Foley Estates Vineyard and Winery is the fruition of financier Bill Foley’s dream to produce world class Chardonnay and Pinot Noir near his Santa Barbara home.

In 1998, Bill set out to find the proper location for his vineyard and winery. Armed with topographical maps, soil research and climatic data, he scoured the region to find the appropriate site for the cultivation of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. After much research, Bill discovered the perfect property - Rancho Santa Rosa.

A historic parcel located in the Santa Rita Hills region of the Santa Ynez Valley, Rancho Santa Rosa had formerly been a thoroughbred horse ranch. The property had the steep, south facing hillsides and the limestone soils that are the “holy grail” to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vintners. Bill quickly set to establishing 230 acres of vineyard on the 460-acre property.

The vineyard was subdivided into 64 micro-blocks to be farmed, harvested and vinified separately. Pinot Noir was situated in the highest reaches of the ranch, with elevations to one thousand feet. The Chardonnay was established on the rolling hills surrounding the winery.

There were also four acres of Syrah planted on the western corridor. A variety of soil types matched to appropriate rootstocks, and a broad array of clonal selections gave the winemaking team the opportunity to make wines of great diversity and character.

The handsome stables at the bottom of the property were laboriously converted into the existing winery. Tremendous detail went into planning a modern winery, while honoring age old winemaking tradition, and maintaining the rural beauty of the ranch. The 2002 vintage marked the inaugural release of Foley Estates Rancho Santa Rosa.

About the Santa Rita Hills
Established in 2001, the Santa Rita Hills AVA is a unique, ultracool climate growing area located in the westernmost section of the Santa Ynez Valley.

Situated at the foot of Point Conception with the Purisima Mountains to the north and the Santa Rosa Mountains to the south, the mountains form the most significant western running corridor into the Pacific Ocean from Alaska to Chile. The AVA benefits from brisk daily ocean breezes and early forming, late dissipating maritime fog which blankets the vineyards and makes the Santa Rita Hills one of the coolest growing regions in the world.

The soil types are varied, with marine sand, loam, clay and limestone widely found. Elevations range from virtual sea level to eighteen hundred feet.

The area is semi-arid, with average rainfall of thirteen inches annually. Almost all rainfall comes between the months of December and May. This allows vintners the opportunity to allow fruit extended “hang time”, without the menace of fall rains that afflict other Pinot Noir and Chardonnay growing regions.

The extreme nature of the Santa Rita Hills, in particular, the cold, windy climate lead to the low yields that create Pinot Noirs of great density of color, and overall intense
flavor characteristics in all wines.