We were thrilled to be invited to the 25th Anniversary of the World of Pinot Noir in Santa Barbara for a weekend-long seaside celebration of this delicious and storied wine.

The event was hosted at The Ritz-Carlton Bacara over 4 days, from February 27 – March 1, 2025. Attendees included wine aficionados, sommeliers, winemakers, and those who just love outstanding food and wine. A Thursday evening Opening Night Party kicked off with jazzy live music and endless stations of west coast Pinot, with surprising finds from other US regions. On Friday and Saturday, a VIP Grand Tasting brought wine lovers to the beautiful grounds all afternoon. During the morning sessions, guests could participate in small events like a White Burgundy Seminar and Global Blind Taste Challenge.

Specialty winemaker lunches and dinners also celebrated the beloved grape. We attended a multicourse wine-fueled luncheon with The Hilt Estate, where a big discussion centered around grapes grown on their Radian Vineyard versus their Bentrock Vineyard; but as we sampled these wines side by side, with each course, our palette gravitated towards The Hilt Bentrock Vineyard every time. A lavish four-course wine-paired dinner ensued the same evening, with Domaine Serene from Dayton, Oregon, with guests at my table from Las Vegas, Ojai, and Los Angeles. We fell in love with Domaine Serene’s 2018 Chateau de la Cree – Santenay Premier Cru Gravieres Pinot Noir.

Each day, the venue’s Bubble Lounge welcomed guests with an array of fine sparkling wines and caviar. Bacara did an exceptional job providing exciting food stations – like make-your-own cannoli bar, create-your-own poke bowl station, and dazzle-your-own rum-glazed donut with ice cream and toppings. We enjoyed Central Coast Creamery’s cheeses, wood fired pizzas, and handmade pasta to pair with the wine too. A new discovery was Cultured Abalone, a farm that raises market-size native red abalone on the Gaviota Coast of Santa Barbara County.

Check out the full list of wineries in attendance at World of Pinot. Below, find wines that tickled our taste buds and left lasting impressions. One thing is certain, California produces exceptional Pinot Noir, ranging from lean, Burgundian-styles to richer, fruit-forward varieties. Here’s the Vino LaLaScoop.

Memorable wines we discovered at World of Pinot 2025

Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir Pommard Clone 2021 and White Pinot Noir

This landmark Napa, California estate and chateaux has been producing Estate grown sparkling wine since 1988, and Pinot Noir since 1992.

SAMsARA Pinot Noir in Goleta and Los Olivos

SAMsARA produces limited releases of Pinot Noir, Syrah, Grenache and Chardonnay from carefully selected micro-sites within Sta. Rita Hills’ most distinctive vineyards. Their wines showcase the unique natural elements at play for each vineyard, harnessed through a low intervention winemaking style. Find their tasting room in Goleta and Los Olivos.

Seven Springs Pinot Noir Blanc 2023 from Evening Land Vineyards in Salem, Oregon

A White Pinot produced at Evening Land Vineyards in Salem, Oregon tantalized our taste buds. Evening Land Vineyards produces acclaimed Oregon Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Seven Springs Estate Vineyard on the eastern slopes of the Eola-Amity Hills. Guided by the partnership of Rajat Parr and Sashi Moorman, the wines of Evening Land Vineyards are rooted in a reverence for the land and a winemaking legacy steeped in tradition.

Sea Smoke Chardonnay and Pinot (Santa Rita Hills based in Lompoc)

This biodynamically farmed estate vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills might be our favorite wine discovery of the entire weekend. Lush, elegant and expressive wines – both Pinot and Chardonnay – are delightful. Just like the name, the The Pacific Ocean fog funnels across their hillsides each afternoon, creating ideal growing conditions for Pinot Noir. The Sea Smoke winery is based in Lompoc, California.

Riverbench Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley)

Riverbench Vineyard was established in 1973, when the first Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes were planted on the bank of the Sisquoc River, known as the Santa Maria Bench. For decades since then, some of the most renowned wineries have purchased Riverbench fruit for their wines. In 2006, the vineyard began producing their own wines in limited quantities, with many available exclusively through their wine club and tasting rooms. You may be familiar with their fun tasting room in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone. They also have a tasting room in Santa Maria.

Rusack (Santa Barbara County and Catalina Island)

This boutique winery and vineyard, nestled among the oak-studded rolling hills of Ballard Canyon, also creates wine from its Santa Catalina Island vineyard. Rusack’s mission is to create world-class, handcrafted wines that reflect their commitment to excellence and love of the region.

