Peake Ranch
Peake Ranch Winery is named after artist and avid rancher Channing Peake, whose family owned the property known as Rancho Jabali until Richard Sanford bought the property in 1982. In 2013, half of the property which includes the landmark Sanford tasting shack, was purchased by John and Gill Wagner and is now Peake Ranch. An oil painting by Peake hangs in the tasting room. The Wagners have a deep love and connection with the Santa Barbara wine country and are committed to achieving the ultimate expression of what the region can acheive. This commitment is evident in the team they have put in place. Winemaker Wynne Solomon brings her meticulous attention to detail in winemaking along with experience working with Paul Loto, Melville and Stephen Ross Winery. Vineyard manager Mike Anderson’s talents & experience are second to none. He served as a researcher, author and educator at UC Davis for 30+ years where he was also the vineyard manager for the University’s legendary Oakville Station. All Peake Ranch wines are from the winery’s three estate vineyards: Peake Ranch, John Sebastiano and Sierra Madre Vineyards - totaling 370 planted acres. While the majority of the fruit is sold, the best plots are destined for the Peake Ranch bottle.
Peake Ranch Vineyard is located on the eastern end of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA on Santa Rosa Road, Peake Ranch is a 105-acre parcel with 50 acres of vines. The plantings include seven different clones of Pinot Noir, three clones of Chardonnay and two each of Syrah and Grenache. The plantings are all along a hill that covers most of the ranch, exposing the vines to the cool air that comes off the Pacific and into the Santa Ynez Valley. The combination of North, South, East and West facing slopes coupled with the exposure to varying degrees of the cool wind give the vineyard a diversity of fruit flavor profiles that is unique for a ranch of this size.
John Sebastiano Vineyard is located on the eastern edge of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. The raised elevation of this vineyard exposes this spot to an extra dose of the winds that the appellation is famous for. Cool nights and constant wind make for grapes that show great concentration and lend themselves to the magic of gifted winemaker Wynne Solomon, yielding extraordinary wines.
Sierra Madre is located on the western side of the Santa Maria Valley. The Vineyard benefits from cool summers. The block the wines come from is a south-facing hillside comprised of sandy, well-drained soil. The Robert Young clones that grow here take advantage of the spot to become both fully ripe and at the same time retain a high level of acidity.