Foley Estates is a benchmark Sta. Rita Hills producer, founded by vintner Bill Foley in the late 1990s before the appellation was famous. Today it farms roughly 500 acres planted mostly to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in one of the coldest, windiest, foggiest corners of California wine country. The wines are precise and expressive, the product of a vineyard studied and farmed with almost scientific care.

Early faith in a cold, windy place

When Bill Foley founded the winery in the late 1990s, the Sta. Rita Hills had not yet been recognized as its own AVA, which would not happen until 2001. He saw the potential early and committed to it on a serious scale, building an estate that now totals around 500 acres planted primarily to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the two grapes this cold ground does best.

What makes the fruit so good comes down to the place and the care. The teams here developed a micro-farming program that maps the vineyard soils and topography down to the smallest increment, using soil pits and aerial photography to understand every fold of the land. Few vineyards are studied this closely, and you taste that precision in the glass.

One of the coolest places to grow

The Sta. Rita Hills sits at the western end of the Santa Ynez Valley, at the foot of Point Conception, with the Purisima Mountains to the north and the Santa Rosa Mountains to the south. The valleys here run east to west, an unusual orientation that opens the land directly to the Pacific and funnels brisk daily ocean breezes and thick maritime fog straight across the vines.

That fog forms early and lingers late, making this one of the coolest growing regions in the world. The soils mix marine sand, loam, clay, and limestone, and the climate is semi-arid, with most of the scant thirteen inches of annual rain falling between December and May. The reward is long, even hang time and very low yields, which give the Pinot Noir its deep color and the wines their concentrated, intense character.

The wines

Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the heart of Foley Estates, including the T Anchor Ranch Pinot Noir and an estate Syrah that shows the savory, cool-climate side of the grape. The Pinots are dense and structured, the Chardonnays bright and mineral, both carrying the freshness that defines great Sta. Rita Hills wine.

These are estate-grown, family-owned wines made with strict protocols and a deep understanding of the land. They are the kind of bottles that explain, in a single sip, why this once-overlooked appellation is now one of the most coveted in California.

What to pour it with

Foley Estates Pinot Noir is a classic food wine, all bright acidity and fine tannin, which makes it a natural with duck, salmon, roast chicken, pork, and mushroom dishes. The acid cuts through fat and resets the palate, while the wine savory, forest-floor character meets the umami on the plate.

The Chardonnay is the pour for richer fare: lobster, scallops, crab, and roast chicken in butter or cream, where its acidity keeps the richness lively. The estate Syrah wants grilled lamb, peppered steak, and anything off the fire, its dark fruit and pepper meeting the char. Salt the plate to round the wine and lift its fruit, and serve the Pinot with a slight chill.

Foley Estates: common questions