a barrel-rich Chardonnay, and a bold Syrah, all grown within view of the tasting room. Few places in the valley offer that kind of range from their own ground.

What to pour it with

Brick Barn breadth makes it a pairing playground. Start the sparkling wines with oysters, fried foods, and salty bites, where the bubbles and acid scrub the richness away, physics doing the work. The Albarino and Grenache Blanc love grilled fish, ceviche, and herby salads, their brisk acidity lifting everything fresh.

The Chardonnay steps up to lobster, scallops, and roast chicken in butter or cream, while the Grenache and Syrah are built for the grill: lamb, peppered steak, and sausages, where the wines dark fruit and pepper meet the char and their tannin softens against the fat. Salt the plate to round the wine and lift its fruit, and let a single estate cover your whole table.

Brick Barn Wine Estate: common questions