One of Bill Foley’s dreams was to produce top-quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir near his Santa Barbara home. Armed with topographical maps, soil research and climatic data, he scoured the region to find the appropriate site for the cultivation of these classic Burgundian grapes.
Two years later, after much research, Foley discovered Rancho Santa Rosa, a historic parcel that had been a thoroughbred horse ranch, located in the Sta. Rita Hills region of Santa Barbara County. The property had the steep, south-facing hillsides and the limestone soils that are so desirable to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vintners. Foley quickly set to establishing 230 acres of vineyard on the 460-acre property, which would become the keystone vineyard of Foley Estates Vineyard and Winery.
The handsome stables at the bottom of the property were laboriously converted into a modern winery that would honor age-old winemaking tradition and maintain the rural beauty of the ranch.