Cult wineries by appointment: scores & how to get in

Who you can visit, at a glance

Walk-in friendly

Melville (Lompoc, $35 flight) · Stolpman (Los Olivos, $25, booking strongly encouraged)

Book first

Dragonette (Los Olivos, daily 11am–5pm, reservations take precedence) · Brewer-Clifton (Los Olivos, Wed–Sun 10am–5pm, appointments preferred)

Appointment only

Jonata & The Hilt (Lompoc) · Domaine de la Côte (Lompoc, by email) · Paul Lato (Santa Maria, $100, 24 hours' notice)

List only

Sea Smoke: "Join the List" on its site; no tasting room listed

What's new (Oct 2026)

Dragonette posted new 2023 Black Label Pinot Noir and Fiddlestix scores (Oct 2, 2026). Sea Smoke has brought back Botella after a ten-year break

What scores have these wineries earned?

One or two recent highlights per winery, number only, with the source. Each score comes from the outlet's own site or the winery's own pages; retailer-quoted scores are left out.

How do you visit each winery?

Stolpman Vineyards

Tasting room at 2434 Alamo Pintado Ave, Los Olivos. $25, free for club members. Reservations are strongly encouraged, parties top out at six, and walk-ins are limited.

Dragonette Cellars

Tasting room at 2445 Alamo Pintado Ave, Los Olivos, open daily 11am–5pm (805.693.0077). Online reservations take precedence over walk-ins. Ask for "The Study," the seated tasting that includes the Black Label wines, or book the private winery tour in Buellton.

Insider aside: Jonata and The Hilt winemaker Matt Dees is also a partner in Mail Road, a mailing-list Mt. Carmel Vineyard label. Domaine de la Côte's Sashi Moorman makes Piedrasassi Syrah, by appointment in Lompoc. See winemakers' side labels.

Melville Winery

Estate tasting room in the Sta. Rita Hills, open Sunday to Thursday 11am–4pm and Friday and Saturday 11am–5pm. Five pours for $35. It's dog and kid friendly, and runs a 90-minute Beyond the Barrel tour. Melville also has a Santa Barbara tasting lounge.

Jonata and The Hilt

Jonata's estate in Ballard Canyon doesn't host tastings. Both labels pour by appointment at The Barn at The Hilt Estate, 2240 Santa Rosa Road, Lompoc (805.564.8581), about 30 minutes from Jonata.

Domaine de la Côte

By appointment only, in Lompoc. Email wine@domainedelacote.com. Its wines sell through a mailing list with a wait list.

Paul Lato Wines

5250 Tepusquet Rd, Santa Maria. Appointments only, with 24 hours' notice: Monday to Thursday at 11am and 2pm, Friday and Saturday at 10am, noon and 2pm. $100 a person, waived with six bottles each (or 12 per couple).

Brewer-Clifton

Greg Brewer's tasting room is at 2367 Alamo Pintado Avenue in Los Olivos, open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Appointments are preferred and walk-ins are welcome; the Signature Sta. Rita Hills flight is $35.

Sea Smoke

Its FAQ says: "At this time, we do not regularly offer winery visits." Sign-ups join a waitlist; active members get the Estate Chardonnay and the "Ten" and "Southing" Pinot Noirs in the first quarter, and a smaller fall allocation of "Grand" Pinot Noir and "Sea Spray" Blanc de Noirs. The estate wines, including "Ten," sell through "Join the List." Botella, its Sta. Rita Hills label from neighboring vineyards, is sold on the site.

What's new with these wineries?

• Oct 2026, Dragonette: its release post adds a 98 for the 2023 Black Label Pinot Noir and 97 for the 2023 Fiddlestix from Jeb Dunnuck, who lists it as a five-star Sta. Rita Hills producer. The same post notes Wine Spectator's James Molesworth naming it a Winery to Watch.
• 2026, Sea Smoke: Botella is back after a ten-year hiatus, per the Sea Smoke site.
• Stolpman and The Hilt: both made the Vinous Top 100 Wines of 2025, Stolpman at No. 10.
• Tip: Stolpman and Dragonette are on the same block of Alamo Pintado Ave, so you can book both in one afternoon.

