Tuck yourself into a courtyard table under the red tile roofs of El Paseo, the oldest Spanish Colonial arcade in Santa Barbara, and Jamie or Kym Slone will likely pour your wine themselves. This is a tasting room built on conversation, where the owners are present daily and a glass of sparkling comes with a story.

Jamie and Kym, and three decades of curiosity

Jamie and Kym Slone fell for wine the slow way, over three decades of traveling through vineyards across Europe and the United States, collecting the styles they loved along the way. Jamie arrived at winemaking by an unlikely road, with a past in radio broadcasting, real estate, and racing, and Kym brought a palate he calls highly sensitive and far reaching. When they found the terroir of Santa Barbara, the American Riviera, they knew they had found the place to make wine of their own.

Jamie has made wine for around nine years now, working alongside several Santa Barbara County winemakers while keeping his hands on every decision, the vineyards sourced, the clones chosen, the pick dates, the co fermentation, the aging vessels, and finally the blending, which he and Kym do together. “It is an evolving adventure for sure, and we make a great team,” he says. The wines that result are elegant, balanced, and built to show their place.

A hidden gem in the Presidio

The tasting room sits in the Historic El Paseo, a maze of white adobe walls, wrought iron, and Spanish tile in the Presidio Neighborhood of downtown Santa Barbara. There is seating in the cozy room inside and two cafe style patios out in the courtyard, and the whole place leans social rather than stuffy. It is dog friendly inside and out, which tells you most of what you need to know about the vibe.

The Slones have collected a wall of local love along the way, named Favorite Winery and Favorite Tasting Room in the 2019 Santa Barbara News Press Readers Choice Awards and a runner up for Best Urban Tasting Room in the Santa Barbara Independent poll. For lovers of sparkling, they have opened a second concept just steps away, the Santa Barbara Bubbly Lounge, a speakeasy style sparkling wine bar.

The wines

The portfolio is unusually broad for a small producer, and that is the point. The whites are a highlight, with Albarino, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Grenache Blanc made fresh and often lower in alcohol. The reds run toward elegance rather than weight, with a specialty in Pinot Noir alongside Grenache and a classic GSM blend, the kind of lighter reds you can chill on a warm afternoon.

There is also Cabernet Sauvignon, rose, and a serious commitment to sparkling, all sourced from strong Santa Barbara County vineyard sites and rated above ninety points by Wine Enthusiast. The micro boutique scale means small lots and careful attention, wines made both for tonight and for the cellar.

What to pour it with

The room itself points the way, with cheese, chocolate, pizza, and salty snacks on offer. Reach for the sparkling with anything salty or fried, because the bubbles and high acidity scrub fat off the palate and the salt makes the wine taste rounder and riper. It is the same physics that makes Champagne and fried chicken a perfect match, no gimmick at all.

The Sauvignon Blanc loves goat cheese, a classic bridge pairing where the grassy, green notes in the wine and the tang of the cheese share the same flavor compounds and read as one. Pour the chillable Grenache or GSM with a margherita pizza, the bright acidity cutting the mozzarella and the red fruit playing off the tomato. Save the Cabernet for a steak, where the tannins find the fat they were made for.

Jamie Slone Wines: common questions