Babcock Winery

Walt Babcock was a successful Seal Beach dentist when he and his wife Mona started Walt’s Wharf in 1970. At that time, if you wanted fresh fish, you had to travel 10 miles to Newport Beach to the south or 25 miles to San Pedro to the north. Initially, Walt used his own fishing boat to procure the fresh fish for the restaurant. Later, he established contacts with fisherman so there was always an extensive choice of fresh fish on the menu. By 1978, the rigors of running a dental practice and a restaurant had sent Walt and Mona looking for a retreat.

Upon finding 110 acres of land in the Santa Rita Hills region of Santa Barbara County on Highway 246 between Buellton and Lompoc, they sold Walt’s Wharf in 1979 and devoted themselves to winegrowing. At the time, many experts thought the region was too cool and windy to grow wine grapes. Only Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, planted in 1972, had gained recognition. Initially, Babcock planted 20 acres of Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Gewürztraminer since these were popular varieties at the time. Within a few years, several producers were making compelling wines from the Babcock’s 25-acre vineyard.

Walt's son, Bryan had finished college and did not know what career path to pursue. He decided to pursue an MBA degree and applied to several prestigious schools. He was turned down by all them and turned to the master's program in food science and enology at the University of California at Davis. In 1984, he began working at the vineyard and crafting wine with his father. He became so enamored with winemaking, that he dropped out of school and joined his parents as winemaker. Soon thereafter, a winery was built.

With Brian’s first harvest, he was awarded a gold medals at the Los Angeles County and Orange County fairs for the 1984 Babcock Estate Sauvignon Blanc, and Babcock Winery was off and running. Today Babcock Winery and Vineyards is a 10,000-case-a-year winery with 80 acres planted to multiple varietals including Pinot Noir. The wines feature estate fruit as well as grapes from other select California vineyards. Brian Babcock has won multiple winemaking awards including being named one of the “Top Ten Small Production Winemakers in the World,” in 1995 by the James Beard Foundation (the only American so honored).

A tasting room is open daily. Some wines are only sold through the tasting room.