Au Bon Climat 2005 “Isabelle” Pinot Noir

Located in Santa Maria, Au Bon Climat was at the forefront of putting Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir on the map worldwide. Winemaker and founder Jim Clendenen may be one of the reasons behind the success, as the master cultivator for over 30 years. His stellar Burgundian-styled Pinot Noir and Chardonnay offer character, balance, and longevity that have reached worldwide acclaim. By incorporating Old World winemaking in a New World wine region, the wines inherently carry their own signature joie de vivre.

Willamatte Valley Vineyards 2021 Pinot Noir

In 1983, with the encouragement from winemakers moving from California, Oregon native and Founder Jim Bernau cleared away an old pioneer plum orchard in the Salem Hills that was hidden underneath scotch broom and blackberry vines. Unable to afford drip irrigation, he watered them by hand using 17 lengths
of 75’ garden hose. His dream was to make Pinot Noir that would be a classic, elegant representation of the Willamette Valley growing region. A combination of determination and a team of extraordinary people has brought Willamette Valley Vineyards from a bold idea to one of the region’s leading wineries, earning the title
“One of America’s Great Pinot Noir Producers” from Wine Enthusiast.

Since the winery’s founding in 1983, stewardship of the land has been a key principle in their winemaking and farming practices. Bernau believes Pinot Noir made with consideration for the environment, employees and community simply tastes better. Willamette Valley Vineyards has continued to grow from its original three estate vineyards – the Estate Vineyard, Tualatin Estate and Elton Vineyard – with the addition of Ingram Estate, Bernau Estate, Loeza Vineyard and Jory Claim. As Oregon’s Leading Producer of Willamette Valley Appellated Pinot Noir, the winery sources all of its barrel-aged Pinot Noir from its estate-grown vineyards and meticulously farms over 500 acres in the hills of the Willamette Valley.

2021 Domaine Anderson Pinot Noir (Dach Vineyard)

Nestled in Anderson Valley in Northern California’s foggy hillsides, the cooling marine layer provides ideal conditions for Pinot Noir. The winery’s commitment to land stewardship and sustainable practices extends to each vineyard, including their certified organic and biodynamic home ranch, the Dach vineyard, ensuring the health of the land for generations to come.

Pali Wine Co.

Celebrating 20 years of crafting wines at this family-owned wine company in Santa Barbara County, the Peer family sources from acclaimed vineyards and also from their own estate vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills appellation, which the family planted in 2012. Most recently, Pali introduced its ‘Wild Series,’ natural wines made using only wild, naturally occurring yeasts that remain unfined and unfiltered. Today, Pali Vineyard is planted to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Dornfelder, Gamay, and Syrah.

Other wines that excited us included Lando and Walt from the Sonoma Coast, Whistler from the West Sonoma Coast, Presqu’ile from Santa Maria, and the 2022 Alma Rosa North Slope Pinot Noir from Sta. Rita Hills.

Extend your stay

Looking to rest your head after a long day of tasting Santa Barbara County wine? Stay at The Leta Hotel in Goleta, part of the Tapestry Collection. This boutique surfer-vibe property lies minutes north of Santa Barbara, complete with a picturesque pool and surrounded by rooms (some adjoining) with patios, eclectic California décor, and a Woody parked outside – perfect for a photo shoot. Grab some Vinyl at the lobby’s record library or morning burrito amongst the palm fronds. Just 8 square miles, Goleta is home to the oceanfront University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), where its stretch of undeveloped coastline and A-list golf courses is dubbed “The Good Land” with wide open spaces, once the heart of California’s commercial lemon trade in the late 1800s. 

Besides The Leta’s location being a perfect home base for the World of Pinot, the hotel is minutes from UCSB’s Goleta Beach Lagoon Trail, leading from the campus to a breathtaking beachside stroll around a lagoon and by a labyrinth next to the hypnotic pounding surf. You’ll soon wish you attended this college as we observed students surf, study on the beach, play guitar, and paint the coastal landscape standing on the ocean’s edge.

Steps from the sand, The Ellwood at Goleta Beach is a brand new stunning restaurant with outdoor seating in view of the Goleta Pier. You may need a break from wine tasting, so begin with exquisitely crafted cocktails like a Mezcal Espresso Martini or Bad Bunny, a Mezcal orange ginger carrot elixir. Impress any date with a seat at sunset, as the view pairs perfectly with coastal cuisine. To try a bit of everything, share an assortment of items – like crab cakes, Hamachi crudo, clam chowder and branzino. A foodie’s playground, nothing will disappoint in this sexy venue.