Buttonwood Farm & Vineyard is a small gem set amidst the splendor of the Santa Ynez Valley. Since 1983 it has been a true working farm, not just a vineyard: 42 acres of vines stretch across a sun-drenched mesa on a 107-acre property that also grows olives, pomegranates, peonies, and the peaches Buttonwood is famous for. The wines are compelling and approachable, and the welcome, in a garden tasting room surrounded by all that bounty, is as warm as the valley sun.

A farm first

What makes Buttonwood special is that it never stopped being a farm. Established in 1983, the estate spreads across 107 acres, with the 42-acre vineyard occupying a sun-drenched mesa on the property eastern portion. Around it grow olives, pomegranates, peonies, and orchards of peaches that have become a local legend, sold at the farm and folded into the whole sense of the place.

That agricultural heart shapes everything. The tasting room sits among the gardens and orchards rather than apart from them, and a visit feels less like a polished hospitality stop and more like an afternoon at a beautiful working farm. It is family and dog friendly, unhurried, and refreshingly without pretense.

Approachable Bordeaux and Rhone wines

Buttonwood mesa, warm and well-drained, suits Bordeaux and Rhone grapes, and the lineup reflects that. Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc are signatures, joined by Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Grenache, and estate blends with names like Trevin and Posh. The style is honest and food-friendly: wines made to be poured at the table rather than worshipped in a cellar.

That approachability is the point. Whether you are after a bottle for a special occasion or simply something to make a weeknight dinner better, Buttonwood wines are compelling without being fussy, the kind of bottles you actually drink rather than just admire.

Tastings, gardens, and trail rides

A visit to Buttonwood is built for lingering. The 90-minute tastings are served tableside in the outdoor garden or on the intimate patio, open daily from late morning into the afternoon, with walk-ins accommodated when space allows and reservations smart on weekends.

For something more adventurous, Buttonwood offers guided horseback trail rides through the vines across its 107-acre estate on weekends, an all-levels experience that ends, fittingly, with a glass of estate wine waiting in the tasting room. Few wineries let you ride through the vineyard and then taste what it produces. It is the farm sharing itself in the most direct way possible.

What to pour it with

Buttonwood wines were made with food in mind. The Sauvignon Blanc, crisp and green, is a classic with goat cheese, oysters, herby salads, and grilled white fish, a match built on shared grassy aromatics, and it is also lovely with the farm own peaches and a wedge of cheese. The Cabernet Franc, with its savory, slightly herbal edge, loves roast pork, charcuterie, and tomato-based dishes.

The fuller reds, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and the estate blends, want grilled and roasted meat: lamb, steak, and sausages, where their tannin softens against the fat and protein. As always, a little salt on the plate rounds the wine and lifts its fruit. With a farm this generous, the easiest pairing is whatever is freshest that day.

Buttonwood Farm & Vineyard: common questions