Why isn't Sine Qua Non here?

Sine Qua Non's own contact page gives an Oak View mailing address. Oak View is in Ventura County, not Santa Barbara County.

Good to know

Which Santa Barbara County wines made the Vinous Top 100 in 2025? Stolpman's 2023 Syrah Great Places Otto Reynard at No. 10 and The Hilt's 2023 Chardonnay Vanguard at No. 61, both 98 points.

Don’t miss & you might also like

Melville Winery

• Don’t miss: The Beyond the Barrel tour, 90 minutes outdoors in the vineyard. source
• Also try: Spear Vineyards & Winery · about 5 min drive (2.8 mi). Herbicide-free estate farming and the same Sta. Rita Hills Pinot and Chardonnay. Tip: $40 tasting in a converted 1920s dairy barn; fee waived per three bottles. Thu–Mon by appointment. Official site · source
• Also try: Babcock Winery · next door: 5175 and 5185 E Highway 246. Walk-in tasting next door, no booking needed. Tip: No reservations for parties of seven or fewer; 70s and 80s playlist; dogs welcome. Official site · source

Stolpman

• Don’t miss: So Fresh, its light, early-picked label: whole uncrushed clusters fermented naturally and bottled early without added sulfur. It has its own So Fresh subscription club. source
• Also try: Dragonette Cellars · about 0.1 miles, walkable. On the same block of Alamo Pintado Ave, for Sta. Rita Hills Pinot after Stolpman's Syrah. Tip: Book "The Study" to taste the Black Label wines. Official site · source
• Also try: Bar Le Côte · about 0.1 miles, walkable. Dinner a block away after the last pour. Tip: Book on OpenTable; closed Monday and Tuesday. Official site · source

Dragonette

• Don’t miss: "The Study," the seated tasting with the Black Label wines. source
• Don’t miss: The 2023 Black Label Pinot Noir, released with a 98 from Jeb Dunnuck (Oct 2026). (2026-10) source
• Also try: The Tavern at Mattei's · about 0.3 miles, walkable. Dinner a short walk away in Los Olivos. Tip: The Tavern serves three meals daily. Official site · source

Jonata & The Hilt

• Don’t miss: Taste both labels at once: Jonata's Bordeaux and Rhône reds and The Hilt's Pinot and Chardonnay pour side by side at The Barn. source
• Also try: Melville Winery · about 14 min drive (9.1 mi). The walk-in estate on the Highway 246 side of the Sta. Rita Hills loop. Tip: Five pours for $35; dogs and kids welcome. Official site · source

Paul Lato

• Don’t miss: Book early: slots are 11am and 2pm Mon–Thu, and 10am, noon and 2pm Fri–Sat. source

Sea Smoke

• Don’t miss: Botella, back after a ten-year hiatus and sold on its site without the list. (2026) source

Drive times are without traffic.

Nearby: eat, taste, stay

• Sta. Rita Hills wineries: Cold-climate Pinot, 1971 vines · Melville, Brewer-Clifton and the Lompoc side
• Los Olivos wine tasting: Top-scored labels, one walkable town · Stolpman, Dragonette and dozens more on foot
• Best Santa Barbara County wineries: The wider list
• Skyview Los Alamos: A pool and a restaurant to come back to

Quick answers

Can you visit Sea Smoke?

Sea Smoke's site lists no tasting room or visits. Its estate wines are sold through the mailing list ("Join the List").

Where can you taste Jonata wine?

At The Barn at The Hilt Estate, 2240 Santa Rosa Road, Lompoc, by appointment. Call 805.564.8581 or book on Jonata's site.

Does Stolpman need a reservation?

Reservations are strongly encouraged at the Los Olivos tasting room. Walk-ins are taken on a limited basis, and groups are capped at six.

How much is a Paul Lato tasting?

$100 a person, by appointment with 24 hours' notice. The fee is waived with six bottles per person or 12 per couple.

How do you visit Domaine de la Côte?

By appointment only. Email wine@domainedelacote.com.